On Collaboration
Collaboration is an “affair of mind” (John-Steiner, 2006: p.116). It brings together people with varying skills and backgrounds with an aim of working towards a mutual goal. But how is it that “two heads are better than one?” Creativity is ignited by the collaboration of different minds leveraging existing and new ideas and applying them in a non-conventional manner allowing ideas to morph into innovative outcomes.
Throughout my design course, I experienced collaboration first-hand working with different groups on different projects where the quality of our work depended heavily on our collaborative efforts. I learnt that collaboration is most effective when the team has focused, value-adding interactions anchored in the diverse backgrounds we bring and enabled through openness to new ideas. My experience allowed me to gain skills that foster collaboration which I applied to overcome team related challenges. I approached teamwork with an open mind and heart as I collaborated with other designers.
In this post, I reflect on my collaboration experiences, what I learnt and how I managed to overcome challenges.
Collaboration | Team Diversity
Drawing from a diverse knowledge pool permits creativity and innovation. In my MA UX program, I experienced first-hand how ideas evolve once diverse experiences and cultures come into play since I had the opportunity to brainstorm and problem-solve with designers from different backgrounds. Passionate group discussions stimulated my thinking and challenged me to accept ideas I wouldn’t have considered before. This made me appreciate creativity driven by diversity and the value it brings.
“The inclusion of members with different perspectives and knowledge base permits a broader range of ideas to be generated and designed.”
As a graphic designer, I had the tendency to drift to solutions that revolve around my previous design experiences. I decided to change my approach and take the time to actively listen, get to know people, and be open to new perspectives. In my Macro UX project, I took the time to get to know my team members and understand their backgrounds so that we could effectively work together to develop an innovative product “Walk for Music”, which went as far as integrating coding and music into our design. I learned that collaboration through diversity doesn’t come easy and requires an effective team focused on a shared goal.
Collaboration | Team Identity
Working across various teams made me realize how differences amongst members can play a complementary role that drives creativity. I was able to find the individual in me where I challenged and influenced team decisions and stayed true to my guiding principles. This experience reminded me of Vygotsky’s theory: “people become more individualized through close social interaction.” (Miell and Littleton, 2004: p.14).
I began to better understand how team behaviors shape team environments positively or at times even negatively. Given the openness of my peers, my experience was generally positive where I was able to share ideas and drive team creativity while taking a level of risk I would not have taken on my own if I didn’t have the support of my team.
Collaboration | Team Challenges
Tension in a team setting is a healthy manifestation of collaboration that drives innovation. Miell and Littleton describe collaboration as the fruitful cultivation of tension and not the absence of it. Since creative tasks are complex in nature and require numerous iterations, conflict is bound to arise especially when individuals are working together with each having his/her own thoughts. When managed effectively, this can drive a healthy tension and promote effective decision-making.
Following the brainstorming exercise regarding the Green Lab’s project, my team and I were able to reach a concept design built around a collaborative team effort. Conflicting ideas were presented and challenged by team members, but a collective decision was reached that built on the advantages of the different ideas. This exercise could have easily become dysfunctional resulting in a sub-standard outcome if we got anchored to our ideas rather than the final objective.
I have the tendency to take charge and lead efforts in team environments. This excites me but has previously resulted in some team-related challenges. One of the main challenges is a dependency from other team members. In my Macro UX project that I mentioned earlier, some team members did not proactively engage in the work expecting that someone else would get the work done. To overcome this challenge, I co-developed with the team a weekly work plan with tasks fairly split across the team.
Another challenge I faced was during Tyler Fox’s workshop where team members were also close friends. This led to off-topic discussions impacting the team performance and hindering creativity. Hence, I learnt that it is best to align team goals and working team norms.
Collaboration | Trust and Sharing
After working with several groups, I learnt that in order to collaborate effectively, team members need to adopt two important principles; sharing and trust. Sharing focuses on the fair division of work where each collaborator adds to the project’s outcome. Trust, on the other hand, is characterized by respect, and confidence in the team members’ ability to contribute. Collaboration based on sharing and trust can moderate destructive tensions and bridge the gap between different perspectives leading to effective long-term cooperation.
“Collaboration not only develops objective materials into creative products, but it also develops the collaborator.”
It is through collaboration that I was able to develop and grow. This experience has impacted me personally as I have become more open and accepting of others’ thoughts and ideas. Through empathy, I have learnt how to develop a working environment that channels tension, complexity and intellectual curiosity to deliver an exceptional outcome.
References
De Wachter, E., 2017. Co-Art: Artists On Creative Collaboration. London: Phaidon.
John-Steiner, V., 2006. Creative Collaboration. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Miell, D. and Littleton, K., 2004. Collaborative Creativity Contemporary Perspectives. London: Free Association Books.
Palmon, R., Wigert, B. and Vreede, T., 2012. Team Creativity and Innovation: The Effect of Group Composition, Social Processes, and Cognition. Handbook of Organizational Creativity, [online] pp.295 - 327. [Accessed 10 March 2020].
Paulus, P., Dzindolet, M. and Kohn, N., 2012. Collaborative Creativity—Group Creativity and Team Innovation. Handbook of Organizational Creativity, [online] pp.Pages 327-357.
Images
De Wachter, E., 2017. Boards, 1993. Co-Art: Artists On Creative Collaboration. London: Phaidon. pp.71.
Baan, I., 2012. Superkilen / Topotek 1 + BIG Architects + Superflex. [image] Available at: <https://www.archdaily.com/286223/superkilen-topotek-1-big-architects-superflex>
