Sat, February 13, 2010 - 11:02:26

Cooperation Makes it Happen

Earlier this week, we came across a fascinating post by Morten Hansen on the Harvard Business Review’s blog The Conversation which used the Obama Administration’s experience over the past year to serve as a springboard for a discussion about collaboration in the workplace.  In his post, Hansen brings up a very powerful point, and it’s one we all can learn from, regardless of politics: “To collaborate well, you must involve all parties in a meaningful way: invite people to propose divergent views and promote vigorous debate (some call this constructive conflict). Let robust ideas and solutions get a fair chance, even if you may not like them much.” In other words, once you learn to shed that “me vs. you” mentality, you can discover that cooperation makes it happen.

Like politics, business can be naturally divisive.  After all, everyone is busy not only trying to keep their current customers, but actively out there competing for new ones.  But, there are times when coming together and sharing information and insights on neutral ground can actually work in everyone’s favor.  For politicians, this means progress in Washington; for businesses it can mean increased earnings.

Don’t believe us?  Well, we can prove it.  In fact, some of the past century’s greatest product innovations have come from opposing sides coming together in collaboration and for evidence; you need look no further than that shiny flat screen TV in your family room.  Less than a decade ago, in a controversial move, tech-giants Samsung and Sony joined forces on a project that would revolutionize a market once flooded with plasma screens and help them dominate sales with a less expensive, more cost-effective, yet high-quality design.  Working together, they developed the S-LCD screen, and as you know, it became an instant hit with consumers, allowing both companies to enjoy a healthy profit.

As the old saying goes, “If you want to be incrementally better: be competitive. If you want to be exponentially better: be cooperative.”  So, if you’re looking for a new solution, consider what the opposing side has to say, and try joining forces.

Posted by Linda and Robin