This blog post expands on one of my points of my talk at the Singapore Management University earlier in March 2014.
When I’m working with managers on their development as leaders, the challenge of collaboration comes up frequently. It has made me think about this age-old question: Why the heck is collaboration so hard? I want to take a closer look at the concept of Collaborative Leadership for a couple of reasons: first, the research that I have done in this area supports an interactive course in Collaborative Leadership I’m currently teaching at the Bellevue College and second, it is often considered to be a representation of the feminine way to lead.
While most companies proclaim “collaboration” as one of their values, I believe it is one of the most misunderstood and underutilized concepts of our time. Many react to the word emotionally: some even consider it a waste of time, a feel-good “kumbaya” circle that is an ineffective way to produce results. However, if we took a closer look at what “collaboration” actually requires, we might conclude that it is hardcore stuff that has bottom-line effects. Continue reading Why The Heck Is Collaboration So Hard?