#205 pyramids or batons

The topic of collaboration came up at our recent Cave Day meeting.  As we probed more deeply into what individuals meant by this term, it became clear to me that there are (at least) two distinct styles of collaboration.  One is like a Cirque du Soleil acrobatic pyramid--everyone is working together and they are all doing a similar function simultaneously.  The other is more like a relay race, where people are working more or less independently, but all rely on each other to complete the race (project).  

If you have a different expectation as to which kind of collaboration will occur, you may be disappointed in the teamwork and effort of others.  If you forget that you are in a relay race and only focus on your portion of the laps, you may fail to pay attention to the baton hand-off and set the team behind.

Collaboration takes many forms and people play different roles as part of a team.  Spend some time clarifying how you expect your team to function before you climb on the back of someone who is trying to run a relay race.

-- beth triplett
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