This post is part of a series on collaboration. See this previous post for more on how working together can work for you.
A recent article on the dangers of collaboration started me thinking of the proactive steps we can take to avoid the risks inherent in a collaborative effort.
Like many people, my experiences range from significant disaster to sucessful win-win relationships. You can learn from my mistakes.
Here are the ‘success factors’ that I believe can make all the difference:
1. Identify in advance what the pay-offs will be for each party from the relationship
Unless both parties stand to gain equally from a joint venture, there will always be an unequal distribution of effort and interest to make it work. This is one factor you can’t neglect and which needs to be monitored, evaluated and renegotiated as you go along.
2. Know who you’re working with
This seems obvious but how well do you really know the other person? In particular, do you know how they will react to stress?
As we court potential joint venture partners, we are usually at our politest and most agreeable. You also need to know what might happen if it all goes ‘pear-shaped.
Also get to know the personnel of your potential joint venture partner. Who will be responsible for what? Who will you be working with closely?
3. Set clear expectations – for everything!
You need to consider everything – from the time you expect it to take to respond to an email to how profits will be shared.
Business collaboration is a unique relationship. You are both client and supplier to each other. This requires you to observe the same professional standards you follow with your other clients and suppliers.
Collaboration in any venture can add diversity, interest, personal development and contributes to the overall stock and sharing of human knowledge. For me, working with a co-author on a current project has been challenging at times. However I know the result will be of much higher quality and originality than if either of us worked alone.
Could you create successful collaborations using these steps? What benefits could be awaiting you?
As usual, I’d love to hear your story. Please share your experiences (good, bad and ugly) with collaboration, so we can learn from you!
Susan Rochester has been managing director of Balance at Work since 2006. Susan has a natural tendency to balance analytical thinking with an optimistic outlook to set direction and solve problems. She is an effective facilitator and constantly creates new and more effective ways of doing things, motivated by helping others to achieve their goals.