Keeping Collaboration on Track
From Khan Academy
As companies scale, their dependence on collaboration increases. No single function can go it alone. A combination of specialist skills and resources is required to tackle the trickiest challenges and achieve the desired outcomes.
This new complexity can make our people feel like they're on a rollercoaster – full of ups, downs, and unexpected turns. It can be hard to rank priorities, focus efforts and feel a sense of progress. In physics, when those rollercoasters (wavelengths) come together simultaneously, it's known as constructive interference - the waves get bigger - which feels like an apt representation of the stress experienced in teams as the demand for collaboration increases.
As the stress increases, we often see collaborating teams diverge. They retreat to their specialist corner or withdraw from the process to reduce the tension that comes from feeling slow or stuck. It simply gets too hard.
If we're going to fix this, we need to understand the potential sources of the tension.
Tension 1: Competing goals
I often hear collaborating teams say, "We're aligned". But the devil is in the detail. We might have alignment on the specifics of this project - but not many of us have the luxury of working on a single activity. I'm always keen to understand how this work connects to the other work each team has on their plate - and the relative priority of it. I like to ask, "What might pull you away from this work?" so we can understand the potential risk of losing critical team members.
Tension 2: Communication Breakdown
Communication is the connective tissue that holds teams together. When it's strong, we thrive, but when it breaks down, misunderstandings and conflicts occur, making it feel like we speak different languages. Under time pressure, teams often prioritise "the work" over "communicating about the work" - and that’s where misunderstandings usually begin. The 10 mins you spend asking each other questions like "What's your #1 priority this week?" and "What is worrying you the most about our goals for this week?" can help keep you all on the same track.
Tension 3: Not Knowing Our Team
Every team combines different work styles, personalities, and preferences. Sometimes, these differences clash, causing divergence. Some of us love structure, while others thrive in the unknown. Some of us think to talk, while others talk to think. Uncovering these differences and understanding their likely impact as early as possible will build trust. Here's a list of questions to help your team find those potential clash points ASAP.
Tension 4: Lack of Role Clarity (that old chestnut)
Role clarity is a topic that emerges when teams are growing fast. The transition from "we all jump in to help" to "I need to know what I'm responsible for" can feel like it happens overnight. It can also feel like the culture is changing before our eyes. While things are generally moving too fast for 100% clarity, creating it wherever you can will help reduce the risk of duplication and give each individual a sense of progress and achievement.
Tension 5: The Unpredictable
External factors like broader organisational change or economic conditions sometimes mean our plans change. They can disrupt our team dynamics and priorities, causing confusion and discord. It's one thing to ask our team to be adaptable (and haven't we done that over the last 3 years!), it's another to recognise their limits of adaptability. It's neither practical nor responsible to say, "We're staying the course no matter what". Our best option is to highlight potential derailers as early as possible and allow our teams to provide input into the response plans.
Collaboration may (at times) feel like a rollercoaster. Understanding why those feelings arise and knowing how to dampen them will reduce the stress for all involved. Our ability to contain divergence will define the success of our collaborative efforts. Hopefully, the questions I've included above will help you and your team stay on track.