• Collaboration is extremely important to the innovation process. Lone innovators are very rare.
• Collaboration can be learned; employees can be taught principles of innovation and grow in their capacity to work with others.
• Action learning groups can accomplish much work together as they fine tune their ability to collaborate together.
• Diversity, white space, creative abrasion, and watering holes are all essential for effective creative collaboration.
Creative Collaboration Assessment
Evaluate your organization by rating each question from 1 (Hardly ever) to 5 (Almost always). Calculate the average of your answers and rate your score:
1-2.5: We rarely speak the same language
2.5-4: We can move towards agreements
4-5: We read each others’ minds
• I enjoy attending our task force meetings.
• I get a rush from all we accomplish in a short amount of time.
• We appreciate differences in individuals even when those differences annoy us.
• Informal brainstorming and meetings are encouraged.
• Everyone understands the processes that it takes to get work done.
• People feel free and willing to build on one another’s ideas.
• We hire people with many different perspectives in our organization.
How do you rate?