The words, “team” and “teamwork” have become hollow jargon and overused hashtags. I call it “teaminess”, and a waste of money. Collaboration is the foundational element of all group work. Whether you call yourselves a team, a group, a community or a committee, what matters is knowing which work requires collaboration – and which doesn’t. Then it’s about getting the right people involved in the right ways. It’s simple, it’s practical and it makes genuine collaboration possible.
Read MoreCollaborative accountability goes beyond the tasks people do together; it includes commitments for how they intend to work together, the behaviors they are signing up for. Intentionality is the ultimate virtue of superior teamwork.
Read MoreNeither “Real Team” nor size nor description of your team or group matters. Whether you’re called a council, a committee, or a board the same thinking about units of collaboration applies. Focus on the work needing collaboration and get on with it.
Read MoreHow can we clearly differentiate among the varying degrees of collaboration? And how can we apply that knowledge to getting work done collaboratively? This Blogpost addresses:
The risk of burn out from what some are calling over-collaboration
Understanding that there are levels or degrees of collaboration leads to finding you need less collaboration that you thought.
How understanding these levels help you decide how to dedicate more time to the collaboration that matters and less time to the collaboration that doesn’t
Gets you to fewer meetings, fewer random emails or texts in the middle of the night
Almost every team I have worked with over the past 10 years has had to conduct at least part of its business virtually. I’ve seen teams do excellent work virtually and experience smooth sailing. Others never quite learn the ropes and lose their way.
Read MoreWhat do you mean when you use the word, “teamwork”? Teamwork means different things to different people in different circumstances. Because the word has so many meanings, and because collaboration is more important than ever, we have to be more precise about what we mean by teamwork. This is especially true if we want to foster it in our workplaces.
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