Research Collaboration Blog

This is the title of a recent book by Morten T. Hansen, (Harvard Business Press ISBN 978-1-4221-1515-2) resulting from fifteen years of research into internal collaboration within organizations. The conclusion is that the foundation of successful collaboration is leadership with strong management design. Hansen does not mention the use of information technology (video-conferencing, social networking, company blogging, or research communities like MyNetResearch.com) until at the end of the book and only briefly. The primary reason is that technology enables and enacts the common objectives and collaborative culture created by organizational leaders. Technology without unifying people, cultivating rewards for both independent results and cross-unit contributions, and building networks crisscrossing the organization, is like carrying water in a bucket with holes. Achieving results is as impossible as carrying water.

Another key to successful collaboration is deciding when to collaborate and when not to. This skill developed over time and is as much an art as a science. Referencing organizational goals is a solid decisional framework which aids this process.

Collaboration is a critical issue in our workplaces. Some interesting statistics from the April 28, 2008 issue of Businessweek: apparently, 82% of white-collar workers collaborate with co-workers. 51% of women like working together so that they can learn from others in comparison to 40% for men. In terms of the different age groups, 18-24 year olds like working together the most (60%), followed by the 25-64 year olds (44%) and finally only 28% of the 65+ enjoy collaborating. Is the difference among age groups surprising to anyone? How will this predisposition to collaboration among the 18-24 group help or hinder collaboration in the workplace, especially in the research disciplines?