We all know that collaboration is the fast track towards new and interesting ideas to put into practice, as well as solutions to challenging problems. Despite that, how does it all happen? And, how do you stop chaos breaking out when people don’t agree?
Collaboration should be a free and easy process; a batting back and forth of ideas, before settling on a new way forward. The thing is, when you have several different personalities all trying to be heard, it can become a little, shall we say, loud?
For this reason, identifying an area for collaboration is ideal. A spaced equipped with breakout furniture and acoustic panels to cut down on noise will help reduce disruption to the rest of your office. This should also be a quite casual space, so think about tub chairs, rather than full on adjustable options.
Other than that, what are the rules of the whole process? Your breakout area should have the following collaboration guidelines in place.
- Always be respectful of the ideas of others
- Never judge or criticise others within the space
- Don’t sensor any ideas, write everything down
- Respect the fact that other people may be working close by
- Don’t allow the conversation to go too far off topic
- Be comfortable at all times, e.g. using breakout chairs which are supportive and casual
- Encourage everyone to have their say
- Take praise for any suggestions as a group, and not individually
Collaboration needs to follow this model in order to avoid disputes and upsets, but also to ensure that the very best and most creative ideas come out of the session.
Do you have any other collaboration rules to add?