"There is no room for 'territoriality.' Who cares if you share the secrets of the trade? It is a gift that makes the world better! A secret recipe taken to the grave is a pity as it is only enjoyed by a select few and then lost!"
And in true collaborative form, I share the source of this wisdom: Kriss Jacobson, faculty adviser on campus.
I heard those words and knew there was a blog post just for you.
So what do you think about?
In class a few weeks ago, we talked about collaboration. Back in the 19080's, Ford wanted to revolutionize the world. They sat down with designers, engineers, manufacturers, assembly line workers, housewives, and a whole bunch of other people to design a new car.
The engineers questioned the validity of the housewives' comments. Who wouldn't? Housewives don't make cars. BUT they drive them.
In the end, all pride aside, they came out with the Taurus that revolutionized their company and the auto industry. It was a top seller for many years.
Beethoven, the movie, anyone? 7th Heaven?
(Thanks to wikicars.org for their courtesy image. It's all about sharing the success, right?)
So I got to thinking.
In the business world, it's all about competition, right? Sharing ideas sounds like Zion, and that's something we do at Church, right? Rightly so. Collaboration, delegation, sharing ideas--it's all based on true principle. No wonder it's what makes true companies succeed. Truth in all its forms has a way of doing that, you know.
Sister Jacobson also said, "Pull in the experts. Don't try to do something you are not experienced in. Give it to someone who can do it easier and better because they do it all the time."
If someone steals your idea, shouldn't the success of your idea be what makes you happy?
Or are we too set on being the ones to do the work (no matter how hard the task) that matters most? Or do we really, truly find success in seeing someone else make our ideas thrive (stronger than we could have), or are we stuck on being the ones with all the credit?
What do you think? And how would you respond? Or are your responses different? What's the right thing to do?
Collaboration in all its forms requires honesty and humility, but that's what life is all about: helping each other find success an return to our Heavenly Home. We can't do it alone. So why do we try so hard to do it on our own?
Share with me your thoughts. Do you see the beauty of collaboration? How have you seen it in your life? How do we overcome that natural tendency to do it all and let the glory belong to someone else?*
* (Sounds like two plans we heard long ago, huh. Click here: Moses 4:2 There are some interesting connections and implications in our life. What connections do you see?)
First off, 19080's? I'm not sure, but I don't think this time period existed, at least not in our current way of accounting for days, or setting days for the future :)
ReplyDeleteI agree however, collaboration is extremely important and very hard to find in this day and time. It is commonly found to be all about, "what's in it for me?" or "Will I get the correct amount of credit?" If we really think about it, being humble is more about what can I give to others and society. Yes, we do need to get recognition, it is what helps keep us motivated to continue, but in the long run, most people forget who did what, or who was who, but remember the idea, or article that was created by an individual. Personally, that is the best recognition to receive is that people remember something about you even if they have no idea who you are, let alone your name.
(sorry this is so long)
I think collaboration has it's good side and dark side. People do want to work with each other and share ideas and have success. Having a final prodcut that you are satisfied with and have done a good job with is rewarding. People do want to help each other. The dark side is that if it is our idea that succeeds we do want recognition for it and want the reward. We want glory for everyone, but more for ourselves because it was our idea. We are giving, but also selfish beings.
ReplyDeletePerhaps in some regaurds collaboration is like the leadership styles. Maybe you should be more or less collaborative deepending on how immediate the solution is needed, or how many people are involved?
ReplyDelete