Currently, my
partners and I are headlong into our year beginning strategic planning
work. It has become quite clear that in order for us to achieve
the greater vision for our coaching practice, we will need to join
forces with other powerful, creative people and organizations.
In other words, collaborate!
So, what is
this exciting phenomenon called
"collaboration"? Wikipedia defines it as,
When two or
more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals; a
deep, collective determination to reach an identical objective.
Drucker and Whitehead of the
Harvard Business School wrote in 2000:
We live in a
time when no organization can succeed on its own...As we look around
us in a new century, we realize that businesses and non-profits in
today's interconnected world will neither thrive nor survive with
visions confined within the walls of their own organizations. They
need to look beyond the walls and find partners who can help achieve
greater results and build the vital communities to meet challenges
ahead.
When looking
at the characteristics of a well formed, highly functioning
collaboration, the following characteristics come to mind:
- Mutual
respect, understanding and trust of its members
- Open
and frequent communication
- A
shared purpose and vision with essential outcomes defined
- Consensus
decision making through open mindedness and compromise
- Members
are stakeholders by pooling of resources and risk sharing
- Actions
are coordinated and interdependent
- Mutual
benefit through sharing in successes and rewards - a
"win/win" for all
Collaborations
can come in many forms such as: alliances, partnerships, consortiums,
co-operatives, cross functional teams, continuous improvement teams,
etc. Here are a few examples of successful business
collaborations that started with individuals committed to excellence
and an exciting vision for the future:
- Hewlett-
Packard Corp. (Bill Hewlett and David Packard)
- The
Wright Brothers (Orville and Wilber Wright)
- Edison
Electric Light Company (Thomas Edison & J.P. Morgan)
- Microsoft
(Bill Gates & Paul Allen)
- Apple
(Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak)
- Google
(Larry Page & Sergey Brin)
- McDonalds
(Dick & Mac McDonald and Ray Kroc)
- Warner
Brothers (Harry, Sam, Albert & Jack Warner)
An example of
a collaboration of several organizations coming together for a common
cause is "Blade.org" which was co-founded by IBM, Intel and
38 other member firms in 2008. The mission of this high
technology community is to advance the development and adoption of
open blade server platforms through innovative collaboration.
When looking
at your business or your organization, what are some compelling
reasons for you to break free from the "walls" that
constrain you to realize a bigger future by playing in a bigger
game? Some to consider are:
- Acquiring
a needed skill or expertise that is lacking in your business or
on your team (e.g., technical, marketing, financial,
operational).
- Accessing
a broader market for your products and/or services
- Adding
complimentary products and/or services to provide a greater
value-added solution to your customers
- Gaining
additional resources like funding, buildings, equipment, people,
etc.
Whatever the
reason, one good way to start your exploration into collaboration is
by performing a S.W.O.T. analysis of your
business, organization, and team.
- Strengths
-
defined as areas where your organization excels. Strengths
enable you to put your best foot forward, and set your
organization apart from competitors.
- Weaknesses -
can be a deficiency of resources, skills or capabilities,
excessive costs, lack of teamwork or lack of managerial
abilities, and/or an inappropriate process to meet customer
needs and wants.
- Opportunities -
represent significant and favorable situations in your
organization's environment that can directly and positively
impact your activity to meet your customers' needs and better
serve your markets.
- Threats
-
Competition, market trends, significant business growth or
decline, technological changes, etc, can represent threats to
the health of your business or organization.
Susan, Dave
and I stand ready to assist you and your organization in charting a
new course toward achieving an exciting vision of your future.
