The Importance of Collaboration

May 3, 2017 · by · in

This week’s lectorial (week nine) was on Collaboration and Research! We learnt that Collaborating is not only a skill that employers look for in media, but in everyday life – the interaction with people is significant and important, even more than some technical skills in the media profession. We learnt about good collaboration and bad collaboration (not only going to help me in Media One – but all three of my subjects currently have group projects!)

Good Collaboration

  • Share ideas
  • Inspiration
  • Rigour
  • Support
  • Maintain focus
  • Speed (can be done faster/teamwork)
  • Share workload
  • tackle bigger points

Bad Collaboration

  • all work, no credit
  • rely on others
  • outnumbered
  • can’t reach a compromise

To work in a group effectively, you must have an equal clear objective, resolve conflict when it arises, remain focused and driven and maintain success through consistency, respect, support, responsibility, and equality. Thus, you have to maintain an environment of trust and clarity for a collaboration to succeed (eg: honesty, openness, respect and fun experiences… not just work!)

Through establishing a correct identity, effective communication, team rules/management and concise meetings – there is no reason why a collaboration cannot succeed through planning, fun and unanimous decision making.

Research is also key in collaborative concept – as we are yet to learn in Project Brief Four. Through research (not only in the surrounding libraries in Melbourne but also through online resources), you can conduct the academic study. Research not only can be used for clarification and source work in an analytical sense but also allows you to follow the brief of argument, evidence, and structure – a commentary on your evidence that you are researching. Thus, through appropriate research, you can achieve studious goals both individually and in collaborative scenarios.