What does collaboration mean?
People have different ideas of what it means to collaborate. What does it mean to you?
Collaboration can be an integral component to any project. We have all been in situations where we've preferred to tackle a project solo, but there is great value in sharing knowledge and working together to achieve a common goal. Over the past few years, I've worked on several complex projects, and I’ve been increasingly impressed by the necessity of working with others from a variety of disciplines. There are, of course, times when you can and should “stretch” a bit.
However, there are other times when you are far better off bringing in someone else more qualified in a certain area than yourself, in other words – collaborate. I was recently discussing this with a colleague and frequent collaborator outside of Morrison. He shared a perspective I really like. “Organizations fighting over turf will always be with us, but increasingly people want to see results, not stalemates and uncertainty. Being able to assemble working collaborations will be an asset that will blow through many problems, politics, and personalities.” Point well taken.
Your project will be much better served if you build a team of experts that get results, not stalemates. So, are you building an “asset” (i.e. a network) that can work together and not fight over turf? If not, it’ll be worth your time to take a second look at what the right collaboration could do for you.
At Morrison many of our projects require collaboration. We maintain a network of attorneys, accountants, engineers, bankers, economic developers, trade and lobbying groups, and other niche consultants. Why? Because good networking makes sense and a good network will better serve our clients and get them the results they’re looking for. The next time you’re starting a project consider who in your network you could collaborate with.
About the Author
Geoff Chinnock is a consultant with Morrison, working primarily in our Business & Accounting Advisory practice. To get in touch with Geoff, please find contact information for Morrison here.