Collaboration - Workplace communication

Practical models for technical communication - Shannon Kelley 2021

Collaboration
Workplace communication

While you may have written most of your academic papers on your own, much of what happens in the workplace happens collaboratively. Students sometimes think collaboration and group work are the same thing. They are not.

In group work, a team of individuals is assigned a project, and each person works independently on their part of the project. Group members check in with each other, but they do their work solo. Often most of the work falls to one or two people, and these are usually the ones most invested in it. Students who have tried group work often complain that they could do better work completing an entire project on their own. Miscommunication, missed deadlines, and document inconsistency are common.

Document inconsistency is particularly problematic in the professional world. When the work of individuals is spliced together, the shifts in voice, style, and meaning can distract the user. Individual work often produces a better product because the various sections are more likely to be consistent.

However, collaborative work generally creates higher-quality products by blending the best characteristics of both group work and individual work. Collaboration is when a group collectively assigns tasks to each member, usually within their field of expertise, and every member must participate in order to complete a project. It means that the group shares a common purpose and message that appeals to an identified audience. Collaboration includes consistent check-ins and allows the participants to access higher levels of thought and creativity than they could on their own.

Figure 7.13 illustrates the difference between group work and collaboration. Notice the visual distinction between the documents. Group work tends to produce a document that is characterized by distinct sections that do not form a cohesive unit. Collaboration, on the other hand, tends to produce a blended document that forms a unified whole.

Communication is the foundation of collaboration. When communication is going well, problems become opportunities for creative exploration. This means respecting the other participants’ views and ideas. Because technical communications is often a global endeavor, collaboration requires that you respect cultural differences.

Figure 7.13. Group Work vs. Collaboration. Group work and collaboration are sometimes used interchangeably, but they do not mean the same thing. As a professional, you need to seek out productive partnerships with your colleagues.

Image

Communication

Breakthroughs often happen in the spaces where collaborators see things differently. Ideally, you should view conflict as an opportunity for growth. When a team allows its members to engage in constructive and respectful disagreements, the result is collective ownership of what is created.

Varying commitment levels can tip the dynamics of the process in ways that might send you hurtling back towards group work. To keep your collaboration on track, talk with your team members about what success looks like for your project. Time frames and deadlines form an important part of collaboration. Participants need to communicate regularly about if and how they will meet their deadlines.

Differences of opinion can be difficult to navigate in a collaboration, but they are also important. One of the reasons group work often fails is because it typically avoids controversy, resulting in a document that is inconsistent in its message. Resolving differences through collaboration takes hard work and effective communication, but the result is typically a stronger document. If you run into conflicts within your group, try the following strategies for conflict resolution:

” Characterize the issue in clear terms.

” Agree on a common goal.

” Establish ways to meet the shared objective.

” Determine what stands in the way of resolution.

” Acknowledge the best solutions.

” Agree on each team member’s responsibilities.

Methods for Collaboration

Many types of collaborative software exist, and your employer will most likely have a preference for which one your team uses. Most collaborative software programs share common tools, such as one-on-one or group options; real-time collaboration and document sharing; planning, tracking, and reporting tools; and shared permissions. See figure 7.14 for additional strategies for collaboration.

Figure 7.14. Collaboration Strategies. This chart shows the strengths and weaknesses for different approaches to collaboration. Often a team cycles through multiple approaches during a single project.

Image