Cooperation vs. Collaboration

Is Collaboration Really the Goal?

In today’s world we hear a lot about collaboration.  Every team touts it as their super-power.  I find that a lot of what teams think is collaboration is really just cooperation.  Let’s start by understanding what each of these means. 

Collaboration – the act of working with someone to create something.  I like to add that this something is greater or better than what could have been created by acting alone.

Cooperation – the actions of someone who is being helpful by doing what is asked.  I think about this as either supporting someone else or just not getting in the way or holding them back.

Collaboration is a much higher bar!  It really is the integration of efforts which results in something new emerging from the work.  It is not enough to just sprinkle some seasoning into someone else’s soup!  When we collaborate, we all take ownership in the new outcome.  We have all contributed to something that none of us could have done alone.

But don’t think I’m poo-pooing cooperation!  When we need a little bit of help or a push to get us to the finish line, a cooperative partner can really make a difference.  Maybe we need a teammate to change an implementation date so that it doesn’t conflict with ours.  Maybe we need to borrow a resource for a bit.  These are all examples of cooperation and they, and many like them, are critical to getting important things accomplished.

Both are important and needed to reach our goals. What I encourage teams to do is to understand the difference and vigorously apply whichever one is appropriate for the situation.  Don’t get caught in the trap of calling everything collaboration just because it sounds better. 

Here are a few questions to ask:

• Am I supplying resources and/or encouragement?
• Am I just adjusting my work to make it easier for you to implement?
• Am I just making sure I don’t hinder your success?

OR

• Am I contributing to something new?
• Are we figuring out how to put our resources together in a new way?
• Will the outcome be something that neither of us could have done alone?

Learn to collaborate and cooperate at the right time and for the right reasons!