Collaboration: How to Improve Your Skills

Collaboration is important for YOU in School, Work and Life.

But, most of us suck at collaboration.

Here's how you can change that:

— Clint Murphy (@IAmClintMurphy) March 14, 2023

• Collaboration

Collaboration is the process of working together:

• Intentionally
• With known people
• In service to a shared goal

When collaboration works, everyone benefits:

• You
• Your Team
• The Projects
• The Organization

— Clint Murphy (@IAmClintMurphy) March 14, 2023

• Collabor(h)ate

49% of students have negative or very negative feelings about Class Projects.

Here are some of the common reasons you hate to collaborate:

• Herding cats
• Dropped balls
• Disengagement
• Unever workload
• I'll just do it myself
• My way or the highway

— Clint Murphy (@IAmClintMurphy) March 14, 2023

• The Mashek Matrix

To create healthy sustainable collaborations, focus on:

• Interdependence
• Relationship quality

Interdependence relates to how aligned your outcomes are.

Relationship quality is your subjective sense of the relationship with your collaborators. pic.twitter.com/jtYMx9M5lM

— Clint Murphy (@IAmClintMurphy) March 14, 2023

• Relationship Questions

Ask yourself:

• Are they trustworthy
• Do you like this relationship
• Do you enjoy being in relationship
• Is there a We instead of a Me or You
• Subjectively, how do you feel about them

If you answer Yes, Great.

If Not, then you've work to do.

— Clint Murphy (@IAmClintMurphy) March 14, 2023

• Improve Relationship

To improve your relationship,

• Be responsive
• Share your story
• Bring the donuts
• Behave accordingly
• Set clear expectations
• Embrace accountability
• Seek novelty and challenge
• Avoid telling yourself stories

— Clint Murphy (@IAmClintMurphy) March 14, 2023

• Interdependence Questions

Ask yourself:

• How much time do you spend with them
• In what domains can they influence you
• How do you structure the work
• How do you measure it
• How do you reward it

It’s about the Doing and how you move to Getting the Work Done.

— Clint Murphy (@IAmClintMurphy) March 14, 2023

• Interdependence Ideas

Outcomes = Rewards - Costs

We must play fair in collaboration.

To do that, ensure the Ratio of Contributions to Outcomes is equal across collaborators.

Outcomes don't need to be equal.

Outcomes / Contributions do.

This is collaborator equity.

— Clint Murphy (@IAmClintMurphy) March 14, 2023

• Interdependence Levers

Three key patterns determine the strength of our interdependence:

Frequency - how much time you spend together

Diversity - The range of activities you engage in

Strength - The degree of influence you each have on each other's plans, goals & behaviors

— Clint Murphy (@IAmClintMurphy) March 14, 2023

Improve Frequency Dial:

• Shared headspace
• Formal & informal time
• Expectations response time

Improve Strength Dial:

• Resource access
• Workflow structure
• How Goals are specified
• How Goal progress is tracked

For the Diversity Dial, Do More or Less Together.

— Clint Murphy (@IAmClintMurphy) March 14, 2023