We all know what is is: collaboration /kəˌlabəˈreɪʃn/
noun
1. the action of working with others to produce something.
Its virtues are generally as well-known enhanced creativity and innovation; increased efficiency and productivity; improved problem-solving; stronger team cohesion and morale etc, etc, etc
Like wise its shortcomings can include group think, letting dominant personalities overwhelm those who more introverted and outspoken and yet could make valuable contributions and it could be great for divergent thinking, however, is it as effective when it comes to narrowing down to the ideal solution.
Another problem can be too broad a topic. Whilst the creative benefits of not limiting thinking must be appreciated, it can be less fruitful if participants run wild and have carte blanche.
So why is collaboration so highly rated? To maximize the benefits we must firstly provide guidance in terms of the categories of comments we would like, secondly we should use tools and techniques to overcome some of the limitations and finally we must capture and quantify the inputs to get real value from the exercise.
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