Tables, like the Round Table of King Arthur or the Algonquin Group, promote discussion. But tables can support intense day-to-day collaborative work, too. Each week in chemotherapy rooms in hospitals around the world, patients receive their prescribed cancer drugs. There are 10 comfy chairs in the chemotherapy room where I received treatment earlier this year. They surround a long table used…
Collaborate better: A guide for teams and partners
The right effort at the right level Let’s look at 4 ways of working with others. Your understanding of what happens at each level can help you become a more valuable contributor to any project. From there you can build a checklist for any collaborative effort you engage in. 1. Networking When you exchange contact information with someone and express interest in an idea at an informal meeting, you are kicking off a…
Collaboration and what we can learn from slime mould
Guest blogger Max Hardy looks at what slime mould teaches us about collaboration: that our identity is not lost when collaborating and that collaboration helps solve complex problems. A big thanks to Max for sharing his thoughts here. I’ve been reading a terrific book titled Collaborative Leadership: Building relationships, handling conflict and sharing control by David Archer and Alex Cameron. Drawing on the…
Which writing process does your organization follow?
There are three main types of writing models that can be used to produce documents in organizations: Model 1. The Lone Writer, where one person does most of the writing for the organization Model 2. The Writing Shop, where a bank of writing specialists produce documentation Model 3. The Collaborative Team, where various writers and subject matter…