Clarity Machine

Process Logic

How do we define collaboration? An often-used term to describe how teams work; it is typically used in vague and self-referential ways. What does it really mean? What are the best ways to collaborate? How do we put the word into action?

The following is a series of definitions referred to and found on the Internet for the term “collaboration”. None are intended to provide any prescribed answer. Definition gives us a place to start. The wide spectrum of ideas is notable.

Collaboration is:

From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaboration - _note-2
a structured, recursive process where two or more people work together toward a common goal—typically an intellectual endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus. Collaboration does not require leadership and can even bring better results through decentralization and egalitarianism. In particular, teams that work collaboratively can obtain greater resources, recognition and reward when facing competition for finite resources.

Something done with cooperation

Shared control over decision making

Work that is done jointly to improve the efforts of all

Cooperation between citizens of a country and its occupiers

A series of business transaction activities between two roles

The process of working together in pursuit of common objectives

A social skill involving working together with two or more persons

Something of a gray area, and a common source of misunderstanding

The process by which people and organizations work together to accomplish a common mission

The process people with different ways of seeing the world interact to learn from each other in order to get better at what ever they are trying to do

Any cooperative effort between and among governmental entities and private partners through which the partners work together to achieve common goals

Intra-enterprise business process integration. The intra-enterprise information flows are managed by business process logic that is shared by two or more organizations

Permitting governments, industry, and other stakeholders to create, grow and reform communities of interested parties that can leverage strengths, solve common problems, innovate and build upon existing efforts

A dynamic relationship that exists between objects. Additionally, a Classifier Role should be associated to the collaboration to illustrate the role an element plays in that collaboration

A process where groups that disagree, often significantly, come together to identify common interests, define common problems, and seek solutions that reach beyond what any one of them could accomplish on their own

The idea of employees working together in a joint intellectual effort. This is usually achieved by using tools that allow employees to share information dynamically between one another to boost performance and productivity


Extensive academic definition: http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?doc_cd=129418

More from Answers.com: http://www.answers.com/topic/collaboration-1

Tools: http://news.hsl.virginia.edu/?p=42

Collaboration and Libraries: http://www.techsource.ala.org/blog/2006/03/collaboration-20.html

Post on best practices and link to American Society for Training & Development, an association dedicated to workplace learning and performance professionals: http://community.astd.org/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9301062/m/27010053

Blog on online extranets – article about online collaborative tools and sites and best practices for their use: http://blog.novedge.com/2007/09/an-interview-wi.html

Quotes:
"As teams develop objectives around communication, and they create structure, that's where collaboration begins."