ON Regional Economic Development

Are You Ready to Collaborate?

Collaboration is a process where groups or individuals partner with others. They share a common purpose and most importantly, mutually benefit from doing so. 

Before you start looking for groups or individuals to partner with, you need to be sure that you or your organization is ready to collaborate.

Consider these five points:

• You need to be trusting and trustworthy. This seems simple, but it could make or break your collaboration.
• You need to be willing to share – decision making. This demonstrates that all collaborators are considered equal.
• You need to be willing to be transparent about your or your group’s expectations, issues or concerns. Transparency minimizes misunderstandings.
• Have something to contribute to the collaboration and have something to gain from the collaboration. This way, the relationship is a two-way street: every collaborator has a benefit and every collaborator has a responsibility.
• Be open-minded. It is easy to have a preconceived notion of the purpose of a collaboration, but when you are open to considering new ideas, there is potential for something greater.

For more information on collaboration, visit this Guide to Effective Partnerships.