Characteristics of Collaborative Teams
Collaborative teaming works best when a number of features are present: 1) mutual goals and shared beliefs, 2) parity among participants, 3) shared responsibility for participation and decision making 4) sharing of resources, 5) shared accountability for outcomes, 6) voluntary participation, and 7) mutual trust and respect. Let’s look at each of these features individually.
1) Mutual goals and shared beliefs. Participants must share at least one goal (the “common goal”), and be willing to put aside differences to reach this goal. A group’s “common goal” should be broad enough that all members believe in it, but specific enough that you will know when you’ve reached it. Attaining mutual goals and shared beliefs may be one of the characteristics that is most difficult to develop. It is very important to continue striving towards this goal throughout all your teaming efforts.
2) Parity among participants. A collaborative team will not be collaborative if its members are not considered peers/equals. Each person’s contribution to an interaction is equally as valuable as another’s, and each person should hold equal power in the group’s decision making. To help ensure parity, the notion of parity can be stated as a “ground rule” that all participants must follow.
3) Shared responsibility for participation and decision making. Because collaborative teaming relies on the input of all members, all members must share responsibility for participating and decision-making. A group where only one or two members take on the lion’s share of the work, or where only one member makes all of the decisions is not a collaborative team. All members must take equal responsibility to share the work, decisions, interactions, and activities.
4) Sharing of resources. Sharing resources is often a key motivator for collaboration. Consider the resources of various team members: A teacher’s resources may include educational expertise and understanding of curriculum. A parent’s resources may include an understanding of child’s background. A service provider’s resource may include assistive technology or social services. A principal’s resources may include access to school resources. And a student’s resources may include an understanding of his or her own social, emotional, and
educational needs. All of these resources must be shared in order to meet the needs of the student. In cases where there is a scarcity of resources (funding, materials, technology), it is very important that team members strategize on how best to allocate the resources rather than horde the resources.
5) Shared accountability for outcomes. Collaborative team members must be willing to accept responsibility for results of their team’s work. Whether the outcomes are positive or negative, all team members must share the accountability. Blaming others for failures or taking individual credit for successes can erode the team by creating defensiveness, competitiveness, or lack of trust.
6) Voluntary participation. Voluntary participation is important to the collaborative part of collaborative teaming. Mandatory rules can create teams, but only individuals can truly decide if they want to work in a collaborative style. No matter how the team is formed, individuals must voluntarily decide to work collaboratively in order for the collaborative teaming process to work.
7) Mutual trust and respect. Team members must learn to trust and respect one another in order for a sense of community to evolve from collaboration. This trust may not come overnight, but over time, if the trust is not there, the process of collaboration will not be successful.