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Working in Groups Does Not Equal Collaboration
Most people do not collaborate well. They may work in a group or department. They might even be part of a team. And yet they lack basic collaboration skills, the most critical of all soft skills. Why is this crucial skill so difficult to master? While it is an invaluable talent, many struggle to execute it effectively for several reasons.
On an individual level, collaboration requires training and practice, but schools and workplaces recognize and reward individual contributions, not collaboration. This leaves less room and incentive to develop those collaborative skills. And, collaboration involves a complex set of other skills, including communication, active listening, conflict resolution, and empathy. These skills are also not explicitly taught or practiced.
That’s not all. There are also psychological and social barriers blocking collaboration skill development. Effective collaboration requires trust among team members. Fear of judgment, criticism, or lack of confidence in others can hinder open communication and cooperation. Also, misunderstandings, unclear communication, and differing communication styles can create friction and impede progress. And then there’s individual egos and competitive tendencies, which result in power struggles and a reluctance to share ideas or compromise. Add to that groupthink, which is the desire to conform or avoid conflict, and social loafing, which is when individuals exert less effort in a group setting than they would individually, and that creates a setting that is anti-collaboration.
Organizations add to the problem in a myriad of ways. Rigid departmental structures, divided up into silos, can create barriers to cross-functional collaboration. So does ambiguity about goals and responsibilities. This creates confusion and conflict within teams. And a lack of access to effective collaboration tools and platforms further hinders communication and coordination, especially in remote or distributed teams. Finally, collaboration takes time. In fast-paced work environments, people often do not have enough time to collaborate effectively.
The most recent development to further strangle collaboration efforts is remote work. While offering employee flexibility, remote work can make it more difficult to build trust and maintain effective communication. And while collaboration benefits from working with people from diverse backgrounds, it also requires cultural sensitivity and adaptability, which can be challenging for some.
Building collaboration requires individual effort, organizational support, and a culture of trust, which is often lacking.
Fixing the Collaboration Shortfall
Despite these challenges, there are clear pathways to fostering a collaborative culture. For businesses, cultivating a collaborative ethos can bring clarity and boosts drive. It’s a game changer. But, while collaboration is a key skill, universities don’t really teach it and new research finds that most organizations fail to help workers build their relationship skills to increase their ability to collaborate.
If you doubt there is a shortfall of collaboration training, consider this study. In Spring 2022, Deb Mashek, Ph.D., former Full Professor of Social Psychology at Harvey Mudd College and Associate Dean for Faculty Development as well as Founding Director of Claremont College’s Office of Consortial Academic Collaboration, fielded a Workplace Collaboration Survey together with Dev Crasta, a Research Investigator at the US Department of Veterans Affairs’ Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention and a Senior Instructor at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry. Their goal was to better understand collaborative relationships in the modern workplace. They published the results in the June 2022 issue of the MIT Sloan Management Review.
The 1,100 people who participated in the Survey were employed full-time in the United States. To qualify for inclusion in the Survey, they had to work with others at least some of the time. They asked respondents what proportion of their job entailed collaborating with others to advance shared goals. Nearly three-quarters (71%) of respondents reported collaborating at least 41% of their work time. So, in a 40-hour, five-day work week, people spent an average of 3.2 hours per workday collaborating with others. That was considered “a significant amount of time”.
But, here’s the kicker. Given how much time people spent working and being with others at work, respondents reported a lot of relational challenges. In fact, 72% of respondents said they’d been involved in at least one workplace collaboration that was “absolutely horrendous.” Such collaborations created operational struggles, broken timelines and budgets, and managerial headaches. It also added to the work woes of the already-overloaded HR staff. What’s worse is that, considering the cost that bad collaboration has on the bottom line, very little professional development was provided by employers on building healthy and productive collaborative relationships at work. A whopping 31% received zero help developing their collaboration skills and 6% had “a few minutes” of collaboration training and 14% had “about an hour” of instruction and 23% had “a couple of hours of collaboration lessons”. Only 26% of respondents received substantial help developing their collaboration skills. Substantial help was defined as more than a couple of hours.
The Impact of Collaboration Training
That might make one wonder if collaboration training is effective. It is highly effective. Training focused on building collaboration skills has resulted in desirable mindsets that benefit businesses and employees. Indeed, that is why Mashek wrote the book titled “Collabor(h)ate: How to Build Incredible Collaborative Relationships at Work (Even if You’d Rather Work Alone). With a Ph.D. in the psychology of close relationships, Mashek has deep expertise in how to improve close relationships. She emphasizes that collaboration is a skill that can be developed, not just an innate ability. However, many organizations fail to actively help staff develop those skills.
Part of the problem is that quantifying exact reductions in workplace friction or increases in innovation is complex and hard to measure. But effective collaboration training can:
- Boost positive workplace relationships – Teaching individuals how to communicate, build trust, and navigate conflict fosters healthier relationships.
- Reduce workplace friction.
- Increase innovation – The exchange of ideas, diverse perspectives, and collective problem-solving — which happen during collaboration — drive innovation.
However, simply providing training isn’t enough. Organizational culture is key. Company culture must support and reinforce collaborative behaviors. If individual performance is all that is rewarded within the organization, efforts to boost collaboration will be undermined. So Mashek’s work has focused not only on providing practical strategies and tools for companies to help their employees build effective collaborative relationships but also strategies to reinforce that collaboration ethos within the organization.
Mashek’s approach stresses that collaboration skills need to be consistently reinforced. One-off trainings are less effective than ongoing development. And, it’s less about the length of a single training session, and more about the reinforcement of collaborative behaviors within the organization’s culture. The business or entity needs to provide clearly defining goals and objectives, foster open communication, encourage constructive feedback, assign clear roles and responsibilities, utilize collaboration tools, lead by example, recognize achievements, build trust and psychological safety, and organize collaboration-building activities. This kind of training can be done by individuals with expertise in social psychology, organizational behavior, and/or conflict resolution. Professionals with experience in facilitating group dynamics and team development can also be effective.
The good news is that collaboration, like most soft skills, can be learned and improved. And the literature suggests that hiring women – who are collaborators by nature – can boost the collaborative ethos of any organization. Why do this? For one thing, it boosts the bottom line. For another, it is essential for complex problem solving.
Case in point. Collaboration and Biomimicry
In an era of escalating climate concerns, achieving net-zero carbon emissions for infrastructure development is no longer optional. It is an imperative. Traditional infrastructure practices have a significant carbon footprint, hindering progress towards a sustainable future. As the world grapples with the challenges of climate change, the buildings sector faces the daunting task of reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions while meeting the needs of a growing population.
Biomimicry, the practice of drawing inspiration from nature’s ingenious solutions, offers a promising approach to sustainable architecture. By studying ecosystems and collaborating with experts in those sciences, architects have been able to create buildings that regulate temperature, capture carbon, and adapt to changing conditions. Through biomimicry, architects, engineers and scientists have developed innovative ways for people to coexist harmoniously with other species through the integration of green roofs, vertical gardens, wildlife-friendly features, and more. Together they’ve come up with a range of innovative solutions for sustainable architecture, from adaptive structures to efficient materials. Biomimicry has become increasingly important in solving major challenges posed by climate change. And, at its heart, lies collaboration. By learning from each other, these businesses have been able to build resilient, eco-friendly cities and structures that meet human needs while preserving the planet for future generations.
What do you get when you cross architects with termite mounds? It sounds like the opening line of a joke. But, actually, the answer is that you get the solution to a serious problem caused by global warming. Looking to nature for inspiration, architects were looking to discover how termites construct their mounds to maintain stable temperature in a harsh desert environment. Indeed, in Harare, Zimbabwe, visionary architect Mick Pearce and engineering experts at the Arup Group Limited worked with soil ecologists, entomologists, and researchers specializing in the field of ecosystem ecology to learn about carbon footprint reduction from termite mounds. Inspired by the intricate engineering of termite mounds, they built the Eastgate Centre, a testament to sustainable architecture. This innovative structure harnesses the natural rhythms of Harare’s climate. Using a network of cleverly designed channels, chimneys, and fans, Eastgate Centre ingeniously regulates its internal temperature. By strategically storing and releasing heat using high-capacity materials, it achieves exceptional energy efficiency. In fact, this biomimetic marvel consumes a mere 10% of the energy required by traditional buildings for cooling. Even when actively cooled, Eastgate slashes energy use by an impressive 35%.
Clearly, collaboration is the key that unlocks success and solutions in the future. Leaders and business owners would do well to ride the train going to Collaboration Station. All aboard?
Quote of the Week
“Collaboration is important not just because it’s a better way to learn. The spirit of collaboration is penetrating every institution and all of our lives. So learning to collaborate is part of equipping yourself for effectiveness, problem solving, innovation and life-long learning in an ever-changing networked economy.” Don Tapscott
© 2025, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.
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