Collaborative methods are processes, behaviors, and conversations that relate to the collaboration between individuals.Spence, Muneera U. "Graphic Design: Collaborative Processes = Understanding Self and Others." (lecture) Art 325: Collaborative Processes. Fairbanks Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. 13 Apr. 2006. These methods specifically aim to increase the success of teams as they engage in collaborative problem solving. Forms, rubrics, charts and graphs are useful in these situations to objectively document personal traits with the goal of improving performance in current and future projects.
History of collaboration
Group setup Deliberate setup of a team—before beginning work—increases the potential for high performance. To do so, the following components of collaboration should be an initial focus:
Group models Four group models are common in collaboration: Chance Collaboration by chance is the most basic model and underlies all four. The team is a random pick of whoever is available without any specific regard for the skills or needs of each member.
Acuity Collaboration by acuity establishes a team with balanced skill sets. The goal is to pick team members so each of the four acuities exist on the team. However, this does not mean a team of four is required as people can have varying levels of each acuity and even excel at more than one.
Interest Collaboration by interest forms a team of persons with similar hobbies, curiosities or careers. Typically, this common interest is related to the problem the team plans to solve. While acuity is still important in this group, their common, unique knowledge may be able to overcome any weakness.
Leader Collaboration by leader is a team model where the members are chosen by a leader. While the leader has common leadership qualities, those who assemble high performing teams also understand the process of collaboration. The goal is to pick team members with compatible values, schedules and working environments while also addressing interest and acuity.
Spence's basic rules Spence identifies seven rules for all collaboration:
Look for common ground: find shared values, consider shared personal experiences, pay attention to and give feedback, be yourself and expect the same of others, be willing to accept differences in perception and opinions
Learn about others: consider their perspectives and needs, appeal to the highest motives, let others express themselves freely
Critique results, not people: do not waste time on personal hostility, make other people feel good, avoid criticism and put downs
Give and get respect: show respect for others' opinions, be considerate and friendly, put yourself in the other person's shoes, be responsive to emotions, speak with confidence but remain tactful
Proceed slowly: present one idea at a time, check for understanding and acceptance of each idea before moving on to the next. Speak in an organized and logical sequence.
Be explicit and clear: share your ideas and feelings, pay attention to nonverbal communication, speak clearly and make eye contact, select words that have meaning for your listeners
Remember the five "Cs" of communication: clarity, completeness, conciseness, concreteness, and correctness
Katzenbach and Smith's "team basics" In research since 1993, Katzenbach and Smith have identified six fundamentals of collaboration that are necessary for high performing groups:Katzenbach, Jon R., and Douglas K. Smith. The Wisdom of Teams. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2003.
Small numbers of people—typically less than twelve
Complementary skills in team members
Common purposes for working
Specific performance goals that are commonly agreed upon
Shared working approaches
Mutual accountability amongst all members
Working styles Two primary types of working styles exist, each benefiting from contributions of the other:
Alone/Quiet/Focused workers are typically self-paced, internal thinkers who are driven by goals and are conscious of ownership issues. They are usually best at expressing themselves in writing. Shared/High-Energy/Dynamic workers are typically fast-paced, external thinkers who are conceptual/visionary and work towards building consensus in real-time. They are usually best at expressing themselves verbally.
Conflict between these groups typically occurs when group one becomes passive aggressive or group two becomes outwardly aggressive. Managing expectations, building consensus and communicating well are ways to avoid conflict.
Acuity
While psychologist Howard Gardner identified seven major realms of intelligence, a more simple set of acuities may be more useful within smaller groups. Four roles have been identified and are defined as follows (note that individuals may score high in more than one category): The conceptualist role typically provides ideas, concepts and the 'visionary' direction of the group
The formalist role typically excels at production tasks that relate to organization of content, adherence to formal requirements and quality of craft
The operations role typically offers professional demeanor, documentation of process and articulation of verbal and/or visual presentation
The technician role often excels at performing research and using technology
Higher performing teams often have a diverse set of skills and an appropriate number of persons in each role—as required by the goal of the team.
Thinking styles
There are two main components of thinking styles: internal and external, they share similarities to the extraversion and introversion traits seen in human personalities. The two thinking styles are dichotomies and can be used as axes when charting personal evaluation; note that "there is no 'right' place on the grid."
Creation of ideas Internal thinkers typically express themselves best through writing and take longer to develop and express ideas.
External thinkers typically express themselves best through speech and are faster at developing and expressing ideas.
Application of ideas Detailed thinkers typically focus on specific, existing situations and start small, eventually working towards solving the greater whole of a given problem.
Visionary thinkers typically focus on broad, potential situations and start big, eventually working towards solving the more specific parts of a given problem
With both thinking styles, each benefits from the existence of the other; internal thinkers 'feed' off of the rapid-fire ideas of external thinkers and, conversely, external thinkers are 'grounded' by the deliberate pace at which internal thinkers operate (Note that the speed at which each functions has no correlation to intelligence). Detailed and visionary thinkers succeed in opposite realms and collaboratively can produce results faster and better than alone.
Learning styles
For collaboration purposes, three learning styles are typically identified: Auditory learning occurs through hearing the spoken word and represents approximately 25% of the population Kinesthetic learning occurs through doing, touching and interacting and represents approximately 40% of the population Visual learning occurs through images, demonstrations and body language and represents approximately 30% of the population
Through the use of varied (or redundant) communication styles, collaborative groups can communicate better both internally and externally.
Agreeing upon group values is a step that "sets the tone" for further work. This is a convenient warm-up activity for a group and most commonly involves brainstorming a list and then picking a "top-ten." Spence recommends that this is a high-priority item for the first meeting. Values may be grouped into categories, but each is up to debate:
Healthy values and habits (Sensual and Operational Values) — Sensual values are individual values and are functional or dysfunctional to an individual's emotional survival. They are sensitive or insensitive depending upon an individual's emotional maturity. Operational values are individual values and are functional or dysfunctional to an individual's physical survival. They are active or inactive depending upon an individual's physical development. Healthy values and habits are acquired through personal satisfaction, practice and personal experience.
Moral values and norms (Social and Religious/Traditional Values) — Social values are family/group values and are functional or dysfunctional to the survival of the family/group. They are nurturing or aggressive depending upon the family/group's social maturity. Religious/Traditional values are interpersonal values and are functional or dysfunctional to impersonal survival outside the family/group. They are tolerant or intolerant depending upon the religion's/tradition's maturity. Moral values are acquired through encouragement, instruction and interpersonal experience.
Ethical values and behavior (Economic and Political Values) — Economic values are national values and are functional or dysfunctional to the survival of the nation. They are productive or unproductive depending upon the nation's economic development. Political values are national values and are functional or dysfunctional to national survival. They are progressive or regressive depending upon a nation's political development. Ethical values are acquired through rewards, education and impersonal experience.
Group functions Collaborative groups often work together in the same environment but may also utilize information technology—collaborative software in particular—to overcome geographic limitations. As a group works to meet its goals, the following components should be included to sustain effective collaboration:
Interpersonal communication
Spence states that communication is composed of the following: 52% based on body language 37% based on the tone of voice 11% based on words
In collaborative groups, two styles of communication are likely to be found:
Indirect communicators are typically persons who use intuitive means to understand the needs and desires of others. They find direct questions difficult to answer and direct communication rude and insensitive. Direct communicators are typically persons who use conscious thought to understand the needs and desires of others, they ask questions directly and expect direct responses
Spence adds that there are three major steps to listening that facilitate learning and show respect for the speaker: Focus your mind on the person speaking Use body language to signal attention and interests Verbally reflect and respond to what the speaker feels and says
Respect
In collaboration, respect is a critical component of group performance and is given and/or received in two distinctly different ways:
The give none model of collaborative respect is seen when individuals or teams expect others to earn respect based on the actions of those persons. This often occurs inside organizations, businesses and other groups where there is an existing commonality. Persons joining a collaborative team must prove what they can do and how they are valuable to the group to gain respect and continue working with the group.
The give all model of collaborative respect occurs when individuals or teams provide others with respect and—through interaction—may lose or maintain their level of respect. This often occurs when already established and functioning collaborative teams invite a new group or team to join. These new members have often already shown their work to be of high quality and face expectations to deliver such quality for their new team.
Ideation