SELF-LEADERSHIP VI: COLLABORATION

In ancient times, people lived together in tribes for the sake of survival. Some tribesmen played the role of warriors defending their people against the attack of fierce animals or the invasion of barbarians. Some served as farmers growing crops and raising cattle for food. In the modern world, people work together in groups on different projects and programmes. Some members are responsible for writing proposals whilst some are in charge of execution. Some work on data analysis whilst some communicate with external organizations. In both situations, people join forces to accomplish a common goal. Different people make use of their own skills and work together for the benefit of the whole. This is what we call collaboration. “Collaborate” is formed from the word “labour” with a prefix “col-“ meaning “to work hard together”.

Man, being a complex individual, can change his internal state dynamically when interacting with his environment through thoughts and actions. Interestingly our society is built upon interdependent collective actions of its individuals. Though people gather in a group, they are often found to be in different states as observed from their behaviours. This is natural as different people have different thoughts and values in mind. Sometimes conflicts may occur if their views are opposing each other. In such situation, destructive behaviours, driven by negative emotions, will be exhibited, ending in quarrels or fights. If everyone acts in this way, the world would be in chaos and the humankind would be in jeopardy. That’s why the concept of cooperation and collaboration is often advocated for the good of the community. In cooperation, a task is generally subdivided into a number of smaller ones which are then distributed to a number of people to work on them. In collaboration, people work at the peer-to-peer level and share the responsibility for a common purpose. In your context, your teacher asks you to do an assignment and you show your cooperation to hand in your homework on time. When doing a project, you contribute to your group by brainstorming ideas, make group decisions, collaborate with other members to produce results and finally present the findings in class.

Why is collaboration needed? In the past, one who owned specialized knowledge and information could excel in performance enabling one to climb up the social ladder effortlessly. Nowadays the World Wide Web creates immense sources of information accessible by everyone enabling all individuals are able to compete fairly on the same arena of information. Consequently it would no longer be easy to succeed for any individual due to fierce competition. What the Chinese saying “Three ordinary folks can outwit a man of wisdom” indicates that teamwork is more important than individual effort for success. For instance, Wikipedia, the well known free encyclopedia on the Internet, is a vivid illustration of the collaborative efforts of a lot of people contributing to pieces of articles instead of recruiting a team of scholars and professionals in its production. Have you ever visited our school's information page on the Wiki? As one of the school members, you are free to play the role of a historian for recording its major events and updating the changes on its Wiki page.

You find in your school life that on the one hand there are project-based learning lessons and group projects assigned to you as learning opportunities. On the other hand, there are many committees and student bodies run by you as extracurricular activities. All these are intended to provide a platform for you to experience what collaboration is. As you may be well aware, the success of a collaborative effort lies on how well you can overcome the barriers such as a lack of trust and responsibility, a poor planning and distribution of work as well as an inability to communicate effectively among the members. Therefore it is essential to nurture a collaborative culture amongst our students. At the junior levels, our teachers will help you form a group comprising students of different abilities that can complement each other. All members are encouraged to participate actively in the group, understanding their roles and responsibilities. They are expected to be trustworthy, open and optimistic, fostering a positive relationship. They are free to express opinions without fear of judgment, treating one another fairly with respect and tolerance. They have commitment and are accountable to the team. Through the development of such collaborative culture, I hope all of you can become a disciplined and competent team player willing to give, share and take, thus enhancing the capacity of one another to achieve a common goal. I believe with your commitment to the mission, your social experience would be rewarding and mutual benefit would be gained.

Collaboration enhances information sharing, knowledge exchange and communication within a team and hence reduces the time required for completion due to the concerted efforts of its members. As when magnetic domains are aligned, the synergy effect it produces would be enormous. When such effect is extended throughout an organization, it can help the organization work efficiently and transcend it in the direction for betterment.

REFERENCES:
Covey, S. (1998). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens: The Ultimate Teenage Success Guide Fireside.