Collaboration, Contribution, Consultation, Coercion, Collusion
‘Women who collaborate, change the world, create legacies and make history’
Julie Hogbin
In fact, & of course anyone who collaborates can do exactly the same
Collude implies to scheme, conspire, or connive. Coercion implies doing it with intimidation, threat and under pressure & consultation has both positive and negative connotations dependent on your experience of the situation & can be a very good thing when you consult well. Even collaborate has its own negative use & as with all things in life it is how we demonstrate our beliefs into behaviours that create the result
Contribution is exactly that you as the individual you are contribute – to something somehow in sone way you donate to something, you are part of something, you create an impact on something, someone, somehow. Without doubt that contributions can be both positive or negative – it is your absolute choice
In the main none of the three words, collude, coerce, consult have the same positive connotation as collaborate does in our 21st C language & contribution well we all do it all of the time – just what is it we do?
There is a general consensus that to collaborate is a good thing – I feel
Contribution is contributing to something and that could be because you are coerced, it could be that you are colluding, and it could be that you are collaborating. It serves to recognise the different skills and the different behaviours of each of these.
It then serves to look at why you are doing what you are doing, is it for a quick win or a longer-term gain, is it because you are under threat or fear – what ever the reason please make it a conscious one and if you do not like it either you delivering it or you receiving it – CHANGE IT do something about it
It may take you a few attempts and it will be worth it
When we are creating a team, a business, of any description it supports us to have this knowledge. Start it right and it continues well – start it badly and that’s the way it continues, a solid sound foundation is easy to create at the beginning and much harder to implement later
Collaboration does not mean you give your power away it means that you invite others to contribute, and you work with them in partnership, building relationships as you go.
Collaboration enables individuals to work together to achieve a defined and common business purpose. That may sound very easy and when you strip back what business is all about, it fundamentally comes down to coordinating the efforts of those that are employed or volunteer to achieve the result
Collaboration creates a feeling and culture of equality; I would suggest that collaboration creates an equality whereas colluding and coercion do not. Please remember equal does not mean same, equal is a result, it is a combination of skills and ways of being and doing, imagine an equation the = is greater (or lesser) than the parts that make it.
With collaboration you will without doubt need to consult with the relevant parties
Consultation
The final one to add is consulting. Whether we consult with a capital C or a small c, and whether we are consulting for the business new or existing, any business change, HR change, employment law change, policy change, process change, change of T’s & C’s, whether it be through a merger, a combination of two businesses, two organisations, two teams, restructure or an office move ……… the list can almost be endless
When you consult with a big C, the 1st thing is to do it well. Unfortunately often there are restructures or redundancies attached to that. If you consult with a big C, you really are needing to consult before any decisions are made other wise you are creating false hope and expectations.
Consultation can cause mayhem within organisations, as if you consult people believe they have an influence in the outcome. And that, of course, is not always the case. So please don’t consult falsely.
If you do consult, make sure that you provide feedback to the people who have contributed and those in the wider audience.
If they request feedback, it should be responded to in a timely manner. Listen to what they truly have to say. Not everybody will express their opinions in the best manner and as the person who is doing the consulting, listen. A consultation provides an opportunity to express an opinion & that does not mean to say that everybody’s opinion becomes part of the end result.
Follow a process so that all are included and understand why things are happening as they are
If individuals are making enough energy and effort to provide an opinion, please listen to it and respond to it. Any opinion expressed should be reflected on.
Create a process where more questions are asked, if need be. Some people express an opinion from a place of being influenced by others rather than their true thoughts. They may express an opinion without the facts or the true evidence of whatever it is they’re expressing.
Remember, when people are in consultation, through a merger or restructuring, or in reality whatever it is, emotions can be higher, and that can affect opinions and how people express them.
To gain the best results from a consultation, a greater percentage of people need to participate in it. Otherwise, the results are skewed. Now of course we can’t make people give us their opinion as managers or leaders, all we can do is encourage them and to create the environment where they want to.
Now if they have been consulted before, if they have not received feedback or results from previously or felt their contribution wasn’t listened to, they may not want to give you an opinion again.
Keep them informed. Much resentment can be built through people having been consulted inappropriately.
Please, if you’re consulting on a major level or even a minor level, Big C or small c, make sure that people are kept up to date with the information and the results and the process and the timing.
At any point, do not set promises that you cannot keep.
With consultation make the decisions and publicise them:
- Who is to be consulted?
- What is the timescale?
- What is the intention of the consultation?
Think about in advance what expectations are being set when you consult.
A consultation process, when done well, will be transparent. The information should be available to the people who are contributing.
Often the word consultation, has grown in its own meaning within business and puts the mindset into individuals that there’s going to be a lot of change. Now, anybody that has been through any change management processes in the past realise that change is not always considered progress. Sometimes it’s considered a backwards step.
And if ever you’ve been part of anything where you hear somebody say, oh, that doesn’t work, we used to do it like that it doesn’t work. Why are they reinventing the wheel generally means that your culture has gone a bit pear shaped & that is a technical term!
Quite often consultation comes as part of a restructure or a merger.
The key thing is communication, and an explanation of the motivation that is behind the consultation
One thing with consultation, if somebody in the hierarchy chain breaks the chain of:
- We can’t give information yet
- Do not tell anybody
- Do not talk to anybody about anything until a certain date.
I you’re operating a hierarchy, but you hear the rumors start, please, please, please, please, please, please deal with the rumors.
If somebody within the chain has given a piece of information that you know to be true or not true, deal with it.
Unfortunately, what happens is that the gossip mongering grapevine, for want of a better phrase, will spread more quickly than anything else. And if you as the manager or the leader would like to keep your reputation intact, then deal with it.
Just because it’s not time to give the message is no excuse to not deal with the situation if the information has ‘escaped, been shared’ The rumors get worse, deal with it as soon as you possibly can.
Two sides need to be dealt with: The rumour and the person that has broken the agreement and let the ‘secret’ out or has communicated prior to the agreed date. Why? because there will be an issue with them as well.
I’m not saying that’s a negative issue. It may be that they are not believing the timescales themselves or the message or the process – whatever it is it needs to be investigated within management structure.
In reality with any consultation, whether it be a merger or restructure where there is potential for change, whether it be a change of offices, a change of building, a change of staff teams change of structure where people report into different people. The more information that can get out there factually, evidence based will serve
More on Collaboration in another article