My favorite collaboration model

In common practice the term collaboration serves as a handy label to mark and acknowledge working relationships between individuals, departments, or organizations.

However, collaboration as a working relationship actually lies on a continuum of inter-organizational models, each of which has identifiable attributes and requires specific capacities and inter-institutional supports.

As we move left to right across the continuum, we increase our potential to accomplish together that which cannot be achieved alone.

And, importantly, each level requires an increase in time, trust, and turf-sharing.

Here are three steps you’ll want to take right away if you’re gearing up to launch a high-stakes collaboration of your own:

• Know which type of “working together” you seek to do - Networking, Coordinating, Cooperating, or Collaborating

• Evaluate whether you have in place the capacities needed for your desired type of work AND for all the types of work that appear earlier on the continuum. If you’re missing a capacity, figure out a way to get it.

• Evaluate whether you have in place the supports needed to help that work succeed. If you’re missing a resource, figure out a way to get it.

Failing to appropriately resource collaboration is a key reason why complex collaborations fail.

Click to Download Collaboration Continuum