10 minute read
Takeaway: Collaboration is never about forcing, it’s about offering a perspective and then being willing to receive that offering and adding it to what you already know.
From May 30 to June 1, Mark LaScola and instructors Sylvia James and Paul Tolchinsky facilitated a Whole-Scale Change workshop in Phoenix, Arizona. This hands-on practical skills training in Whole-Scale Change methodology helped participants improve their knowledge of collaborative methods. Over three days, participants learned how to apply this thinking to engage large groups of people by rethinking decision making, problem solving and planning.
We caught up with a few change makers on day two to ask about their experience and motivation for attending.
What Does Effective Collaboration Achieve?
“Human Connection for Change”
Courtney, Professional Facilitator
Q: What does effective collaboration achieve?
A: I’m a grassroots community organizer. What I’m trying to do is help people connect to follow their dreams and goals. I feel like we need to rebuild the human spirit, and that happens group by group. Just because we’re born human doesn’t mean we know how to treat another person as a human being. They think that their emotions are there to express on other people, rather than giving them information. With a good facilitator, there can be individual growth and large group change.
“Respect and Value for Others’ Ideas and Thoughts!”
Irene, Sr. OD and Training Specialist
Q: What does effective collaboration achieve?
A: You can’t make good decisions without it, so I think that’s been really helpful.
Q: What have you found valuable from the workshop?
A: I like the details of the process and how we might actually implement this. We’re getting hand-on, workable solutions for challenges that we have, which is wonderful.
“New Humanistic Collaboration”
Pat, Training Specialist: Learning and Leadership Development
Q: What does effective collaboration achieve?
A: The human connection for change. Finding out what everybody’s wants and desires are, and trying to align everything in the right direction.
Q: What have you found valuable from the workshop?
A: Truly the resources that we’re getting, the collaboration between all the team members, and the depth of knowledge. We have people in the group that are brand new to this process and we have people who have been doing it for years and years.
Q: How do you see yourself going back to your company and applying that?
A: Very carefully. It is a very big challenge and the company that we have is very large. So we have to be very deliberate in how we go about this approach to make sure that the changes that we want to bring around are effective. I’m sure we’ll have to take a look at it as the big picture and see how is it that we would want to bring this into our organization.
“Fresh External Perspective”
Arica, Director of Human Resources
Q: What does effective collaboration achieve?
A: Being able to get a fresh perspective, especially from an external standpoint. I think when you’re looking at it solely through an internal [standpoint], you’re not taking into consideration some of the outliers or some of the important pieces that need to be considered. This is especially true when you’re planning a workshop. I have a lot of employer relations expertise, but really when it comes to designing an effective workshop, there’s a lot of external things that need to be taken into consideration first to be successful.
“Collaboration Creates Community”
Jeannie, CEO, Executive Coach
Q: What does effective collaboration achieve?
A: My core value is community. I know that the wisdom is in the community, and the wisdom is in collaboration. The value is an increased ability to be creative and to not only solve problems, but to feel connected and to feel like you belong, to see a deeper meaning. Be inspired by being in service to other people and to feel connected to them.
Q: What brought to this workshop?
A: To be in the same room with a bunch of people that I work with and have the opportunity to talk about how we work and what it is we do. I was looking forward to coming together and learning together and having this shared experience of idea generation.
“Connection and Stories”
Scott, Manager of Leadership and Organizational Development
Q: What does effective collaboration achieve?
A: How could you not see value in collaboration? Two heads are better than one, three are better than two, and four are better than three, and it exponentially gets bigger. The more people, the more ideas, the more experiences that are brought to the table, the more perceptions that are brought in…it seems to be the thing to do to be successful.
Q: What have you seen yourself learning here so far?
A: Lots of good stuff so far. I really like all the different tools that are in the toolkit book. I like the processes that they’ve been showing us and the interactions that they’re allowing us to have. We can learn not only from Paul and Sylvia, but from the rest of the attendees.
“Focused Co-Creation”
Tiffany, Training Specialist: Learning and Leadership Development
Q: What does effective collaboration achieve?
A: Collaboration is never about forcing, it’s about offering a perspective and then being willing to receive that offering and adding it to what you already know. Then you actually co-create something new that you hadn’t thought of before. That’s probably the main thing I see out of it: The ability to co-create something, that on your own you can’t do because you don’t have all the knowledge.
Q: What brought you here today?
A: My whole team was really interested. We do a lot of training through teaching, planning, team building, and interventions for teams that are struggling with whatever they might be struggling with. Another way to look at it is to organize ourselves a little bit better.
“Unlock the Possibilities”
Raoul, Company Founder
Q: What does effective collaboration achieve?
A: I think what collaboration brings is a multiplication factor. So when we are working with other human beings, the possibilities become exponential.
To learn about future ON THE MARK sponsored events and workshops, check out our Events page. OTM’s experience and passion for collaborative business transformation that’s supported by pragmatism, systems thinking, and a belief in people is unparalleled. OTM is a global leader in organization design consulting.
