Collaboration: its genesis

It is generally known that hard work leads to success; but when people join hands, form a group—then hard work becomes smart work. This is where we get to know about their interests, shared beliefs and ideas and the whole process of hard work completely changes.

Collaboration: its pillars

One of the primary elements is Trust. It is the most powerful yet most fragile tool of human relationships. Trust requires patience, consistency, and most importantly the ability to communicate.

A small interest that we share leads our small talk to change into a conversation, breeding trust. When we are surrounded by people whom we know are honest, caring and support us in our journey , which invariably involves risk-taking and failures, that belief is called trust.

However it is equally important to be discerning about the right people to trust, else we can easily get duped. In order to earn this edge, we should first trust ourselves; this can help us develop the skill to communicate. For example, for a teenager who tends to overthink excessively, it is all the more important to have grounded faith in her own self, love herself.
Stephen Covery had rightly said, “Without trust we don’t truly collaborate; we merely coordinate; at best , cooperate. It is trust that transforms a group of people into a team.”

When we are surrounded by the people who share our beliefs with utmost trust, something remarkable happens .We are willing to take more risks and to experiment .We are ready to explore with the confidence that if we trip over, we will be picked up by those who showed trust in us.

It is in this environment of powerful cooperation and trust that a Relationship forms. Optimism is the cornerstone for a flourishing relationship.  The partners need to collaborate in unison, with copious generosity and a spirit of forgiveness. These are the pillars that form the unbreakable bond in a relationship,  which are an outcome of mutual trust. Abraham Lincoln once said, “I don’t like him, I must know him more.” We need to communicate, socialize with people more; only then will the trust grow. You can’t learn everything by yourself if we have to stay updated we h,ave to learn from other people.

Collaboration: its benefits

Collaborative skill empowers us in numerous ways. It allows team members to come on a common platform and offer solutions towards a common goal by thinking and brainstorming. This inspires the team members with a strong sense of purpose. Each team member has equal opportunities to participate and contribute to the problem at hand. The process challenges people to think, articulate and receive clarity about their competencies, serving as a mirror to their strengths and weaknesses.

Experiences such as class projects, school concerts clearly show that our regular activities continuously require collaboration to produce the desired result. Collaboration is not possible without trust, exercised with strong discretion.

 

Collaboration: the last word

Collaboration is thus a process that builds up brick by brick, on the anvil of trust and mindful socialising. All that is required from the individual is the effort and the initiative.

 

About the authors

The article has been contributed by the following students from St Joseph’s High School, Matigara, Darjeeling: Srija Bhattacharjee, Suvasree Kundu and Divya Saraf.