Question

1) determine when to collaborate

2) Describe the Himmelman matrix of strategies

3) Define the characteristics of collaborative leaders

4) Distinguish the three forms of collaboration.

5) Explain the stages of changes.

6) Discuss the styles of changes.

Answer 1

Ans) 1) Research suggests the decision to collaborate or not should be informed by:

• the nature and complexity of the presenting

problem/s

• the sense of interdependency between involved

agencies and individual members

• the willingness of members and parent

organisations to engage in and sponsor new

thinking and behaviours

• the level of collective commitment to change action.

2) Himmelman matrix of strategies:

- Networking

- Coordinating

- Cooperating

- Collaborating

3) Characteristic of collaborative leaders:

Balanced motivations.
Not a control freak.
Transferable skills.
Horizontal leadership.
Risk-taking is encouraged.
Contextual intelligence.
Openly share information.
Constructive conflict.

4) THREE TYPES OF COLLABORATION

Older models of collaboration tended to focus on teams and formal, structured collaboration. We have more options now. Here we explore three types of collaboration and how we might approach them as an organisation.

1) In team collaboration, the members of the group are known, there are clear task interdependencies, expected reciprocity, and explicit time-lines and goals. To achieve the goal, members must fulfil their interdependent tasks within the stated time. Team collaboration often suggests that, while there is explicit leadership, the participants cooperate on an equal footing and will receive equal recognition. An example is a six-member team working together to develop a new marketing strategy in a month, with a defined set of resources. Team collaborations can also occur with external partners, but there is always a clear mandate and defined roles.

2) In community collaboration, there is a shared domain or area of interest, but the goal is more often focused on learning rather than on task. People share and build knowledge rather than complete projects. Members may go to their communities to help solve their problems by asking questions and getting advice, then taking that advice back home to implement in their teams. Membership may be bounded and explicit, but time periods are often open or ongoing. Membership is often on equal footing, but more experienced practitioners may have more status or power in the community. Reciprocity is within the group, but not always one to one (“I did this for you, now you do this for me”). An example might be a community of practice that is interested in the type of marketing mentioned in the team example above. A member of that team may come to her community and ask for examples of past projects.

Community collaborations may also give rise to more formalised team collaborations. As people get to know each other, they can identify good fits for team members and draw new talent into their teams.

3) Network collaboration steps beyond the relationship-centric nature of team and community collaboration. It is collaboration that starts with individual action and self-interest, which then accrues to the network as individuals contribute or seek something from the network. Membership and time-lines are open and unbounded. There are no explicit roles. Members most likely do not know all the other members. Power is distributed. This form of collaboration is driven by the advent of social media (tools that help us connect and interact online), ubiquitous internet connectivity and the ability to connect with diverse individuals across distance and time. It is a response to the overwhelming volume of information we are creating. It’s impossible for an individual to cope on their own. So networks become mechanisms for knowledge and information capture, filtering and creation.