Designed for success: a blueprint for group collaboration.

Successful collaboration goes beyond the right group of people being in the right place at the right time. It is the skill and dedication of each individual to the whole that empowers a group to create a product that can be adopted across multiple organizations and disciplines. Collaboration works best when the group has a cause that benefits every stakeholder and each person can respect fellow group members. Sometimes it takes a "blueprint" to build the basic structure for successful collaboration.

In child welfare, the bottom line used to refocus a group on a solution is always "what's in best interest of the child." To attain this outcome, a cross-agency working team in Illinois recently developed its own blueprint for collaboration. This group comprised individuals who represented various organizations and disciplines. Using this blueprint, group members developed a curriculum on facilitation skills designed to meet the needs of various state/private agencies and community groups.

This blueprint has five components: (1) Purpose; (2) Identification of stakeholders; (3) Criteria for stakeholder representation; (4) Climate; and (5) Outcome. Here is a description of their blueprint in action written by group members:

Purpose ... an essential agenda item at early group meetings is to clearly define a shared purpose for the work, with input from all stakeholders. The group must be clear on the mission and have as a goal that collaboration is a key to the process. We found those who could not comfortably collaborate opted out and selected a substitute that could collaborate to represent their discipline. It is critical to revisit the mission and goal several times during the initial phases of the process to ensure a continued commitment to collaboration.

Identification of stakeholders ... it is crucial to identify all groups that will benefit from or in some way be involved in the project to determine how each group will be represented. The downside of inclusiveness is the number of participants that need to be involved, and any previous unpleasant working relationships. Most people in public service do not like confrontation, but open and unemotional communication is a key to keeping the meeting and relationships moving forward.

Criteria for stakeholder representation ... a central criterion for stakeholder representation is a belief in the project itself. While there can be merit to including some opponents to a project, the core group needs to feel strongly about the defined purpose and desired outcome. For example, at a point when it seemed that funding might not exist for the group using curriculum, our group brainstormed other avenues for continuing and utilizing the curriculum.

Climate ... the group's internal climate is set by the relationships formed within the group and the openness of the group to all individual members, including those who join in mid-stream. A strong internal climate is also enhanced when members are trustworthy and responsible for tasks assigned, value the outcome, exhibit good communication and collaboration skills, and have the ability to make decisions at the meeting. A sense of trust regarding other members prompts a willingness to commit more resources and compromise on difficult issues.

Non-threatening and unemotional confrontation is a valuable skill. Thinking before you speak and speaking with sincerity is also important. Humor is a great asset during lengthy meetings, as long as it is not at someone else's expense. And when the situation is tense, and people are digging in their heels, sometimes it is necessary to take a 15-minute break or table an issue until the next meeting.

External climatic factors that often affect a group are funding issues, mandates, timeframes, and political factors. At one point we were asked to meet a certain deadline, but meeting this deadline would have compromised the quality of the curriculum. Brainstorming led us to consider other options rather than create a product that did not meet our standards of quality.

Outcome ... mutual interest in a desired outcome is a crucial component because it is the issue to fall back on when conflicts arise. Yet collaboration does not mean that every issue has to be compromised. Our group had several non-negotiable issues; the language had be generic enough to meet the needs of several disciplines, the length of the training had to be amenable to social workers' schedules, and certain funding factors had to be satisfied. The important part was that each group member recognized those non-negotiables items and, based on a common commitment to the outcome, collaborated to create a curriculum that met everyone's needs.

Phil Basso is a program director of leadership and practice development at APHSA