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  • October 14, 2019
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review

Cracking the Code of Sustained Collaboration

By: Francesca Gino
  • Format:Print
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Abstract

When most organizations strive to increase collaboration, they approach it too narrowly: as a value to cultivate—not a skill to teach. So they create open offices, talk up collaboration as a corporate goal, and try to influence employees through other superficial means that don’t yield progress. Companies that excel at collaboration, in contrast, realize it involves instilling the right mindset: widespread respect for colleagues’ contributions, openness to experimenting with others’ ideas, and sensitivity to how one’s actions may affect teammates and outcomes. What’s more, these firms have established programs to help employees develop those attitudes.

I have identified six types of training techniques used by such programs. They teach people to (1) listen, not talk; (2) practice empathy; (3) be comfortable giving and receiving feedback; (4) lead and follow; (5) speak with clarity and avoid abstractions; and (6) have win-win interactions.

Drawing from my observations of Pixar, Webasto, and other companies, I share specific tools and exercises that show employees how to work well together, learn from one another, and connect more fully.

Keywords

Collaboration; Listening; Empathy; Feedback; Organizational Culture; Interpersonal Communication; Training; Programs

Citation

Gino, Francesca. "Cracking the Code of Sustained Collaboration." Harvard Business Review 97, no. 6 (November–December 2019): 73–81.
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About The Author

Francesca Gino

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Author

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    'Just Letting You Know…': Underestimating Others' Desire for Constructive Feedback

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More from the Author
  • You Need Two Leadership Gears: Know When To Take Charge and When To Get Out of the Way By: Lindy Greer, Francesca Gino and Robert Sutton
  • Ed Catmull: Lessons from Leading Pixar Animation Studios By: Francesca Gino, Linda Hill, Gary Pisano and Ruth Page
  • 'Just Letting You Know…': Underestimating Others' Desire for Constructive Feedback By: Nicole Abi-Esber, Jennifer E. Abel, Juliana Schroeder and Francesca Gino
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