DON’T BE DISTRACTED BY THE SPARKLE THAT IS COLLABORATION – A PRACTICAL HOW TO GUIDE

Often the idea of collaboration, be it inside or outside of the organization, is something that Leaders and Managers spread around like fairy dust.

Just collaborate they will say, like it is something easy and low risk.

Anyone can collaborate and do it effectively.

But the truth is they cannot.

You may be looking for your next collaborator on LinkedIn and want to wise up to the risks and how best to prepare for these discussions when they arise.

Collaboration is a learnt capability that when you don’t have it things will go wrong and quickly.

To avoid the pain and risk I have created a practical guide inspired by lived organizational development (OD) experience.

Use this guide so you don’t get distracted by the sparkle of collaborating and make smart, impactful decisions instead.

COLLABORATION DEFINED

Collaboration is about creating different outcomes both at an organization or individual level.

It’s about creating a new product, service or experience that would not exist without the coming together of these parties.

I always like to think of it like 1 + 1 = 10.

When all the elements line up as they should, all parties are able to leverage what the other has in a way that cannot be achieved solo.

You may be part of an established organization, a start-up, in a leadership role or a solo entrepreneur who can see the value in strategic collaborations. The process is largely the same.

Collaboration is about:

-        Working together to create a new category that doesn’t currently exist.

-        Coming together to produce something that brings mutual benefit to all.

-        Creating and maintaining an ongoing, respectful relationship.

-        Making a genuine commitment to deliver on what has been agreed to.

Often, it’s these less than attractive elements to collaboration that is often overlook and as a result the project either fails or falls short on delivering outcomes and impact.

COLLABORATIONS COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

Working in collaboration is an essential part of growing a brand in a rapidly changing, and at times challenging world.

The truth is that you cannot truly innovate and grow the bottom line without having it part of your organizational model and future approach.

Why’s this?

Because you’ll always be limited by wide ranging factors including:

-        current team expertise, knowledge and experience – including your own

-        diversity in terms of age, culture, inclusiveness and experience

-        brand perception and the resources needed to change this

-        existing client base – in terms of size, location and diversity

-        financial resources and access to capital and investment

-        networks and number of people in your community

-        IT systems and technological know how

-        current supply chains and challenges

-        existing processes and systems

-        size of the current workforce

WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW THE VALUE OF YOUR BRAND

Successful collaborations are strategic and have very clear outcomes and reasons for doing so.

They understand the WHY and the desired outcomes and impacts before they even take the first step.

The purpose is known from the time they think about how and who to collaborate with.

TRUTH TELLING - YOUR BRAND IS NOT FOR EVERYONE

Remember, as in life, your organization is not right for everyone, and not everyone is right for you when it comes to building collaborations.

Be focused and be discerning about why you want to collaborate and with whom early on and remember to keep the following points top of mind:

-        It takes commitment and time to see rewards and achieve the

desired outcomes and impact.

-        Know and agree upfront who is responsible for delivering actions.

-        It’s outcome-driven with action that can be measured at key times

throughout the relationship.

-        All parties need to own responsibilities to maintain momentum.

-        It’s always strategic and tactical in its focus.

WHY COLLABORATE WITH OTHER BRANDS?

1.       To create a distinct product category by delivering unique,

differentiated products, services or experiences.

2.      To diversify the current product/service mix and reduce

organization vulnerability in times of disruption and uncertainty.

3.      To create new products and services that diversify income streams

and generate revenue (and ultimately profit)

4.     To work with other parties to reach new, untapped markets that would

be harder and more expensive to do so alone.

5.      To change brand perception through association with the other business.

6.      To fulfil internal skill gaps by accessing external talent and expertise

that cannot be met otherwise.

 GREAT COLLABORATIONS TELL AN IMPACTFUL STORY

When you are thinking about choosing an organization to collaborate with you must always think about the following, even in the early stages of development:

1. What story do we want this collaboration to tell the audience/market?

2. What beliefs or perceptions are we wanting to create in the mind of our audience/market?

3. How do we want our customers both current and potential to feel and act as a result of this collaboration?

When you’re planning to tell the story ask three key questions:

Question 1

Why does the collaboration exist? What factors led to making the decision to collaborate.

Question 2

What problem does this collaboration solve that did not previously exist?

Question 3

How specifically does it solve the problem?

If you are going to be investing in a collaboration, it’s essential to identify how both organizations are going to fully leverage the relationship. Longer term, through the various communications/social media channels available.

To not do this becomes a wasted opportunity.

LINKING COLLABORATIONS TO VALUABLE EMPLOYER BRANDS

To fully leverage collaborations its essential that you have the process to link it back into the employer brand.

Organizations are needing to create and deliver employer brands that can

-        Show social proof of living its values and mission to external stakeholders

-        Differentiate itself to attract the right talent in a competitive market

-        Show social proof of living its values and mission to its own workforce

People are looking for evidence of action, and potential talent is looking for it to help make informed decisions about the organizations they want to be part of.

Your current teams are looking for real examples of you living your values and feeling reassured that working with you is the right choice.

Adopting a story telling mindset to your collaborations is a smart way to fully leverage the time and investment made in these partnerships.

BE TRUTHFUL AND OPEN IN YOUR MESSAGING

When incorporating collaborations into your employer brand it needs to be truthful and transparent for it to have credibility and cut through.

Think about the following areas when crafting your story to your audience.

-        Vision/mission for the future.

-        Key actions that have been undertaken and by whom.

-        The outcome and impacts of these actions and to whom.

-        Lessons learnt and how the organization is using these.

-        Key challenges to delivering actions and solutions used.

-        Next steps in the relationship – what does this look like.

Impactful collaborations are built on gaining a new knowledge/skill set that is trialled and tested in the real world.

Knowing what you stand for before you begin reduces risk and increases the level of success and enjoyment.

And who doesn’t want more of that in business.

Article written by Ali Uren – Founder of Kiikstart® Collective Organizational Development Made for Mission Driven Brands.

When not in the field I create original OD content and IP to engage with, save and refer to later.

Please follow or connect with @AliUren to keep up to date with a practical, lived take on people, teams , learning and growth and organizational development.