From Dialogue to Synergy: Building Collaborative Relationships

1. From Dialogue to Synergy: Building Collaborative Relationships Janet Salmons, Ph.D.

2. Agenda

3. What is collaboration? Collaboration is: "an interactive process that engages two or more participants who work together to achieve outcomes they could not accomplish independently."

4. Inter-Organizational & Intra-Organizational Collaboration May involve different disciplines but occurs within familiar culture, norms and practices May involve different disciplines and cultures, outside familiar norms and practices Inter-Organizational

5. Collaborating to Learn Think together Share our thinking

6. Finding the right balance…

7. Taxonomy of Collaborative E-learning: Levels of Collaboration

8. Level of Collaboration 1: Dialogue • Participants exchange ideas to find shared purpose and coherence in the plans and/or tactics needed to coordinate their efforts.

9. Level of Collaboration 2: Peer Review • Participants exchange work for mutual critique through peer review and incorporate others' comments.

10. Level of Collaboration 3: Parallel • Participants each complete a component of the project. Elements are combined into a collective final product, or the process moves to another level of collaboration.

11. Level of Collaboration 4: Sequential • Participants build on each other's contributions through a series of progressive steps. Elements are combined into a collective final product, or the process moves to another level of collaboration.

12. Level of Collaboration 5: Synergistic • Participants think together to collaborate fully in creation of a product that meshes each one’s contributions into a whole.

13. Trust Continuum As collaboration increases, so does the need for trust. In collaborative efforts, trust is: "the confidence that a person is competent to reach a goal and is committed to reaching it."(Handy, 1995)

14. Building Trust and Respect

15. Trust-Building Loop Gain underpinnings for higher levels of collaboration Reinforce trusting attitudes Aim for realistic but modest outcomes Strategic or Organizational: Form expectations about collaboration based on reputation, past behavior or agreements Personal:Have enough trust to take the risk needed to initiate or move to next level of collaboration (Adapted from Huxham & Vangen, 2005)

16. Building Trust & Respect Through Dialogue • Listening and responding to each other; • Providing affirmative comments; • Including everyone; • Making decisions • Summarizing key points. Getting acquainted. Committing to common purpose. Organizing the project, establishing roles, norms and procedures. Speaking with a common language.

17. Learning to Give and Receive Feedback through Online Peer Review • Assess which elements to include in collaborative project– or which elements need revisions. • Provide respectful, constructive criticism. • Work within mutually acceptable boundaries and set criteria. • Exchange work for mutual critique.

18. Organizing the Project:Parallel or Sequential Collaboration • Understand elements of the project. • Divide and allocate tasks. • Set timelines and standards. • Coordinate, communicate progress. • Develop mutual accountability; deal with underperforming team members and/or resolve conflicts • Edit, compile, assemble outcomes.

19. Connecting Arrows & Stars

20. Thinking & Creating Knowledge Together: Synergistic Collaboration • All steps described previously. • Practice participatory decision-making. • Balance individual interests with group purpose.

21. Organizing for Successful Collaboration

22. Organizing for Successful Collaboration

23. Next steps? How can you apply these ideas to improve the collaborative process, build respectful relationships and accomplish your desired outcomes?