Sunday, June 3, 2007

Collaboration: By Amr Morsy (Director of S&M) & Ashraf Ramadan (Director of Guest Services)










Definition of collaboration
The interaction among two or more individuals that can encompass a variety of actions, such as communication, information sharing, coordination, cooperation, problem solving, and negotiation.












literally, working together with one or more.
Mutual engagement of participants in a coordinated effort to solve the problem
Division of labor, Each person responsible for portion of work












Collaboration is the basis for bringing together the knowledge, experience and skills of multiple team members to contribute to the development of a the product more effectively than individual team members performing their narrow tasks in support of product development.











Developing a COLLABORATIVE Team

First, agree to work together and develop a set of operating principles, a shared vision, for the team. Call them community leaders, citizen representatives, stakeholders. Whatever you call them, you are the core group that represents your community.


When do we need to Strongly Collaborate?
When several people or organizations get together, pool their common interests and assets, to promote broader interests for the community’s good.
The most important thing to keep in mind is:
Organizations don't collaborate -- PEOPLE collaborate.











The 10 Habits Of Effective Collaborators

1. Enthusiasm

2. Diversity
3. Cooperation
4. Networking
5. Coordination

6. Negotiation
7. Flexibility

8. Trust
9. Commitment
10. Accountability


The principle of “no dominant voice” guides the group. Everyone’s input is important; everyone’s voice carries equal weight.



Effective collaboration requirements
•Early involvement and the availability of resources to effectively collaborate.
•A culture that encourages teamwork, cooperation and collaboration.
•Effective teamwork and team member cooperation
•Defined team member responsibilities based on collaboration.
•A defined product development process based on early sharing of information and collaboration
.

Characteristics of Collaborative Team

•Group Goal
•Interaction/Communication
•Equal Participation
•Interdependence/Shared Responsibility
•Independence from Instructor
•Focused Attention on Similar Aspects of Problem
•Shared control of resources
•Synthesis of Information




Cooperation VS. Collaboration




















TEAMWORK
Collaboration requires effective team work. Team members must trust and respect each other. There must be open communication and a willingness to accept input from others.
There are often conflicting goals in product development. Therefore decision-making must be based on a collaborative approach. This is shown with the following model.






















Improving Your Staff's Self-Confidence
One of a manager's most important responsibilities is increasing subordinates' self-confidence; employees then have a more optimistic—but realistic—view of their skills and talents.

Increasing self-confidence offers more than psychic rewards. If employees feel good about themselves, productivity and morale both improve.

WHY ??
First,
self-confident people are decisive rather than tentative. They can focus on their work responsibilities instead of worrying about the reactions of others, and they are optimistic about reaching their objectives.

Second,
self-confident people are risk-takers, and taking risks is crucial in organizations. These people are expressive; they forge ahead instead of waiting for someone else to show the way. People who lack self-confidence, on the other hand, tend to play "catch up" rather than focus on progress.


Third,
people who feel good about themselves are likely to increase the self-confidence of those around them. Self-confident people are respected by colleagues and management, and they return that respect.


One note of caution here:
It is not talking about over-confidence.
People must accurately perceive their abilities so they will accept tasks that are appropriate to their skills.
Managers play an important role in working with researchers, to assign tasks so individuals can determine for themselves which challenges they can handle.


Once we decide that improving self-confidence among the staff is a vital responsibility for a manager, how do we go about it?
Accepting,
Praising,
Appreciating,
Encouraging, and
Reassuring.

Accepting
Accept your employees for who they are, not just for what they do.
How do we translate this accepting attitude into action?

Praising
Good managers take the time to listen to their employees, and are concerned about employees' self-esteem. Although we all know how good it feels to be praised, many managers are too insensitive, too busy, or too concerned with their own egos to praise subordinates

Here are some guidelines:
• Praise must be deserved, otherwise it will be counterproductive.
• A spontaneous comment is the most genuine form of praise.
• Never suppress the urge to praise.
• Comments should be specific, so the recipient knows exactly what is being praised.
• Expand a specific comment into general praise

You can praise people by recognizing them as individuals or members of a group. There are many options here. For example, sponsor dinners, give out plaques, allow trips to represent the company, or send a formal letter detailing what the employee has done so well.
Usually, the problem is not an inability to find the proper reward vehicle, but rather the manager's reluctance to praise.

Appreciating

Appreciation is similar to praise, but while praise acknowledges that the employee has excelled at some skill or task, appreciation explains what the employee's effort has done for an individual, team or company.
To appreciate, show your staff how their accomplishments have benefited you (as well as the company), and make it clear that you appreciate their efforts.


Encouraging

When does an employee most need encouraging? After a mistake. This is when you can help the employee admit errors and learn from them: One word of encouragement during a failure is worth a whole book of praise after a success.
It’s important to appreciate that the greatest threat to self-confidence is criticism--even a single remark. Although some believe "constructive" criticism improves performance and fosters personal growth, criticism is almost always destructive. Regression, not growth, is the most likely consequence of criticism.
Self-criticism, the only kind you should encourage among subordinates and yourself, is the exception in most work environments.


Reassuring
Reassuring is defined as “restoring to assurance or confidence.” (Reassuring is directed to someone who generally feels inadequate, while encouraging is a response to something specific, like a mistake.)


On the most productive teams, leaders and subordinates have a realistic self-confidence. Researchers' self-confidence can easily be increased or decreased, and it's up to you as a manager to sustain it. The entire team will find their jobs more enjoyable--and you’ll be ready to tackle the toughest problems

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