ED 262 KCKCC Sp '24

The conventional model of collaboration in business is to go to a lot of meetings to try to get agreement on five things:

What is our common purpose?
What is the problem?
What is the solution to the problem?
What is the plan to execute the solution?
Who needs to do what to execute the plan?

Answering these questions typically involves a delicate dance of managerial authority and employee adaptation. A boss may have a solution in mind, but could face potential downsides by enforcing it unilaterally. Those who disagree may drag their feet in implementing the plan or otherwise sabotage the team’s efforts. So instead, teams collaborate: A boss leads everyone to see the problem the same way (probably the way the boss does), and then to agree on a way forward.

But what if the people in the room are working at cross-purposes? What if they can’t even agree on what the problem is, much less how to solve it? What if there is low trust among them, and no one who can control the situation? What if the only thing people can agree on is that the situation is unacceptable and must be changed?

From winning sports teams to globally successful businesses, there are so many examples of how collaboration in teams can produce incredible results. Building and developing a collaborative culture within your team is key to improving the share of knowledge throughout your business, which will ultimately lead to a more efficient working environment. Whilst many people like the idea of working in a collaborative environment, they aren’t always willing to undertake the investment required to establish a fully collaborative workforce. 

As the working world becomes increasingly global, and teams are split across different geographies and time zones, the need for collaboration has never been so important. With new technologies and cloud-based systems offering teams the ability to communicate information and share knowledge, businesses should utilise the opportunities available to improve the collaboration amongst their teams. 

A group of talented individuals does not necessarily translate into a high performing team.  That’s why sometimes the underdog seemingly comes out of nowhere to win.  In fact, high performing teams know that to succeed they must depend on each other as much, if not more, than their individual talents.

Perhaps even more importantly, they act as if their success is dependent on the success of others.  They also believe that they can truly count on each other to do what is best for their team, to be treated with respect and fully supported no matter what.


The answer to this one question – can we count on each other when it really counts – can reveal whether your team is colluding for mediocrity or collaborating for greatness.

Now, an increasing number of start-ups and established companies are realising the benefits of collaboration.

Challenging, rather than collaborating, leads to the demise of many start-ups, which fail to understand how their industry operates and how best they can maximise their place within it. Having a great idea is essential but, if we can combine this with buy-in from organisations who already possess power, we’re really cooking with fire.

It’s a simple concept: if a start-up shares the same goals as its more-established counterparts, it should seek to work collaboratively in order to drive real change. We are achieving this by collaborating with relevant industry bodies in health, progressing our mission to change the way the world views health and wellness, and this same approach can be adopted by entrepreneurs across many different industries.