| | November - 20199Regardless of the type of collaboration, whether it involves the CIO, faculty members, or students, whether it is virtual or in-person, it is imperative that we have explicit guidelines for how to work together, including clear definitions of roles and responsibilities, methods of accountability, and decision-making procedures, just to name a few (there is a myriad of research and resources when it comes to the group dynamics of and best-practices for effective collaborations). There are those who will dismiss this crucial initial step of discussing and agreeing on collaboration guidelines and procedures with their teams, perhaps even quipping "surely a group of adults can figure out how to work on a project together without needing a rule-book."I'd invite you to compare their team's turnover rates and workplace health indicators with teams that either create such guidelines together (the ideal) or have taken the time to come to consensus around using a previously-built set of guidelines. You will see a distinct difference, every time.Whether we choose to have the team itself spend a couple of meetings discussing and building the collaborative process, or whether the team lead builds it and presents it for discussion, it is easy to see that this critical step will prolong the overall project timeline. I cannot emphasize enough the advantages of taking this time, though, if at all possible. In return, you will have happier (read more motivated) colleagues or students, more engaged participation, and even higher voluntary adoption rates of the outcome, to name a few gains. Therefore, it is imperative that we give as much importance to intentionally and proactively developing the process for a collaboration, as we typically give to developing the product or the content itself.Despite knowing these advantages, there will undoubtedly be times when we just don't have the necessary time and resources to develop the collaboration process; in this case, work alone. If we don't have the time to either create a process our self or create one collaboratively, then we should not work collaboratively, or pretend to do so. The next time you decide to embark on a collaborative effort, I invite you to a small challenge: whether you are the lead or "just" a contributor, whether it is a virtual or a traditional collaboration, bring the collaboration process to the forefront. You will be pleasantly surprised by how far this step will take you, your team, and your initiative. After all, as this African proverb says, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
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