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Achieving Collaborative Advantage in Education

Achieving Collaborative Advantage in Education. Dr Robyn Keast & Professor Kerry Brown School of Management Queensland University of Technology 26 May 2006. Introduction. Background to collaboration Universities & collaboration Working together through relationships

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Achieving Collaborative Advantage in Education

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  1. Achieving Collaborative Advantage in Education Dr Robyn Keast & Professor Kerry Brown School of Management Queensland University of Technology 26 May 2006

  2. Introduction • Background to collaboration • Universities & collaboration • Working together throughrelationships • Differentiation of relationships – 3Cs • Making collaboration work • Building & managing strategic relationships • Changing expectations & behaviours • New ways of working; new ways of evaluating Keast & Brown QUT 26 may 2006

  3. Collaboration & universities • Collaboration is key term in policy & program initiative in many sectors & areas of endeavour – including universities • QUT – Collaborative Research (OR) • Australian Technology Network • National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy • Emphasis is increasingly on cross-faculty, cross-disciplinary, multi-functional work groups & integrated project management teams Keast & Brown QUT 26 may 2006

  4. Benefits of collaboration • Working together through collaboration: • Enables innovation creation & confusion • Resolves ‘wicked’ issues • Creative problem solving • Maximises resources • Capacity to ‘tap’ into partners’ opportunities • Optimise research opportunities • Achieve greater market reach Keast & Brown QUT 26 may 2006

  5. But • While having potential to produce great outcomes, collaborations are: • Risky • Hard to steer/control • Do not necessarily achieve conventional outcomes of ‘success’ • Possess a different operating logic • Take longer time • Involve a different management/practice approach • Prone to failure • 40 % + collaborations fail Keast & Brown QUT 26 may 2006

  6. Its all about relationships! • Tendency to overuse or expect too much from collaborative relationships • Ignoring merits of other available relationships • 3CS • Cooperation • Coordination • Collaboration Keast & Brown QUT 26 may 2006

  7. Relationships differentiated Cooperation Coordination Collaboration • Loose relations • Autonomous goals • Adjusting action • Information sharing • Medium relations • Semi autonomous • Aligning resources/ action • Joint goals • Joint programs • Joint funding • Strong relations • Interdependent • Systems change • Dense interactions • Pooled resources • Collective action Keast & Brown QUT 26 may 2006

  8. Unpacking relationships Keast & Brown QUT 26 may 2006

  9. Reflecting on your collaborative endeavours • Think about a collaborative endeavour that you are involved with • How does it compare to the information provided in the schemas? • Is it collaboration – or one of the other Cs? • What are the characteristics evident? • Do these enhance or constrain achieving collaboration? • What adjustments needs to be made to shift to collaboration? Keast & Brown QUT 26 may 2006

  10. Making collaboration work • Relationship focus • Understood, planned & nurtured • Building trust is important • Emphasis is on building relationships – long term • Right people, right strength of relationship • May have to turbo-charge • Interdependent – give & take • Joint ownership of decisions – no-one is in charge; and everyone is! • Dealing with conflict constructively – unlock creativity • Focus on interest, not positions Keast & Brown QUT 26 may 2006

  11. Collaborative management Keast & Brown QUT 26 may 2006

  12. Changing expectations & behaviours • Collaborations produce great results • But not always as expected/intended • Take time – not a short-term solution • No one is in control – shared power • Step back and let go!!! • Have to be prepared to take risks & give space to let group synergies work • If team members extract exactly as much as they put in: 1+1=2 but little innovation possible • If true collaboration drawing on team dynamics and relationships:1+1>2 • Be prepared to fund differently • Outcomes are as much about changed relationships as tangible deliverables – need different performance measures Keast & Brown QUT 26 may 2006

  13. Conclusions • Collaboration key goal & can produce high rewards • All 3Cs have merit – fit-for-purpose • Mix and match relationship type & strength to purpose • If collaborating: • New ways of thinking/working – dense & interdependent relationships • New management mode • Changed expectations & processes Keast & Brown QUT 26 may 2006

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