The ten principles of collaborative organizations

• Published in: Journal of Organizational Excellence Vol. 22; no. 2; p. 51
• Main Authors: Beyerlein, Michael M, Freedman, Sue, McGee, Craig, Moran, Linda
• Format: Trade Publication Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Periodicals Inc 01.04.2003
• Subjects: Collaboration; Decision making; Design; Guidelines; Leadership; Nonprofit organizations; Organizational change; Performance management; Principles; Project management; Responsibilities; Self directed work teams; Teamwork
• ISSN: 1932-2054; 1932-2062

Teams and projects form and re-form today at record speed, and competitive pressures require collaboration across teams, levels, projects, functions and organizational boundaries - including the need for collaboration with customers, vendors, business partners, and governmental and other nonprofit agencies. But no matter where the collaborations take place, they can succeed best by following some basic principles of joint human endeavor. It is critical to know the importance of each, and how to determine when each is or is not working. The 10 principles that support building the collaborative organization are: 1. Focus collaboration on achieving business results. 2. Align organizational support systems to promote ownership. 3. Articulate and enforce "a few strict rules." 4. Exploit the rhythm of convergence and divergence. 5. Manage complex tradeoffs on a timely basis. 6. Create higher standards for discussions, dialogue and information sharing. 7. Foster personal accountability. 8. Align authority, information and decision making. 9. Treat collaboration as a disciplined process. 10. Design and promote flexible organizations.