Come Together: !
HR’s Role in Building a Collaborative Workplace!
Robin Schooling, SPHR! @RobinSchooling!
Execution!
Strategy!
photo credit: Getty Images George Marks!Roger L. Martin!
Execution!
Strategy!
–Hutch Carpenter!
“Building toward a !
defined outcome !
through the interactions !
and input of multiple people” !
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Robin Schooling, SPHR!
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@RobinSchooling!
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HRSchoolhouse.com!
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silverzebras.com !
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robin@silverzebras.com!
Delivering integrated HR and Talent Management Strategies!
let’s talk about…!
•  the what, why and when of collaboration!
•  why culture matters!
•  busting the silos!
•  the role of HR!
•  working smarter, not harder: tools & technologies !
the what, why and when of collaboration!
why should we care?!
•  cost savings through the transfer of best practices!
•  better decision making as a result of advice obtained from others!
•  increased revenue through the sharing of expertise!
•  innovation through the combination and cross-pollination of ideas!
•  enhanced capacity for collective action that involves dispersed
units/functions!
Morten T. Hansen !
BAM!!!
Team!
photo credit: Jay Ducote!
Community!
Network!
Hutch Carpenter: CMS Wire!
similarity…proximity…familiarity!
new partners!
new partners!
•  forming of teams may be “on-
the-fly”!
•  teams formed to solve
problems or “tackle ideas”!
•  intrinsic motivation!
•  contribution by ALL!
•  less chance of redundancy!
–Hutch Carpenter!
“Building toward a !
defined outcome !
through the interactions !
and input of multiple people” !
collaboration by disagreement! !
–Apple!
“innovation and creativity require
freedom, disagreement, and
perhaps even a little chaos.” !
disagreement is good…!
•  simplifies!
•  focus on where idea is “wrong”!
•  understand risks!
•  bring problems to the surface!
•  rivalry —-> best ideas!
why culture matters !
what’s under the surface? !
relay race or rugby match?!
photo credit: Flickr Sangudo!
relationship oriented or task oriented?!
do leaders exhibit relationship behaviors? !
does HR? !
culture of collaboration!
we may fall
when…!
our environment is designed for competition and
independence!
we launch ambitious projects in an !
unreceptive environment!
we underestimate the costs!
…and implement the wrong solutions!
we misdiagnose the problem …!
disciplined collaboration!
!
“the leadership practice of
properly assessing when
to collaborate (and when
not to) and instilling in
people both the
willingness and the ability
to collaborate when
required” !
!
!
Morten T. Hansen!
never lose sight of the goal!
•  select when collaboration is appropriate (and when
it’s not!)!
•  understand the barriers that currently prevent
employees from collaborating!
•  design management solutions to tear down those
barriers!
busting the silos !
what state are we in?!
barriers to collaboration!
“not invented here”!
search!
hoarding!
transfer!
the ‘not-invented-here’ barrier!
•  unwilling to reach out to others!
•  communication stays within
group!
•  protection of self-interests!
•  status gaps and pride!
•  self-reliance!
the hoarding barrier!
•  competitive relationships!
!
•  fear of losing power!
!
•  “it takes too much time”!
!
•  rewarding people only for their
work…and not for helping
others!
the search barrier!
•  people cannot find
information…or resources/
people…that can help them!
•  too much information!
•  insufficient networks!
•  limited ‘personal’ connecting!
the transfer barrier!
•  cannot pass on tacit knowledge!
•  lack of trust!
•  lack of respect!
•  lack of … friendship!
barriers to collaboration!
“not invented here”!
search!
hoarding!
transfer!
motivational barriers!
ability barriers!
don’t start at wrong end… !
“the leadership practice of properly
assessing when to collaborate (and
when not to) and instilling in people
both the willingness and the ability to
collaborate when required” !
remember…!
the ‘not-invented-here’ barrier!
HR TIP!
!
Recruit and hire people
with inclination/confidence
to ask for help!
!
the hoarding barrier!
HR TIP!
!
Consider a 360-degree
review process that
captures demonstration
of individual performance
and contributions to
others/willingness to help !
the search barrier!
HR TIP!
!
Identify and cultivate
“connectors”!
the transfer barrier!
HR TIP!
!
Eliminate the ‘stranger’
problem; provide job
rotation and temporary
assignments!
watch out for… !
…unintended consequence: the ‘pyramid effect’!
…unintended consequence: over collaboration!
pay attention to…!
large size!
diversity!
virtual participation!
educational levels!
when do you say ‘yes’?!
when do you say ‘no’?!
does value exceed cost?!
!
•  better innovation!
•  new business development or
cross unit product development!
•  better sales!
•  cross selling or enhanced
customer service w/ results!
•  better operations !
•  transfer of best practices or
making better decisions!
!
•  opportunity costs!
•  foregoing other projects!
!
•  collaboration costs!
•  delays, budget overruns, lost
sales or poor quality!
VALUE! COST!
the role of HR!
encourage relationships!
targeted!
transactional!
tentative!
trusted!
Alan S. Berson/Richard G. Stieglitz!
but…beware of too many heritage relationships!
train in skills related to collaborative behavior!
model collaborative behavior!
photo credit: Zimbio!
programs that reward collaboration!
photo credit: Zimbio!
work smarter not harder:
tools & technologies!
we ARE all connected!
communities of practice!
emergent social software platforms (ESSPs) !
top down !
or !
bottom up?!
tools -> value creation through collaboration!
take steps now…!
… focus on the future!
@RobinSchooling ! ! !
! ! ! !
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robin@silverzebras.com !
Thank You!!
resources!
Collaboration: How Leaders Avoid the Traps, Build Common Ground, and Reap
Big Results, Morten Hansen!
The Culture of Collaboration, Evan Rosen !
The Execution Trap, Roger L. Martin (Harvard Business Review)!
Eight Ways to Build Collaborative Teams, Lynda Gratton and Tamara J. Erickson
(Harvard Business Review)!
Leadership Conversations: Challenging High-Potential Managers to Become
Great Leaders, Alan S. Berson/Richard G. Stieglitz !
3 Cs of Innovation 2.0 - Crowdsourcing, Competition, Collaboration, Hutch
Carpenter!

HR's Role in Building a Collaborative Workplace