The Collaboration to Results Model has been designed to provide a map for senior level teams endeavoring to achieve timely and outstanding business results while also engaging the commitment of key players to an effective course of action. Speed of collaboration is critical to success if a company is going to meet emerging market demands for responsiveness. Considering the increase in competition for meeting these market needs, time-to-market and speed of collaboration becomes even more vital if a company is intent on thriving.
There is an additional requirement of collaboration in an ever more competitive environment. It’s productivity. Companies these days must optimize the value produced in each of their core processes, in their investments in R&D, and in the utilization of their top talent. The Collaboration to Results Model is therefore designed to remove unnecessary steps in the process and reduce the demands on scarce resources that could be used for alternative purposes. Senior level talent is one of those valuable, scarce resources for which there is almost unlimited demand for attention. No one has time to re-play discussions, repair agreements, duplicate efforts, undo ill-considered actions, or engage in unproductive esoteric dialogue in the course of work. The approach to collaboration recommended by The Holland Group is intended to streamline the collaborative process, surface conflict when resolving it can be most valuable, follow it through to resolution, definitive decisions, and accountable action. It’s designed to enable people to get to the heart of important business issues requiring the attention of top level talent.
In this document we will review the most effective activities, interpersonal skills, and tools required by each phase of the model, the management of transitions between the phases to propel momentum, and the pitfalls that typically derail successful initiatives.
There is one final component needed for success in achieving timely results that is often overlooked. That is the “Stance” or mindset of the leaders and participants involved in collaboration. The work of David C. McClelland of Harvard University established a clear link between leadership thoughts and attitudes, their behaviors, and their effectiveness in driving business results with their teams. We will provide tips for “Stance,” sometimes thought of as self-talk, that you may find helpful as you engage your team in the work at hand.