Welcome to Collaboration!
When we talk about personal development, it’s not always just about you alone, but also about working together. We give you an insight into the skills with which you enrich your collaboration!
What we mean by competencies and skills in our 21st Century Skill Model, you can read here.
Here’s to good collaboration
Think of a situation in which someone said “Here’s to good collaboration!” and remember how it actually was. Often this statement is used as a phrase and not taken very seriously – and that’s an incredible shame, because really good collaboration brings many benefits!
Technically, collaboration is a process in which at least two people cooperate to complete tasks, develop new ideas, work on a common project, or achieve a goal. The more efficient this process is, the happier you’ll be working together – as you coordinate, avoid duplication, actively share ideas, and foster creativity.
Have we convinced you so far that real collaboration will improve your everyday work? Perfect, then we’ll now introduce you to the 3 skills that will help you achieve this.
Your Collaboration-Boost
Are you candid, able to resolve conflicts in a sustainable way and invest in relationships with your fellow human beings? You probably answered the statements in the affirmative, hesitated slightly, gave yourself a ” so and so” as an answer and thought about one or the other situation. Let us show you why you should work exactly on these skills to answer with a clear “yes” in the future:
“invest in relationships”
Building a culture of collaboration requires trust and authentic interaction. This, in turn, is only possible if there is investment in your relationships with co-workers. For this to succeed, as with so much in life, we need to start with ourselves. Authenticity is an essential factor here. But it’s also about enabling collaboration in the first place – in other words, creating a framework that allows for relationships to thrive, whether it’s a hybrid or pure office culture, so that relationships can develop and have room to grow.
“solve tensions”
Of course, there is no recipe for complete harmony, no matter the context. Where people come together, personalities and perspectives clash, and there can be some conflicts. But don’t worry: that’s perfectly normal. To resolve conflicts, you need to be sensitive to how conflicts arise, what causes and effects they have, and how you ultimately deal with them. If this sensitivity is present and the cause is known, all you need is the right strategy for conflict resolution. Easy peasy 😉
“be candid”
In order to be able to build relationships with colleagues and to solve conflicts, you basically need to be candid to everything and everyone to a certain degree. Being candid and honest sounds much easier than it actually is. You are not the only person who reacts with “it’s not so bad anyway” or “it’s okay”, although in reality it frustrates, annoys or offends you. Good collaboration requires the courage to speak up and to reveal your own feelings in order to achieve the best possible result. In short: It is important to act as a team respectfully and appreciatively.
Even more important is a successful exchange at eye level, which promotes mutual respect and acceptance. These are essential for excellent collaboration. So – here’s to good collaboration. For real this time!
