CHAPTER 5

Collaboration

It is not enough that we communicate with the people involved in change; we have to do more, and the more we can do is collaborate. This chapter will look at the different skills needed for effective collaboration and highlight how good collaboration is a natural extension of the platform built by effective and engaging communication outlined in the previous chapter.

We cannot deliver organizational change on our own. That is a fact. Yet, as Helen Keller says, ‘together we can do so much’. We just need to learn to collaborate. During large-scale change, there are so many competing factors to consider, different viewpoints and challenges to overcome. Fundamentally, change will occur most effectively when everyone works together to go in the same direction.

So, what do we mean by the term collaboration? Simply put, it is two or more people working together to achieve a common goal, like cooperation or teamwork. However, we could also consider collaboration to be a mindset or attitude where we are looking to build something bigger and better by working with others. This is more than simply cooperating with others, which can sound quite passive or even reluctant. Collaboration as a Superpower is about always looking for ways in which people can benefit by working together across roles and silos. If we want to develop our collaborative mindset, we need to look for opportunities to achieve synergies when working with others. It is about thinking beyond our own needs to consider the needs of others and being creative in finding solutions to problems that work for everyone. In doing this we build stronger relationships, a sense of shared purpose and goodwill. This is an engine that can be extremely effective in delivering change. Although collaboration is about many people working together, it starts with an individual being collaborative, which in turn engages the First Follower outlined in Chapter 1. This chapter outlines the five key skills that we need to master in order to be collaborative and create our own movement.

The importance of collaboration is supported by the change studies of Rosabeth Kanter (2002), who found that change leaders who built coalitions were much more successful in delivering change. Kanter uses the term ‘guiding coalition’ in the same way as Kotter in his eight-step process for delivering change, covered in Chapter 13 (Kotter, 1995).

How to define collaboration

What do we mean by this term? My definition, for this purpose, is a tribe of like-minded individuals with complementary skills, all of whom are committed to do what it takes to deliver the change – our very own League of Change Superheroes with their own talents and strengths but sharing the same end goal. What I love about this analogy is the fact that Kanter actually uses the term ‘Make everyone a hero’ within her research. Everyone involved in delivering change is a Change Superhero, and this tribe expands as more and more people take on the challenge.

We’ve defined collaboration, but what does it look like? I would say that it is a natural extension of great communication and social skills along with an open and honest mindset. People who are collaborative demonstrate open, positive body language. They have the emotional intelligence to read the reactions of those around them when they are responding to a certain idea or situation and involve them when gathering feedback. This may be by asking open questions like ‘What do you think about that idea?’ or ‘What would you suggest?’, or it may involve a gentle challenge, e.g., ‘You don’t look so keen on that idea?’

The naturally collaborative Change Agent builds trust because they are clearly focused on achieving the most positive possible outcome for all concerned. They are unselfishly looking for a win/win solution to any problem and are genuinely interested in the wants and needs of others. Being collaborative is an active two-way process of gathering the thoughts, feedback and views of others while reflecting on open-ended questions about the wants, needs and potentially positive ways forward, for example, ‘What could we do that would make this change better for your team?’ or ‘How could we move this situation forward positively?’ Collaborative Change Agents are relentlessly and positively nudging the situation forwards at all times.

Campbell Macpherson (2017) uses the term ‘Change Catalyst’ in his book of the same name, and this epitomizes the type of collaboration that we are discussing here. A Change Catalyst fizzes and accelerates positive change reactions in others. They create synergies and outcomes that are potentially bigger than the sum of their parts. This is exactly what we are looking to achieve through collaboration.

Whether we are calling ourselves a Change Catalyst, Change Agent or Change Superhero, the purpose and importance of the role is the same. This role is all about collaboration; it is about working with others and harnessing the ‘hearts and minds’ of an organization to get on board with a specific change, and this requires excellent interpersonal skills and flexibility. These skills are personal rather than role-related and there is no doubt that they are innate to some people and not to others. The reality is that we could have the most highly competent Change Team with great leadership, project managers and technical experts, but if no one in the team has a naturally collaborative people focus then the change is unlikely to succeed. Collaboration breeds goodwill and trust and is, perhaps, the secret ingredient, the glue that binds everything together.

So, it’s fantastic if you are reading this with the confidence that you are naturally flexible and collaborative, but that isn’t going to be the case for everyone. Let’s break it down into the five key skills that I believe are most important for us to master around collaboration.

The key collaborative skills

Being open-minded

The way we behave starts with our attitude. As we discussed in Chapter 4 on communication, we can’t not communicate, because our body language is always providing clues to the way we feel about a person or situation. Therefore, we need to begin by working on our mindset. There are two aspects to this: the first is in relation to our own views and opinions about the change. Even if we don’t like a change to start with, we need to understand the reasons and come to terms with the rationale for it. We need to feel genuinely open-minded about the potential positive benefits of the change and be prepared to communicate those benefits.

Secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, we need to be open-minded about the reactions and behaviours of others that we interact with when managing change. Much of this will come from our understanding about people’s natural reactions to change and the way different personalities respond to change, which we will cover later. However, we can all choose our attitude towards a person or situation, even though we may not be in the habit of doing so.

If we are to be truly collaborative, we need to be open to finding a win/win outcome for both parties, even if the other person seems defensive or competitive. By being open-minded, we don’t match the potentially negative reaction of the person we are aiming to collaborate with; we remain open to the best outcome for all. This takes self-discipline and patience, especially if the other person doesn’t appear to be cooperating. Over time, it is likely that they will get on board, but it is important to not provide energy or reinforcement for their negative behaviour. Remember the concept of the ripple effect? This is the idea that our behaviours are like stones in a lake, creating ripples that then create additional ripples. Now, these stones and ripples could be positive or negative, i.e., they may build up or work against each other. Collaborative people effect positive ripples that build up to make a bigger difference.

Stephen Covey (1989) shares a powerful story in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that illustrates this point in completely different circumstances. He talks about the concept of a transition figure who stops the spread of negative energy even in an environment or climate that is reinforcing it. Effective Change Agents can learn to be transition figures by remaining open-minded and refusing to transmit negativity. He shares the story of a character named Stone Kyambade, who lived in a Ugandan township and was a talented football (soccer) player in his youth. Everyone was keen to get away from the violence and poverty there and football was one of the best tickets out. Unfortunately, during a game Stone was struck down from behind by another player, resulting in a knee injury that ended his playing career and his dream of a life away from Uganda. The incident was intentional, not an accident. Now, in this environment the typical response would have been for Stone to retaliate, thus escalating into more violence. Instead, he said to the player in question, ‘You did what you had to do’, and that was the end of the matter.

Stone went on to coach disadvantaged children within his village to play positively with other teams and to collaborate with each other and other villages. Over time, the ripple effect was such that inter-village football became a real and positive alternative to much of the gang violence. Because Stone chose not to lower his behaviour in keeping with the environment, he stopped the transmission of negative energy. Over time, his actions sent ripples in the opposite direction, having a positive impact on his own village and many others. It is helpful to be aware of inspirational stories like this because they remind us that sometimes it is difficult to be a Change Agent, particularly in the face of adversity. By being open-minded, we can see the good in others and can stop the transmission of negative energy or resistance to change, which can sometimes be so much more powerful than positive energy. Being a Change Superhero isn’t always about the transmission of positive energy; sometimes it is about choosing not to transmit negative energy.

Interpersonal awareness

If we are to be collaborative, we also need to be great at reading the behaviours of others. Just as we are communicating all the time, other people will also be displaying how they feel about a situation through their facial expressions, body language and words. Sometimes we may notice someone nod as if they agree, but their facial expression or tone of voice conveys a different message. As Change Agents we need to have the courage to spot this lack of congruence or alignment in the way others are communicating and be prepared to challenge it. Congruence is when our body language and tone of voice align to convey the same message. Incongruence is when an aspect of our communication, usually body language, tone of voice or facial expression, conveys a different message to our actual words, e.g., frowning while nodding our head as if in agreement.

If we notice incongruence in others, the way we challenge it is key, as we need to choose the right questions if we are going to get people to genuinely open up. Consider the most likely response to the following question: ‘Are you sure that you are happy to go along with this?’ Because it is a closed and slightly leading question, it is most likely that the individual will just answer ‘Yes’, rather than opening themselves up to be challenged.

So, a better interaction might be to explain the incongruence that we are seeing and then ask an open question: ‘I can see you are nodding in agreement, but your facial expression gives me the impression that you are not 100% convinced that this is the right thing to do. What else should we discuss to ensure that you are completely happy?’ By being specific about the behaviours that we notice, we can try not to be judgemental because our perception may be wrong. The person may respond something like: ‘No, I’m on board – I am just frowning because I have the sun in my eyes’, in which case we are suitably reassured, and it was good to check. Alternatively, the person may then explain their true concern, which gives us chance to address something that may have gone on to become an obstacle later.

Notice that I used a ‘what’ or open question, which requires more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. Unlike the previous closed question, the use of ‘what’ presupposes that the individual has questions, so they feel more inclined to ask them. Again, this hopefully maximizes the chances of the individual in question either sharing their concerns or convincing us further that they are on board.

Positive communication

Chapter 4 concerns the different ways in which we can communicate. When we want to be collaborative, it is essential that we communicate in a way that will be interpreted as positive. Open questions that require more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response are helpful, as long as our body language gives the impression that we genuinely want to know the answer to the questions that we ask. Every question should be posed with neutral or positive tonality. This is most easily achieved by smiling as we ask a question or making sure that our internal mindset is genuinely positive or at least neutral to avoid any non-verbal ‘tells’. If people start explaining their concerns then we must make sure that our body language remains open and doesn’t appear defensive. This means strong eye contact and avoiding crossing our arms or legs if possible. Use of the word ‘we’ is powerful because it automatically creates the impression that you are both on the same team, rather than creating a position of opposition that may make people defensive.

Positive communication is also about spotting the positive behaviours of others. Collaborative people provide recognition for those demonstrating positive behaviours by sharing their story or ideas far and wide throughout the organization, making themselves visible to others. This helps inspire others to change and is a great example of the positive ripple effect that we discussed earlier.

Flexibility

Being collaborative requires us to be able to use our interpersonal awareness to spot how others are feeling and to have the flexibility to adjust our own behaviours, verbal responses or body language to build rapport and to be the most appropriate for the situation. We may need to demonstrate empathy or understanding even if we don’t agree in order to gain rapport. Once we have rapport by matching the appropriate behaviours, we may be able to change the tempo or tone of communication and take the other person with us emotionally. However, we can only achieve this if we have the flexibility to notice the behaviours and match them, importantly gaining rapport and trust before we gradually adjust the tone or tempo. This is very subtle and effective if done well by a flexible communicator. Being flexible in this way isn’t about manipulation or acting; it is completely genuine and people who are naturally flexible in this way are usually led by their positive intent and mindset. As with most of the skills we have outlined in this first section of the book, they can be learned or developed, but the most effective Change Agents start from within. As someone once said, ‘You can’t fake sincerity’. Therefore, if the intent is genuine, our behaviour will appear sincere.

Comfort with ambiguity

This is not something that comes easily to everyone, but it is a very useful Change Agent trait. During change the future becomes uncertain, which can result in people becoming blocked or unable to move forwards. We talk about different personality types in the next section of the book and people with certain traits have a marked preference for clarity and certainty over ambiguity. When faced with ambiguity they may become paralyzed or resistant as they don’t understand in which direction to move. Change Agents who can create small pockets of certainty in an ambiguous situation provide reassurance, helping people to move forwards. Setting short-term goals while focusing on the here-and-now is a way of being comfortable enough with ambiguity to be able to progress in the immediate future.

Some of the best Change Agents can even interpret an ambiguous situation for others. They may be able to see through the confusion and create a vision or way forwards that others can believe in. Even if this vision may change at some point in the future, it provides positive momentum in the short term. We can learn to be more comfortable with ambiguity ourselves, even if this doesn’t immediately come naturally to us, by forgiving ourselves and others when we make mistakes, by accepting that sometimes we may not get everything right and understanding that we can treat each mistake as a learning opportunity. Knowing we can change our minds makes it feel less risky to act without having the complete picture. We need to accept that we very rarely do have all the information in any situation; the key is for us to make the best decision based on the information that we do have and to be prepared to change direction in future if needed.

So, collaboration is a powerful mindset and is defined by a set of behaviours that are incredibly valuable in building relationships and delivering results during change or at any point in business. It knits together some of the behaviours discussed in previous chapters, like courage and communication, and allows us to create something bigger by including others. We can’t achieve significant change on our own, so collaboration is an excellent set of skills to master.

Quick recap on collaboration • Being collaborative starts with the mindset that we can achieve more together. • Collaboration is a natural extension of great communication and social skills along with an open and honest mindset. • Positivity of attitude and communication is a precursor to collaboration. • Flexible interpersonal skills and comfort with ambiguity are helpful skills when collaborating. • Recognizing and building on the positive activities of others is a powerful collaborative trait.

Online toolkit The following free change resources can be downloaded via: www.changesuperhero.com • The ‘Five Superpowers of a Change Superhero’ quiz • The ‘Five Superpowers of a Change Superhero’ infographic