I am continually developing this page and trying to keep it up to date as I find new material that I think might be helpful for fellow collaborators. Enjoy!
Post- COVID: Collaboration & Re-imagining New Futures
...as I discover new emerging talks and articles, I'll add them here
Leading in an Age of Ambiguity, Margaret Heffernan
In this talk Margaret (one of my top rated thinkers!) talks about:
Cultivating Change Amidst Collapse, Mease & Ehrlichman, Stanford Social Innovation Review
“We never know how our small activities will affect others through the invisible fabric of our connectedness. In this exquisitely connected world, it's never a question of 'critical mass.' It's always about critical connections.”—Grace Lee Boggs
This article discusses opportunities for:
Re-imagining government post crisis - building foundations for lasting change, Thea Snow | Centre for Public Impact
The article quotes Donella Meadows who defines a paradigm as:“The shared idea in the minds of society, the great big unstated assumptions — unstated because unnecessary to state; everyone already knows them — constitute that society’s paradigm, or deepest set of beliefs about how the world works.” Then discusses different kinds of change through the three horizons model lens:
In this talk Margaret (one of my top rated thinkers!) talks about:
- A flawed obsession with forecasting
- Efficiency is no longer your friend
- Rethinking margins
- The payback of investing in relationships
- Creativity and Innovation
- Finally, knowing the bounds of a leader's control
Cultivating Change Amidst Collapse, Mease & Ehrlichman, Stanford Social Innovation Review
“We never know how our small activities will affect others through the invisible fabric of our connectedness. In this exquisitely connected world, it's never a question of 'critical mass.' It's always about critical connections.”—Grace Lee Boggs
This article discusses opportunities for:
- Decentralised Leadership over Top-Down Hierarchies
- Relationships over Transactions
- Emergence over Control
- Cultivating the Collective
Re-imagining government post crisis - building foundations for lasting change, Thea Snow | Centre for Public Impact
The article quotes Donella Meadows who defines a paradigm as:“The shared idea in the minds of society, the great big unstated assumptions — unstated because unnecessary to state; everyone already knows them — constitute that society’s paradigm, or deepest set of beliefs about how the world works.” Then discusses different kinds of change through the three horizons model lens:
- Horizon 1 (H1): Business as usual (i.e. no change)
- Horizon 2 (H2): Disruption/modifications to existing processes
- Horizon 3 (H3): A radical rethinking and reshaping of existing processes and paradigms.
Articles
Here are the 7 skills you need to collaborate in government | Published in apolitical (9/9/2019)
Loved this article on being "Boundary Spanners" and the 7 skills you need to collaborate in government.
According to Wikipedia: Chutzpah (/ˈxʊtspə, ˈhʊt-/) is the quality of audacity, for good or for bad. It derives from the Hebrew word ḥutspâ (חֻצְפָּה), meaning "insolence", "cheek" or "audacity"; which can have a negative connotation. But the English form has taken on a broader meaning. The word is sometimes interpreted—particularly in business parlance—as meaning the amount of courage, mettle or ardor that an individual has.
The cognate of chutzpah in Classical Arabic, ḥaṣāfah (حصافة), does not mean "impudence" or "cheekiness" or anything similar, but rather "sound judgment".
So what’s your “chutzpah quotient”?
Loved this article on being "Boundary Spanners" and the 7 skills you need to collaborate in government.
- Relationship building
- Communication skills
- Chutzpah (this is my new favourite word!)
- Empathy
- Creativity
- Diplomacy
- Ability to manage complexity
According to Wikipedia: Chutzpah (/ˈxʊtspə, ˈhʊt-/) is the quality of audacity, for good or for bad. It derives from the Hebrew word ḥutspâ (חֻצְפָּה), meaning "insolence", "cheek" or "audacity"; which can have a negative connotation. But the English form has taken on a broader meaning. The word is sometimes interpreted—particularly in business parlance—as meaning the amount of courage, mettle or ardor that an individual has.
The cognate of chutzpah in Classical Arabic, ḥaṣāfah (حصافة), does not mean "impudence" or "cheekiness" or anything similar, but rather "sound judgment".
So what’s your “chutzpah quotient”?
"Manifesto for a Collaborative Society" - this is a great read.
Published January 2020. Authors from UK, so examples from UK (albeit the New Zealand Wellbeing Budget in there!), but ideas universal; and, overall, I think, a great contribution towards a strategic collaboration conversation.
A couple of quotes:
"This is what we have called a Collaborative Society. It is the means by which we can achieve things together we cannot achieve alone and, in time, reshape those ends to reflect our shared values and interdependence, paving the way to a fairer, kinder and more sustainable society. Collaboration is an idea whose time has come, an idea that can create hope for a better tomorrow."
"Collaboration makes possible futures we cannot achieve alone; it makes complex problems - from inequality to climate change - more possible to address."
Published January 2020. Authors from UK, so examples from UK (albeit the New Zealand Wellbeing Budget in there!), but ideas universal; and, overall, I think, a great contribution towards a strategic collaboration conversation.
A couple of quotes:
"This is what we have called a Collaborative Society. It is the means by which we can achieve things together we cannot achieve alone and, in time, reshape those ends to reflect our shared values and interdependence, paving the way to a fairer, kinder and more sustainable society. Collaboration is an idea whose time has come, an idea that can create hope for a better tomorrow."
"Collaboration makes possible futures we cannot achieve alone; it makes complex problems - from inequality to climate change - more possible to address."
Cracking the Code of Sustained Collaboration (HBR Article, December 2019)
Without a doubt collaboration is an idea whose time has come! But progress has been slower than anticipated and moving collaboration beyond a "buzzword" is now critical to find true movement.
This HBR article, goes part way towards closing the chasm between collaboration as an idea and collaboration in operational reality.
The article identifies six "training techniques" for consideration:
My opinion: Collaboration makes possible new futures we cannot achieve alone.
Without a doubt collaboration is an idea whose time has come! But progress has been slower than anticipated and moving collaboration beyond a "buzzword" is now critical to find true movement.
This HBR article, goes part way towards closing the chasm between collaboration as an idea and collaboration in operational reality.
The article identifies six "training techniques" for consideration:
- Teach people to listen, not talk [the need to develop the art of listening was a key finding in my research too]
- Train people to practice empathy [we need to go beyond the immediate words and consider the whole person]
- Make people more comfortable with feedback [a core part of my work is developing safe spaces to allow the variety of voices to be heard]
- Teach people to lead and follow [as you may have heard me say - it's an ongoing dance between the two!]
- Speak with clarity and avoid abstractions [reminds me of Brene Brown's "clear is kind, unclear is unkind"]
- Train people to have win-win interactions [we have to be prepared to work together, across all kinds of differences].
My opinion: Collaboration makes possible new futures we cannot achieve alone.
The Neuroscience of Trust (HBR Article, February 2017)
Building high trust relationships is foundational to successful collaboration.
In this HBR article the author suggests eight management behaviours to foster trust:
Building high trust relationships is foundational to successful collaboration.
In this HBR article the author suggests eight management behaviours to foster trust:
- Recognise excellence... I’d probably take this further and suggest offering affirmation and encouragement as regularly as possible! Often, the smallest of gestures make a heap of difference to the individual
- Induce “challenge stress”....set achievable stretch targets/set your team up for success (not failure)
- Give people discretion in how they do their work
- Enable job crafting
- Share information broadly
- Be intentional about building relationships
- Facilitate whole-person growth
- Show vulnerability
Cutting Through the Complexity: A Roadmap for Effective Collaboration
Great article and closely aligned to my 2018 Collaboration Insights series (see "Musings").
I love their concluding statement: "From our perspective, it’s not an overstatement to say that our ability to work together effectively across all kinds of differences is the last great hope for humankind".
This is my driver - to help leaders, teams and organisations to collaborate and work together, with a view to delivering optimal results through collective impact.
Call me an eternal optimist - I believe we can do it!
Great article and closely aligned to my 2018 Collaboration Insights series (see "Musings").
I love their concluding statement: "From our perspective, it’s not an overstatement to say that our ability to work together effectively across all kinds of differences is the last great hope for humankind".
This is my driver - to help leaders, teams and organisations to collaborate and work together, with a view to delivering optimal results through collective impact.
Call me an eternal optimist - I believe we can do it!
My top pick papers...
Kramer, M. R., & Pfitzer, M. W. (2016). The ecosystem of shared value. Harvard Business Review (October).
Article intro: Companies must sometimes team up with governments, NGOs, and even rivals to capture the economic benefits of social progress. In the past, companies rarely perceived themselves as agents of social change. Yet teh connection between social progress and business success is increasingly clear. Consider these examples: The first large-scale program to diagnose and treat HIV/AIDS in South Africa was introduced by teh global mining company Anglo American to protect its workforce and reduce absenteeism. The €76 billion Italian energy company Enel now generates 45%of its power from renewable and carbon-neutral energy sources, preventing 92 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.
Snowden, D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007). A leader's framework for decision making Harvard Business Review, 85(11), 68-76. [An early paper outlining the Cynefin Framework.]
Abstract: Many executives are surprised when previously successful leadership approaches fail in new situations, but different contexts call for different kinds of responses. Before addressing a situation, leaders need to recognize which context governs it -- and tailor their actions accordingly. Snowden and Boone have formed a new perspective on leadership and decision making that's based on complexity science. The result is the Cynefin framework, which helps executives sort issues into five contexts: Simple contexts are characterized by stability and cause-and-effect relationships that are clear to everyone. Often, the right answer is self-evident. In this realm of "known knowns," leaders must first assess the facts of a situation -- that is, "sense" it -- then categorize and respond to it. Complicated contexts may contain multiple right answers, and though there is a clear relationship between cause and effect, not everyone can see it. This is the realm of "known unknowns." Here, leaders must sense, analyze, and respond. In a complex context, right answers can't be ferreted out at all; rather, instructive patterns emerge if the leader conducts experiments that can safely fail. This is the realm of "unknown unknowns," where much of contemporary business operates. Leaders in this context need to probe first, then sense, and then respond. In a chaotic context, searching for right answers is pointless. The relationships between cause and effect are impossible to determine because they shift constantly and no manageable patterns exist. This is the realm of unknowables (the events of September 11, 2001, fall into this category). In this domain, a leader must first act to establish order, sense where stability is present, and then work to transform the situation from chaos to complexity. The fifth context, disorder, applies when it is unclear which of the other four contexts is predominant. The way out is to break the situation into its constituent parts and assign each to one...
Surman, T., & Surman, M. (2008). Open sourcing social change: Inside the constellation model. Technology Innovation Management Review (September+2008), 9-15.Abstract:
Article Intro: Constellations are self-organizing action teams that operate with in the broader strategic vision of a partnership. These constellations are outwardly focused, placing their attention on creating value for those in the external environment rather than on the partnership itself. While serious effort is invested into core partnership governance and management, most of the energy is devoted to the decision making, resource s and collaborative effort required to create social value . The constellations drive and de fine the partnership.
The constellation model emerged from a deep understanding of the power of networks and peer production. Leadership rotates fluidly amongst partners, with each partner having the freedom to head up a constellation and to participate in constellations that carry out activities that are of more peripheral interest.
Sadri, G. (2012). Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Development. Public Personnel Management, 41(3), 535-548.
Abstract: This paper reviews the current literature on the concept of emotional intelligence and makes recommendations for incorporating emotional intelligence into leadership development programs. The paper is divided into four sections: the first section identifies the two most cited models of emotional intelligence. Section two reviews research on the relationship between leadership and emotional intelligence. The third section provides a synopsis of the arguments for and against emotional intelligence. The fourth and final section illuminates how the components of emotional intelligence integrate with contemporary leadership development practices and suggests some methods for developing emotional intelligence competencies among managers and leaders.
Kania, J., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). Essentials of Social Innovation: Collective Impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review
This article identifies and outlines the five conditions of collective success:
Kramer, M. R., & Pfitzer, M. W. (2016). The ecosystem of shared value. Harvard Business Review (October).
Article intro: Companies must sometimes team up with governments, NGOs, and even rivals to capture the economic benefits of social progress. In the past, companies rarely perceived themselves as agents of social change. Yet teh connection between social progress and business success is increasingly clear. Consider these examples: The first large-scale program to diagnose and treat HIV/AIDS in South Africa was introduced by teh global mining company Anglo American to protect its workforce and reduce absenteeism. The €76 billion Italian energy company Enel now generates 45%of its power from renewable and carbon-neutral energy sources, preventing 92 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.
Snowden, D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007). A leader's framework for decision making Harvard Business Review, 85(11), 68-76. [An early paper outlining the Cynefin Framework.]
Abstract: Many executives are surprised when previously successful leadership approaches fail in new situations, but different contexts call for different kinds of responses. Before addressing a situation, leaders need to recognize which context governs it -- and tailor their actions accordingly. Snowden and Boone have formed a new perspective on leadership and decision making that's based on complexity science. The result is the Cynefin framework, which helps executives sort issues into five contexts: Simple contexts are characterized by stability and cause-and-effect relationships that are clear to everyone. Often, the right answer is self-evident. In this realm of "known knowns," leaders must first assess the facts of a situation -- that is, "sense" it -- then categorize and respond to it. Complicated contexts may contain multiple right answers, and though there is a clear relationship between cause and effect, not everyone can see it. This is the realm of "known unknowns." Here, leaders must sense, analyze, and respond. In a complex context, right answers can't be ferreted out at all; rather, instructive patterns emerge if the leader conducts experiments that can safely fail. This is the realm of "unknown unknowns," where much of contemporary business operates. Leaders in this context need to probe first, then sense, and then respond. In a chaotic context, searching for right answers is pointless. The relationships between cause and effect are impossible to determine because they shift constantly and no manageable patterns exist. This is the realm of unknowables (the events of September 11, 2001, fall into this category). In this domain, a leader must first act to establish order, sense where stability is present, and then work to transform the situation from chaos to complexity. The fifth context, disorder, applies when it is unclear which of the other four contexts is predominant. The way out is to break the situation into its constituent parts and assign each to one...
Surman, T., & Surman, M. (2008). Open sourcing social change: Inside the constellation model. Technology Innovation Management Review (September+2008), 9-15.Abstract:
Article Intro: Constellations are self-organizing action teams that operate with in the broader strategic vision of a partnership. These constellations are outwardly focused, placing their attention on creating value for those in the external environment rather than on the partnership itself. While serious effort is invested into core partnership governance and management, most of the energy is devoted to the decision making, resource s and collaborative effort required to create social value . The constellations drive and de fine the partnership.
The constellation model emerged from a deep understanding of the power of networks and peer production. Leadership rotates fluidly amongst partners, with each partner having the freedom to head up a constellation and to participate in constellations that carry out activities that are of more peripheral interest.
Sadri, G. (2012). Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Development. Public Personnel Management, 41(3), 535-548.
Abstract: This paper reviews the current literature on the concept of emotional intelligence and makes recommendations for incorporating emotional intelligence into leadership development programs. The paper is divided into four sections: the first section identifies the two most cited models of emotional intelligence. Section two reviews research on the relationship between leadership and emotional intelligence. The third section provides a synopsis of the arguments for and against emotional intelligence. The fourth and final section illuminates how the components of emotional intelligence integrate with contemporary leadership development practices and suggests some methods for developing emotional intelligence competencies among managers and leaders.
Kania, J., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). Essentials of Social Innovation: Collective Impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review
This article identifies and outlines the five conditions of collective success:
- Common Agenda
- Shared Measurement Systems
- Mutually Reinforcing Activities
- Continuous Communication
- Backbone Support Organisations
Books that help with the basics
- Appreciative inquiry: A positive revolution in change, David L. Cooperrider
- Creating public value: Strategic management in government, Mark Harrison Moore, (Harvard University Press, 1995)
- Mindset: Changing the way you think to fulfill your potential, Carol Dweck
- Solving tough problems: An open way of talking, listening, and creating new realities, Adam Kahane
Podcasts/Talks |
|
"Forget the pecking order at work" Margaret Heffernan's TEDWomen talk (2015) is one of my favs.
MH introduces social capital, which I see as a call to collaboration.
She shows that: outstanding collaborators are the success stories and in successful collaborations everybody really matters.
In MIT research more successful groups showed: high degrees of social sensitivity to each other, gave roughly equal time to each other/no one voice dominated & had more women in them. Comparing William Muir's work to how we work.
“If the only way the most productive can be successful is by suppressing the productivity of the rest, then we badly need to find a better way to work and a richer way to live.”
On social capital: “ ...this isn't about chumminess, and is no charter for slackers... Conflict is frequent because candor is safe..."
Conclusion: “There was a lot at stake then, and there's a lot at stake now, and we won't solve our problems if we expect it to be solved by a few supermen or superwomen. Now we need everybody, because it is only when we accept that everybody has value that we will liberate the energy and imagination and momentum we need to create the best beyond measure."
MH introduces social capital, which I see as a call to collaboration.
She shows that: outstanding collaborators are the success stories and in successful collaborations everybody really matters.
In MIT research more successful groups showed: high degrees of social sensitivity to each other, gave roughly equal time to each other/no one voice dominated & had more women in them. Comparing William Muir's work to how we work.
“If the only way the most productive can be successful is by suppressing the productivity of the rest, then we badly need to find a better way to work and a richer way to live.”
On social capital: “ ...this isn't about chumminess, and is no charter for slackers... Conflict is frequent because candor is safe..."
Conclusion: “There was a lot at stake then, and there's a lot at stake now, and we won't solve our problems if we expect it to be solved by a few supermen or superwomen. Now we need everybody, because it is only when we accept that everybody has value that we will liberate the energy and imagination and momentum we need to create the best beyond measure."
The Anatomy of Trust, Brené Brown
Foundational to successful collaboration is "trust".
We all know that developing trusted relationships takes time and effort.
But many see "trust" as an "intangible", a touchy feely concept, that can't be measured or really used in a business context and revert to (consciously or unconsciously) "who do I get on with" or "who thinks like me".
In this presentation Brené Brown identifies key elements of (or proxies for) trust that can be measured and talked about.
Using the acronym BRAVING, these are:
My opinion: One thing is for sure, "trust is built in the smallest of moments". So maybe it's a lot about being present, being aware, active listening, and mutual respect.
Foundational to successful collaboration is "trust".
We all know that developing trusted relationships takes time and effort.
But many see "trust" as an "intangible", a touchy feely concept, that can't be measured or really used in a business context and revert to (consciously or unconsciously) "who do I get on with" or "who thinks like me".
In this presentation Brené Brown identifies key elements of (or proxies for) trust that can be measured and talked about.
Using the acronym BRAVING, these are:
- Boundaries;
- Reliability;
- Accountability;
- Vault [holding confidences];
- Integrity;
- Non Judgement;
- Generosity.
My opinion: One thing is for sure, "trust is built in the smallest of moments". So maybe it's a lot about being present, being aware, active listening, and mutual respect.
Useful Websites
The Constellation Model
The Collective Impact Forum
CoCreative
Jeanne Liedtka
Stanford d.school
IDEO
ICW
The Collective Impact Forum
CoCreative
Jeanne Liedtka
Stanford d.school
IDEO
ICW
Below are some tools that can be helpful, when used correctly and in the right context ...in a sense it's an artform!
But first, some stuff to think about:
Don't hold on to any tool too tightly. There is no "magic bullet".
The future is uncertain and we need to be adaptable. Any and all models are incomplete and subjective.
Waiting for a perfect plan is not an option - act now, clarity and change will (probably) follow.
Whakawhanaungatanga: fundamentally, collaboration is about people and relationships.
- Appreciative Inquiry - a strengths-based, positive approach to leadership development and organisational change
- Storytelling- sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment (and using them as legitimate measures for change)
- Sensemaking or sense-making - a process by which we can give meaning to collective experiences
- Constellation Model - check out Surman and Surman's paper referenced above
- Collective Impact Framework - check out Kania and Kramer's paper referenced above
- Collective Impact Action Tools and Planning
- Cynefin Framework - check out Dave Snowden's work
- ISO 44001: Collaborative business relationship management systems
- Collaborative Capability Assessments
- Resource Evaluation - Designing the shared back-office
- Opportunity and Goal Definition Tools
- Co-Design Approaches (various)
- Some of the many planning tools available: scenario planning, business canvas model, empathy map, journey map, backcasting, three horizons mapping
I work with a set of collaborative design principles, assessments and planning approaches that I have designed - or artfully mixed from the variety - which I unpack in my workshops. Just like a great chef, as we grow in the foundations, we learn to mix and match and adapt to the context, environment and season. It takes practice to move away from the recipe books.