Collaboration Roadblocks
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Transcript of Collaboration Roadblocks
Collaboration Roadblocks
Prepared by Christopher SmithSeptember 13, 2011
Table of Contents• Defining “collaboration”• Important statistics• Collaboration Roadblocks
o Large Team Sizeo Virtual Participationo Diversityo High Education Levels
• Recommendations• Contact Information
Defining “collaboration”
• When individuals work together to a common purpose to achieve business benefit.
• Examples of collaboration,
• Linux – An open source operating system built by thousands of developers worldwide, working together in creative and efficient ways.
• Toyota – At the heart of the Toyota is a collection of work, communication, and leadership practices that contribute to their successful collaboration efforts.
Important statistics• 67% of employees believe there are colleagues who
can help them do their job better.
• 39% say they have difficulty locating the right people
• Only 25% frequently go outside their department to seek or share knowledge.
• 38% don’t get asked for their help & information
Collaboration Roadblocks• In a survey of over 1,500 employees from 50
teams across15 companies, four common roadblocks to collaboration were found:
1. Large Team Size
2. Virtual Participation
3. Diversity
4. High Education Levels
Reference: Eight Ways to Build Collaborative Teams. Lynda Gratton and Tamara J. Erickson. Harvard Business Review, 2009.
Large Team Size• Context: The average size of team size has
grown over the last decade. Today, it is not uncommon to find teams with over 100 members.
• Fact: When team size exceeds 20 members, the level of natural cooperation decreases.
• Solution: To ensure effective collaboration, try to keep teams small; less than 20 members if possible.
Virtual Participation• Context: Technology has enabled teams
members to work from distances apart.
• Fact: As teams become more virtual, collaboration declines.
• Solution: When possible, team members should be working in the same office space.
Diversity• Context: Today’s workforce includes individuals
from all walks of life.
• Fact: Teams with high levels of diversity can drive innovation, but reduce the chance of knowledge sharing amongst members.
• Solution: Include two or more individuals who have worked together previously on the same project.
High Education Levels• Context: Complex teams often depend on a
variety of specialized, highly educated members.
• Fact: The greater proportion of highly education members on a team, the more likely unproductive conflicts will arise.
• Solution: If possible, keep the need for specialized members to a minimum.
Recommendations• Keep team sizes low. As team size grows,
cooperation declines.
• Encourage your team to work in the office.
• Reduce diversity by including two or more members who have worked together.
• Prepare for conflict between highly educated, specialized members.
“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”
– Henry Ford
Contact InformationHave Questions? Feedback?
LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/chrisasmith
Twitter: http://twitter.com/csedev
Blog: http://www.csedev.com
Email: [email protected]