"Stop, Collaborate and Listen"

Okay, so some of you might recognize my homage to late ‘80s hip hop music in the title of this post. But believe it or not, those words are more than just cheesy lyrics from a Vanilla Ice song. Do you dare read on?

Recently, the word “collaborate” seems to have made its way to the forefront of the employee engagement lexicon. Of course the concept of fostering employee collaboration in the workplace is not new, but it seems to be a hot topic right now among businesses searching for the golden answer about how to do more with less. The Harvard Business Review even dedicated an entire issue recently to collaboration, with its cover boldly stating, “Build a Culture of Trust and Innovation. Collaborate” (July—August 2011).

With all the talk in business about collaboration (and it’s not lost on me that I’ve already used the word five times in this post), I thought it would be interesting to explore a bit about what the word actually means, both literally and in the context of a business environment.

Dictionary.com defines “collaborate” in two simple ways:
1. to work, one with another; cooperate, as on a literary work
2. to cooperate, usually willingly, with an enemy nation, especially with an enemy occupying one's country

Both of these definitions are pretty basic. However, the second one did raise my eyebrow. It made me think about how organizations, especially those with more competitive cultures, go about fostering collaboration among employees with different priorities, opinions, approaches and working styles. It would be too strong to refer to competing factions within companies as “enemy nations,” but it’s not a stretch to say it’s often a challenge for companies to unite their people around a singular mission, strategy for success and way of operating – in other words, to collaborate.

In a business context, collaboration takes on a whole set of more specific meanings – exchanging ideas, managing knowledge, streamlining processes, etc. – all with the end of goal of improving outcomes. And while many companies are looking for quick-fix solutions to improving collaboration within their walls, I would argue that such a thing does not exist. Collaboration must be woven into the fabric of an organization’s culture, which takes commitment, time, energy and skill.

The Harvard Business Review framed it well by outlining four skills necessary for organizations looking to build a collaborative culture:
• Define and build a shared purpose
• Cultivate an ethic of contribution
• Develop scalable processes for coordinating people’s efforts
• Create an infrastructure in which collaboration is valued and rewarded

Do you agree? What are your thoughts about collaboration?

Dan Shaw
dan.shaw@edelman.com

Employer of choice awards: A look inside at Edelman

As a client service firm, we spend most of our time helping other organizations engage and inspire their employees. But today we get to celebrate our own company, as the Chicago Tribune has just named Edelman one of Chicago’s top workplaces for 2011.

This is not the first time we’ve taken home employer of choice honors. Advertising Age and PR Week have recognized Edelman multiple times, and this year we were number 5 in Glassdoor.com’s Employees’ Choice Awards…right up there with engagement all stars including Facebook, Southwest Airlines, Bain & Company and General Mills.

Clients often ask if there’s a silver bullet for engaging employees – one magical thing they can do to help people feel connected to the company. Sadly, of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution – engagement is a combination of factors. It’s the same at Edelman. Yes, we do enjoy a variety of perks and benefits, such as ice cream every Friday and a snack cart that rolls down the hall twice a week. But free food alone doesn’t engage employees; how leadership treats people is critical. In our case, CEO Richard Edelman is incredibly well-respected; the Tribune quotes one employee describing him as “genuine, real, brilliant, empowering and beyond humble.” Richard was also named one of “America’s Favorite Bosses” by Glassdoor.com with an approval rating of 92 percent. Moreover, the firm is still independent, making Richard not just a CEO but an owner who is personally invested in our future. (Interestingly, three of the top five companies on Glassdoor.com’s list are private.)

No company is perfect – ours included – but it’s exciting to see the outside world recognize our culture of leadership and independence.

Adjustments

While watching football this weekend, it struck me how important it is for coaches and teams to continually make adjustments to their planning and execution during the game.

They all start out with a game plan but as soon as the first play is over, both teams need to respond to each other and re-adjust their approach.

It’s no different in business or public relations. Plans are important to focus thinking, organize resources, and assign responsibility.

Plans are necessary but planning is critical. Consistent, continual planning allows for the necessary adjustments to be made throughout the execution phase and is where learning happens.

Adjustments in our world include determining if impact is being accomplished, behavior is changing, momentum is being built, or sales are increasing, to name a few.

Organizations that make the proper adjustments given actual conditions have a greater chance at success.

The key is having the mindset and discipline to comprehend, act, and react after the plan is completed.

What do you think?

Gary