This week, our focus was on the idea of ‘Collaboration’. We looked at its creative potential, strengths and limitations – as well as considering what needs to be done in order to achieve an effective collaborative environment.
1. What can Collaboration Achieve?
In the beginning of Rachel’s presentation on Collaborative work, we examined how collaboration may be used to achieve tasks that would otherwise be impossible to complete alone. Working in a team, you can: complete more complex projects, develop new skills, produce things more efficiently, access a wider variety of creative opinions, ideas and evaluations AND MORE.
2. Strengths & Limitations
I have had the opportunity to work in numerous ‘collaborative environments’, some of which have been more effective and “flowing” than others. A few years back, me and a few school friends entered a 6-hour film competition and to put it lightly, we didn’t work well together. Considering the proposals made by Keith Sawyer in his description of ‘Group Flow’ there are many reasons why my film-competition team “failed”. First of all, this was the first time we had worked together, and therefore we were unfamiliar with each others mentalities, work ethics and creative strategies. Our group also lacked ‘Complete Concentration’, with some members being more involved and devoted to the completion of the short film. In turn, this resulted in a lack of ‘Equal Participation’ – this only fuelled tension and frustration within the group.
This example highlights the fact that ineffective teams have numerous limitations:
– individuals find themselves doing all/none of the work
– the project lacks unity and balance
– compromises cannot be reached and members become frustrated and/or angry
On the other hand, when a collaborative group finds themselves achieving effectiveness (and perhaps ‘Group Flow’), the group’s operation will bring about many strengths. These include:
– greater development and sharing of ideas
– more effective and well-rounded evaluation of concepts and plans
– members have access to the support and assistance of their peers
– projects can be bigger, more ambitious and ‘grand’.
3. Criteria for an Effective/Positive Collaboration
In the readings (and Lectorial session) the ‘requirements’ for effective collaboration were explored in detail. I thought it was interesting to consider these numerous ‘steps’ and how each contributes to a stronger team. Rachel summarised a number of these criteria in the Lectorial:
– clear objectives [members know what they want to achieve and how they are going to achieve this]
– communication [maintaining focus on the task and utilising problem solving strategies]
– consistency [members trust each other and know how other members will act/respond]
– respect [members must treat other members fairly and properly]
– support [members must provide their peers with support when it is needed]
– responsibility [members know they roles in the team and maintain their promises]
– equity [the workload and responsibilities must be shared fairly and in a logical manner]\
4. More on Collaboration (notes on approaching a Collaborative Uni Project)
As we prepare to begin working on our first Collaborative assignment for Media, numerous suggestions and ideas from this week will need to be referred to and borrowed from. We will need to establish an organised procedure and schedule in order to keep to deadlines and achieve clarity in knowing what needs to be completed. Regular meetings will also play an important role in the success of these projects. While our Practical classes will provide a good starting point, I feel that for stronger team connection gatherings outside of the classroom will be essential.
Rachel also provided very useful notes on how to structure effective group meetings. These will be very valuable in the completion of this project:
– have an agenda [this will prevent incoherent meetings and allow for all points of interest to be discussed]
– reviews [to ensure tasks are being completed properly and in a positive manner]
– notes on outcomes [to establish what needs to be done, and how these tasks will get done]
– documents on meetings [to ensure everyone has the same access to notes and group decisions]
– confirm what needs to be done [to maintain an ongoing state of productivity and clarity]