Engagement - Creating a Culture of Collaboration

Todd Long www.leadkc.com

Collaboration - The action of working with someone to produce or create something.

What is Collaboration?

We are going to focus on the collaboration that encourages... - New Possibilities - Everyone Wins Thinking - My Input is Valuable

Valued Results

Creating a culture of collaboration

Contrasting Cultures

• Silos • Mine Mentality • Status Quo • Top-Down Directives • Complacency and

Apathy

• Interconnected Teams • We Mentality • Innovation • Bottom-Up Initiatives • Deep Belief in the

Mission

Competitive Collaborative

= =

Engaged People

Disengaged People

• It has to be an organizational value (written and communicated).

• It has to be taught. o leadership development o team improvement o new employee orientation

• It has to be modeled (top, middle, & bottom). • It has to be recognized.

How do you create a culture of collaboration?

Personal Exercise

Evaluate your culture of collaboration. Put a check mark next to each statement you can answer yes. Yes Is collaboration a clearly stated value in your organization? Have you had collaboration training at all levels of your

organization? Is collaboration modeled at all levels of your organization? Do you publically recognize great collaboration in your

organization?

Four Principles of Real Collaboration

1. Start with a Powerful Question

Characteristics of Powerful Questions

Simple Thought provoking

o Which generates energy Challenges assumptions

oWhich opens up new possibilities Does not have a "yes" or "no" answer

o Which doesn’t imply an answer Focuses inquiry

o Which directs our attention to a specific area that generates more questions about that area.

Personal Exercise

What is a Powerful Question in your world right now? Write it out and compare it to the characteristics of a Powerful Question.

Characteristics of Powerful Questions

Simple Thought provoking

o Which generates energy Challenges assumptions

oWhich opens up new possibilities Does not have a "yes" or "no" answer

o Which doesn’t imply an answer Focuses inquiry

o Which directs our attention to a specific area that generates more questions about that area.

2. Invite the Right People

What are the characteristics of the "right" people? • Add value to the conversation • Bring diverse perspectives • Respected • • •

Personal Exercise

Think of your Powerful Question that you wrote. Identify the right people to invite to the table?

3. Explore More

Remember…

• Stay in the exploration phase of collaboration as long as possible.

• Maintain awareness of what it feels like and looks like when the group is stuck.

• Challenge the group to get unstuck by looking from different perspectives.

• Record ideas.

Personal Exercise

Evaluate your tendency to be an “explorer”. Put a check mark next to each statement you can answer yes. Yes I love to brainstorm ideas in a group setting. I love to come up with new and unique ideas. I love to look at problems from many perspectives. I love to think of ways to improve on existing processes,

services, or products. I love to hear others’ ideas and perspectives. What did you discover from this exercise?

4. Embrace the Tension

Principles of Tension

No Tension = No Launch

Too Much Tension = Breakdown

Just Right Tension = Possibilities

How do we truly embrace tension?

• Expect it (know it is coming and know its characteristics).

• Recognize it, "Here it is!"

• Call it out for what it is. (Irritation, frustration, boredom, arguing, etc...)

• Encourage the group to keep going anyway.

Personal Exercise

When tension arises in a group discussion, I tend to…

Creative Collaboration Model

Creative Collaboration Model Collaboration Preparation

● Powerful Question ● Purpose ● People - Diverse Perspectives ● Place

Start

Explore

Survey (Groan Zone)

Settle

How to Get Started

Getting Started

1. Start with this Powerful Question - "How do we create a culture of collaboration?"

2. Invite the Right People – Who will you invite to the collaboration session?

3. Explore More – Challenge the collaboration team to look at all perspectives of the question.

4. Embrace the Tension – Expect and encourage tension.

5. Follow the Model – It works!

Engagement - Creating a Culture of Collaboration

Todd Long www.leadkc.com