My friends at Komons recently sought my advice on promoting collaboration between different organizations. They often undertake projects that require cooperation among NGOs, multidisciplinary freelancers, and other social actors. However, they frequently encounter challenges in getting these teams to work harmoniously together - a common issue faced by military task forces, large corporate organizations or multi-country projects.
After completing the Complex Problem Solving course led by Javier Recuenco, I’ve been immersing myself in related topics. The course frequently touched on cognitive orchestration as a means to overcome typical collaboration obstacles: egos, tribalism and differing objectives.
In my discussion with the team at Komons, I outlined the following principles to enhance collaboration:
-
Establishing a common purpose: Teams need to rally around a shared goal that transcends their individual interests and compels them to put their egos aside. This isn’t an easy feat but it’s achievable as evidenced by initiatives like ARPA or plurinational military coalitions. The first step is defining why we are tackling these problems. This reason evolves into a vision which must be communicated effectively and consistently. Avoid under-communicating due to assumptions that everyone understands or because of preoccupation with daily operations. Framing the problem as if it were causing a mild crisis can catalyze collaboration and simplify communication.
-
Creating a Radical Candor culture: Complex problems require diverse perspectives which necessitate experts from various fields working together on the project. It’s crucial to foster trust, reduce fear of conflict and promote constructive feedback in such multidisciplinary teams where ego clashes can occur.
-
Fostering a Team of teams mindset: Successful teams are not just about individual talents but also about how team members interact with one another (as highlighted in Creativity, Inc.). Managers play an important role in assembling successful teams by placing the right people in the right roles and encouraging collaboration for collective success beyond individual capacities. When dealing with multiple teams, it’s vital to establish a shared consciousness and decentralized power execution. Building trust between members and breaking silos by providing broader context to each team unit can help create these connections.
-
Considering the human factor: While participating in an ambitious program that could significantly impact many people may seem stimulating, individuals are primarily interested in themselves. The deepest principle in human nature is the desire to be appreciated. If you want to persuade someone, find what motivates them, plant ideas in their heads and let them take credit for those ideas. Be humble. The right people are self-motivated and don’t require micromanagement (as per Good to Great). Retaining the wrong people is often unfair to the right ones, so you have to pay special attention on having the right people on board.
This discussion was a brief introduction to the topic, aiming only to suggest potential strategies they might consider. There’s no quick-fix solution for effective team collaboration and while there’s an extensive body of literature available on the subject, what truly matters is how these principles are implemented in specific contexts.