History belongs to the collaborators3 min read

Developing an outward-focused mindset is key when trying to foster a successful collaborative culture in organizations. Collaboration should be approached as a skill instead of a value, which necessitates developing skills like active listening and healthy feedback.

Small groups coming together, working together and learning together has resulted in some of the most significant shifts in technology and culture (the way we do things) throughout history. Here are 5 famous collaborations mentioned by the 3M Post-It brand. 

Forging a collaboration that achieves a significant technological or cultural shift offers a key competitive advantage for the few companies that actually get it right. However, attempting to create a collaborative culture does not always work, which can leave the leaders driving such a culture frustrated.

A skill, not a value

According to Francesca Gino, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, this is because the approach taken by most business leaders is too narrow.

She goes on to explain that most leaders attempting to foster collaboration see it as a value they need to cultivate, where they should approach it as a skill that needs to be taught.

What is the difference? The first approach makes use of methods or tactics that attempt to create an environment and create opportunities for individuals to collaborate. This is an important step, but if it is the only step then is built on a critical and often incorrect assumption that everyone has the mindset and skills to effectively collaborate with others.

A mindset for collaboration

There is a core mindset shift that lies at the heart of any effective collaboration, and that is to move from an inward focus — what I would like to say, what I would like to achieve — to an outward focus — what can I learn from others, and how can I contribute to others.

In successful collaborations, judgment gives way to curiosity.

We can all relate to the first mindset. It often manifests itself when others disagree with us or critique our work. The words, “How dare you!” come to mind, and if we aren’t practised at staying present and engaged it can become almost impossible to take in the rest of what the other person has to say.

However, there are skills we have found individuals and teams can focus on to help establish an outward focus that helps them collaborate more effectively.

Skills for collaboration

1. Listen to listen, not to respond

When we listen to respond we are physically present but psychologically absent. We have already started formulating how we want to convey our own message (inward focus) and stopped listening to what the other person has to say.

When we learn to listen for the sake of listening, our first response is often not a statement, but rather a question, because we want to understand the other person’s perspective better.

2. Become comfortable with feedback

True collaboration only really becomes possible when individuals get comfortable with both giving and receiving feedback. Being able to give feedback but not receive it can make others less inclined to consider your feedback. Inversely, when a person is able to receive feedback but avoids providing feedback or provides it in a judgemental way, it doesn’t allow for a collaborative conversation to happen.

3. Learn to lead and to follow

When working collaboratively, every individual in the team needs to learn to lead and to follow. Regardless of their role, anyone can lead by openly sharing their ideas, knowledge, skills, and abilities. If any individual in the teams’ proposed path seems to be the best way forward, even if they’re not the assigned team leader, the rest of the team should follow by figuring out how to best implement said path.

4. Clarity in application

When it comes to the implementation of any collaboration it is important to clearly communicate what is going to be done, why it is going to be done, and how it is going to be done. Without clarity, we may feel threatened and tend to become more inward-focused as a method of “self-preservation”, which negatively impacts our ability to collaborate with others.

Conclusion

Developing the skills to establish a collaborative mindset (an outward focus) will take intentional effort, but at a time in history when radical collaboration is needed to address the world’s most pressing issues, it seems like a small price to pay.