Collaboration: the art of working together towards a common goal
by Scott Granville
Time is such a precious commodity, but it is hard to harness and completely impossible to slow down. I was reminded of this earlier in the week as we prepared to release the trailer for our latest drama series, Sam. Caught up in an ongoing production cycle, and deep in planning for the next series and beyond, I found myself looking at a folder of BTS (behind the scenes) photos. In one of the images, the cast and crew had gathered to capture a moment in time and this team action made me reflect on the importance of preserving such special memories.
Chasing Time English only exists due to the value we place on collaboration, of a collective drive to create and produce as a team. In 2022, as we balance producing new drama series alongside a library of learning resources, while gearing up for the release of a brand-new digital platform, our team often exceeds fifty people. It’s crucial that over these different workstreams, across multiple continents and time zones, the importance of each contribution is acknowledged.
So in the spirit of recognising our wonderful team, below are three areas that I believe contribute to building a positive and collaborative environment.
Shared purpose
What is it that you (as an organisation) are trying to achieve or provide to a wider user base? Can the individuals within your team distil the complexities of the process into a single statement to describe your goals? While vision statements and similar branded taglines make many people cringe (you’re not alone), if your team is behind the message ‘XYZ’, and they believe in the journey required to make it happen, collaboration becomes more purposeful.
Shared workload
Teams are inherently hierarchal in structure, whether in sports, business or other pursuits. I believe leadership (a topic for another day) and accountability from top to bottom are necessary and when enacted correctly, result in success. But for any endeavour to reach its goals, the burden of work must be distributed fairly and transparently. For collaboration to remain in a positive space, individuals must accept their responsibilities and respect the work being done by the other members of the team. Every task, from the largest and stickiest, through to the smallest, are equally important to the overall success of fulfilling the goal.
Shared success
If the first two areas (as discussed above) are functioning well, there is a much higher likelihood of success. There are varying degrees of how success is measured but in any case, once some level of success has been achieved, it is important to celebrate as team. There is no better feeling than sharing a well-deserved accomplishment with a group of people who believed and contributed to reaching that goal. And recognising those contributions, whether publicly, in-house or privately will go a long way to ensure the likelihood of success for future collaborative projects.
Does your work environment encourage and facilitate positive collaborative practice? I’d love to hear your feedback.