Collaborating Radically

A lot of terms keep floating around in our daily conversations. Teamwork, collaboration, partnerships, unity, harmony, etc. All of these have a common theme. To be together or stay together or work together. Human beings are social animals and, in some way, we all need to be around and work with other human beings.

COVID-19 has drastically reduced the human interaction, that we all used to have. Before the pandemic, we used to meet our friends, spend time with family members, go on outings and be with our colleagues in office. A lot of these social settings have taken a hit for the worse and has affected a lot of us. 

So, the question arises. How do we tackle this problem of being together and staying together, even in times of a pandemic?

A solution hidden in Design Thinking?

Design thinking is a term which is being tossed around a lot, nowadays. Many of the top companies like Apple, Google and GE have implemented it. They are using it to tackle problems, by breaking it down to its fundamentals and then identifying strategies and solutions that might not be instantly visible. So in a very fundamental language, design thinking is an iterative process which seeks to understand the user, challenge the pre-defined assumptions and then redefine problem accordingly. All the while, being a solution-based approach to solving problems. It is a way of thinking and working as well as a collection of hands-on methods.

The radicalization of collaborations

Design thinking helps in breaking down problems to its fundamental state and then thinking out ideas to tackle each of those issues. Radical collaboration also takes the same concept and helps in building and sustaining collaborations, on the go. The basic principles help in building the skills to develop the personality which not only helps in building relationships, but growing and nurturing them too. For example, if someone decides to not be defensive and take steps actively to control that behavior, it starts reflecting in them. They start taking steps, proactively, to not be defensive towards their fears but build mechanisms to overcome it. 

Radical Collaboration – An idea buried in time?

These ideas of overcoming fears by oneself, being truthful to yourself, attaining a sense of self-awareness, etc. sound very cliched. The problem is that even though majority of us know about it, only a small fraction of us really work on it. This effects not only those people personally but also the people in their vicinity.

Take for example if someone is not working with an intention to build relationship with someone. They are just working to reach a personal goal and once they get it, they will leave the relationship, even if the other person hasn’t achieved their goal yet. Sounds very realistic, right? We all have faced at least one situation like this. This kills not only the respect for the other party but also gives us a sense of distrust for any further relationships. That’s why being honest about the shared goals, building a relationship to reach common goals and not sabotaging the bond once it is cemented helps in reaching the final goal and satisfaction.

So what can we do to collaborate radically?

List down the habits which bother you (honestly, if you can’t find those out, ask your friends and family). Find out their trigger points. And then make a mind note to proactively control this behavior. If we face those trigger points with a solution in your head, a lot of confidence is already generated to tackle that problem. Like if you can’t speak in public, speak in front of you closed ones to build confidence and get an honest feedback. If someone’s unsolicited opinion brings you on a backseat, ask them why s/he gave them that advice and how it probably it may or may not help you. This not only will help you personally but, on a collaboration note, it will help you build an honest relationship with the other party. This in turn builds a transparent relationship and helps both the parties grow on every level. 

Radical collaboration might sound a very traditional idea or a pretty common sensical one. But not many people follow it and not many people take steps knowingly to tackle relationship frictions and issues. Not many people, knowingly or unknowingly, want to fix their internal issues and this leads to their hindrance in building a sustainable bond with other and being self-aware to a good level. Hence applying radical collaboration techniques will surely become a key in building collaboration that works in different areas of life.