Collaborative Behaviours and Skills
​(originally published on LinkedIn)

Embrace healthy conflict 
By now it will have become evident that a collaborative model of working necessitates a new set of behaviours and skill-sets. It's not about everyone getting on and agreeing, or nurturing a "no conflict" environment. In fact "healthy conflict", where a diverse group of voices have the opportunity to wānanga (meet, discuss and deliberate) issues is key to successful collaboration. Note, I differentiate between "healthy" and "unhealthy" conflict - the former builds strong foundations for successful collaboration, whilst the latter breaks down trust and good will. Sadly, the later is still way too prevalent - often in a passive-aggressive form and through mis-use of power. We need to be courageous and call it when we see it happening; often we know in our gut what we need to do, but we ignore it.

Be prepared to be challenged and feel vulnerable through a collaboration process, it's just going to happen - at some point you're going to feel pretty uncomfortable. However, when we stick with it that's when the growth comes and we hit those magic "aha" moments. I am a Persian Kiwi, so a good discussion is in my Middle Eastern DNA, but not so across New Zealand, where we have a dominant "conflict averse" culture and a palpable "tall poppy syndrome". In this environment it takes an intentional choice and some effort to embrace healthy conflict, enable diverse opinions and celebrate others' successes. "No mud, no lotus."

Key collaborative behaviours and skills 
Through my research and practice I have been able to identify some key behaviours and skills for collaboration and collective impact, that warrant investment of time and training. Here is a brief touch point on some of them - in no particular order, so as not to give more weighting to one or other. They're all important and it's for each of us to decide where we need to focus in any given season of our lives, individually and corporately. This is not an exhaustive list - just a starting point.

• Active Listening - It takes time and effort to develop this skill. There are essentially four ways of talking and listening: downloading and listening within our own story; debating and listening to each other from the outside; creating and breaking down the boundaries; and, reflecting - listening to ourselves reflectively and to others empathetically (based on Adam Kahane's work). When we are creating and reflecting, we provide opportunities to move into a new future.

• Common Language - In a collaborative environment we have to be explicit about what our words and actions mean. We need to be alert to the water cooler conversations, listening to the interpretations of conversations and alert to what's being said in the ever so frequent "pre-meeting" and "post-meeting" chats! We can't afford to "assume" others mean the same as us when they use the same words.

• Continuous Communication - Communication has to be beyond a process and tick box exercise. Key messages need to be agreed, communicated in a timely manner and in a style that's relevant to the context and culture. Often we need a portfolio of approaches (words, drawings, hard copy, soft copy etc.) and in my experience, here the specialists add significant value. Additionally, the digital environment offers us new opportunities to communicate more efficiently. Collaboration software is evolving continually and it's well worth experimenting with a number of options (I use a variety).

• Adaptive & Flexible - Don't hold on to anything too tightly in a collaborative endeavour. Be open and prepared to adjust, adapt and at times totally re-steer. We've talked about growth mindsets vs. fixed mindsets before; creatively exploring the issues, problems and needs provides the environment to discover new opportunities for the future.

• Empowering/Open to Sharing – In this sort of environment, we are comfortable with celebrating others' successes. We give credit where credit is due and leaders move organically into a coaching & mentoring capacity.

• Strategic Value Creator - Collaborators focus on ecosystem value creation. They look and work beyond personal responsibilities, respectfully and collegially engaging as wide a variety of "voices" as possible. They have the ability to connect the big picture strategic perspectives and decisions to implementation (service delivery and product development). It's a unique behaviour and skill set that drives collective impact.

• Champions for Change - Effective collaborators are the champions for change and those that keep a collaborative initiative on track. When researching successful collaborative efforts Ryan et al., working with the project Better Connected Services for Kiwis, identified three clear roles in successful collaborative efforts: “the public entrepreneur” (individuals who drive change / new ideas, despite the rules and often under the radar); “fellow–travellers” (those that support the public entrepreneur); and “guardian angels” (leaders that sponsor and support). If we consider how Moore’s strategic triangle (see earlier article) might play out in a collaborative initiative, the roles identified by Ryan et al. seem plausible. 

• Trust and Power - It's unlikely to come as a surprise that trust and power are key factors and oft talked about. It's essential to focus on creating trust environments and relationships, as well as reducing reliance on power and hierarchy of roles. Developing deep trust takes time and effort. Collaboration drives us away from vertical organisational structures and towards horizontal organisational structures. Though still emerging and evolving, collaboration frameworks encourage devolved decision making and empowerment of identified collaborators.

• Stewardship - Stewardship and understanding "Kaitiakitanga" (guardianship and conservation) are an integral part of collaboration in NZ and closely tied to an ecosystem approach to value creation. We need to take an inter-generational perspective and ensure sustainable futures, by "cherishing" all that has been entrusted into our care for our time here.

We have to give due consideration to sharing resources and developing shared backbone structures. To reduce bias and enable new opportunities, it's recommended to have an independent provider for all backbone and secretariat services (i.e. not one of the collaboration delivery partners). Mostly my observation has been that whilst maximising opportunities for people, sharing capabilities and stewardship of resources is generally a key driver for a collaborative initiative (often under the umbrella of "shared services"), very few give the necessary time and investment for planning and capability development needed up-front to ensure success, and often one delivery partner will want to keep control. One way to think of it is an "independent partner" for delivery of backbone structures and secretariat - this seems to work really well. As my vicar indicated this Sunday ....even Jesus and the apostles needed people behind the scenes to enable their success! Too often we forget the "invisible" servants and leaders that are integral to collaboration success.

Cultures of Collaboration 

As we encourage and invest in collaborative behaviours and skills, change will happen organically. Slowly and gently we will see nudges in culture and new ways of working becoming the norm.
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Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com | [email protected] | +64 21 478253

Value creation and Lower Level Politics
(originally published on LinkedIn)

Value Creation: One-waka approach 
In the public sector – local government, central government, whatever the agency and even the service delivery partners (generally NFP's) – it's one waka. In actual fact, NZ is so small we need to take a one-waka perspective on everything! We would be remiss not to consider the macro environment across policies and investments and only focus on personal accountability areas/responsibilities. But a trajectory of public sector reforms has resulted in a culture of silo and competitive behaviours from practitioners across the system. This is a complex and difficult environment for public sector leaders to deliver collaborative initiatives. However, it is heartening to see a current review of the State Sector Act in process, with relevant current foci, namely: creating a modern Public Service for a modern New Zealand; commitment to Māori; tools for a flexible Public Service; leading better outcomes and services; the best people for the job; and, a trusted Public Service.
But in the end, even with changes to legislation and the system, the evidence clearly shows that collaboration is contingent on lower level politics. It’s about developing a genuine willingness on the part of persons across teams and organisations to work closely with each other towards collective value creation. And, of course, value creation is not limited to dollar savings - that's a really small lens to assess "value" and even "value for money"!

​What's value? 
One of the key proponents of public value creation was Moore (1995), and he continues to be an important voice in the field. He presented the concept of the strategic triangle (see below), which though based on contemporary strategy experience from the private sector is a relatively pragmatic approach as "... it takes account of the need to engage upwards with political leaders for legitimacy and support, and downwards in order to achieve organisational capability and to ensure that service delivery is feasible" (see Duncan & Chapman (2012) Better public services? Public management and the New Zealand model. Public Policy).
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In his recent address to the SOLGM conference, Ganesh Nana (Chief Economist at Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL)) presented an alternative model (see below) for change based on the local government four well-beings and suggests that the well-beings be used to address four points (I have paraphrased): critiquing the use of "value" in policy or decision-making; a more inclusive approach to assessing value; considering the "do nothing" option; and, cutting across silos for assessments (see published article in November 2018 issue of the NZ Local Government Magazine)

Public Servants & Servant Leadership
The New Zealand Public Sector “Spirit of Service” seems to embody a collaborative approach; and, there appears to be a call to once again capture the heart of being a public servant. Last week, I was delighted to see that "14 public servants from around the country were acknowledged for their outstanding spirit of service to NZ" - these were the inaugural recipients of the State Services Commissioner’s Commendation for Frontline Excellence. Well done! This sort of service is the underlying ethos of public service, where employees are known as public servants, and this should once again steer us towards the principles of “servant leadership”, a concept coined by Greenleaf in his now famous 1970 essay. In that essay Greenleaf said, “The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.” Yet not so long ago I had the opportunity to work with a group of senior mangers from across agencies and a number were not familiar with the phrase "servant leadership". It took me by surprise, so if it's new to you, I highly recommend a quick google search. In summary, it is well acknowledged that the primary characteristics of a servant leader include: “altruism, empathy, humility, service, spirituality, and stewardship”. Anyone can be a leader anywhere in the organisation.

Understanding Complexity & Decision Making 
Collaborative leadership necessitates an empowering approach, a comfort with ambiguity, and an ability to learn from failures. This appears to be particularly tough in an environment with a dominant “fear of failure” and a reward system that appears to favour “known knowns”. Here I am referring to David Snowden et al's work with understanding complexity and specifically the Cynefin framework (pronounced ku-nev-in), which is a Welsh word that signifies the multiple factors in our environment and our experience that influence us in ways that we can never understand. I am no expert on complexity theory, but it fascinates me, so along with a small group of other enthusiasts I signed up to one of Snowden's all-day masterclasses when he was visiting NZ; I am on an intentional learning journey!

My take is that leaders across the system have to approach the problem definition and subsequent decision making approach differently; and, whilst it may be complex, it doesn't have to be complicated. A flock of birds is a magnificent example of complexity in nature, each individual bird and the flock together, adapt and adjust to respond to the environment and circumstances. Whilst traditional problem solving tools can still add some value, in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world, we need new tools for decision making that enable the right action. Again, if you are a starter on the subject, I recommend looking it up and you may find Snowden and Boone's 2007 HBR article "A leader's framework for decision making" a good starting point.

Moving from Fixed Mindsets to Growth Mindsets 
Moving forward it appears we now need leaders with a new mindset – Carol Dweck of Stanford University calls this a “growth mindset” (as opposed to a “fixed mindset”); others have talked about “adaptive” behaviours and leadership. Growth mindset characteristics include: embracing challenges; seeing effort as a path to mastery; persisting in the face of challenges; learning from criticism; and, finding lessons and inspiration in the success of others. These characteristics then guide our behaviours and language. In reality it's a spectrum and we each may operate with either mindset in any given situation; it's about learning to be aware of our own behaviours and responses.

So if collaboration and collective impact are the desired outcome, then there is opportunity to re-assess the capabilities needed in those contexts. In this environment, leaders take on the role of mentors and coaches more readily, and are comfortable with sharing knowledge to empower others. Dweck talks about the power of believing that you can improve - so if you're a natural, that's great; but, if you aren't, there is hope! She says, "in the growth mindset, failure can be a painful experience. But it doesn't define you. It’s a problem to be faced, dealt with, and learned from.” On a personal note, I have found the practices of mindfulness, thankfulness and yoga, and working with a mentor/coach, to all add significant value in my development. Here is a simple practice Dweck suggests - if you/your team or someone you know is not good at doing "x"; add the word "yet"..."I am not good at "x", yet". That moves the fixed mindset statement to a growth mindset statement and recognises we are all on a change journey. Find what helps you and invest in developing the discipline(s).

Shifting the Culture 
Changes in the cultural status quo can be difficult and are rarely (if ever) achieved through large scale re-structuring. A move to collaboration necessitates a gentler culture nudge and shift, which necessitates a reliance on champions and the right people dynamics (giving consideration to communication, power dynamics, building trust, information and knowledge sharing and so forth). We can’t move forward if we don’t put the end recipient at the centre of all that we do - that's our shared interest. To serve fully we need to approach our service delivery collectively for collective impact.

And, in the end, we each need to take time for deep change and make the choice to lead in line with our values, and remember that “there is nothing permanent except change” (Heraclitus) – so let’s try not to make it too complicated, but take the right steps forward individually and support each other as we journey together collectively.

Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com | [email protected] | +64 21 478253

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Collaboration is a Package and People are Key
(originally published on LinkedIn)

Package: Collaboration is a package; and, like a chain, collaboration is only as strong as its weakest link at any given time and in any given situation. My research identified sixteen primary organising themes, which together help build the layers and framework for collaboration - many of which would not be a surprise to practitioners in the field, as practitioners have an intuitive understanding of what collaboration is. But this “intuitive” understanding may in itself have been a cause of complacency to date, almost like: 'I get it, now what?' The risk is that collaboration simply becomes the topic of current interest and is reduced to little more then a buzzword. Successful collaboration is dependent on identifying and understanding all the parts of the package and the parts working cohesively and in a complementary manner together.
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It's all about people: The deeper conversations continue to be centred on people and the system. At its core collaboration is about people: just as much as people can be an impediment to collaboration, they can be the answer or circuit breaker. Here are two word clouds: the first summarises the perceived impediments to collaboration in a public sector context and the second summarises the descriptors for a collaboration Nirvana, in the same context (both were generated using NVivo). The comparison is evident.

​Working together Here I have a little warning flag - collaboration is not the same as networking. Whilst networking can lead to collaboration, often pre-existing relationships can result in un-conscious and even conscious biases. In turn this impacts our behaviours (who we share information with and such like) and reduces opportunities for diversity and inclusion. It's necessary to take time to agree the problem definition and which part (if any) requires collaboration. That then supports partner selection and determines who needs to be at the table at any given point in the collaboration journey (note: partners can change in a collaboration journey). Through a co-design process we then agree what each brings to the collaborative initiative. This forms a strong foundation for mutual respect relationships and helps avoid the tendency towards competition at the table, keeping a shared interest focus.

Whakawhanaungatanga Collaboration might be better described as “whakawhanaungatanga”; which literally translated is the process of “establishing relationships, relating to others” or metaphorically it is about connecting at both a physical and spiritual level. Real collaboration necessitates intentionality and investment of self. It requires deep reflection and walking out into the fullness of personal courage; and, as Brené Brown teaches, all courage requires some risk, uncertainty and emotional exposure – which is the definition of vulnerability.

Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com | [email protected] | +64 21 478253

Mind shift: Focus on moving self interest to shared interest
(originally published on Linkedin)

Systems and processes 

Predominantly, the systems we work in and the processes we work with are not designed for collaboration. Many of the systems we’ve inherited were designed in the industrial age and similarly, many of the processes were designed for specific contexts. Absolutely, we need to take an eco-system approach and improve systems and processes. But major system/process overhauls take time and, in my experience, the most sustainable changes are implemented incrementally. Nevertheless, if the system is designed for competition and the people in the system are incentivised to compete – then competition and self-interest will prevail. It is evident that requiring or legislating and even enabling collaboration across teams and traditional organisational boundaries is insufficient for change. An edict or direction to collaborate, doth not collaboration make; we need a mind shift that moves self interest to shared interest.

Real vs false collaboration 

The theme of “real vs. false collaboration” emerged in my research somewhat unexpectedly and even a little disturbingly – it appeared that at times false collaboration was inadvertent and at times intentional. We are each as human as each other, so the potential impact of human agency should not be underplayed and opportunities to move self interest to shared interest should continue to be actively sought. Real collaboration provides opportunities for divergent thinkers to contribute, and is inclusive – at its core it is a diversity and inclusion agenda.

Shared incentives, measures and story-telling 

Further, it seems that collaboration needs to be supported by shared incentives and shared measures. Evidence indicates that this is beyond structural changes, and scholars provide a range of ideas for consideration such as: peer recognition programmes; value-added performance metrics; monetising system value; building in structured competition (within a collaboration framework); and finding quick wins - to name some. But more and more I see real change and impact on individual lives through collaboration that can't be measured - so we also need to recognise and engage in story-telling, not just as an "add-on", but as a primary source for decision-making.

Values driven 

In the end we need to draw together the hearts and minds of “kamahi” – when people care about what they do, when their task is centred in their “why” or their purpose for being - then self interest organically moves to shared interest and a deep desire for collective impact. If our hearts’ cry is to make a difference where it matters, then we will.
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Copyright ©2020 Nazanin Jenkin Ltd. | www.nazaninjenkin.com | [email protected] | +64 21 478253

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