COVID-19 has brought with it, unprecedented challenges for the economy that can be difficult for individual businesses to tackle alone. To help communities during these times where much remains unknown, organizations need to work together and collaborate to achieve effective outcomes.
This three-part blog series will discuss how organizational development can support economic recovery through leadership and team efforts.
Recovery will be complex and will likely involve issues that are too large for any one organization to solve alone. Recovery efforts will require the collective efforts of new partners and stakeholders across multiple sectors. Every participant will need to identify and use their strengths to contribute towards a solution that will result in a noticeable impact. Collaboration requires some degree of effort from everyone.
Facts about collaboration
According to a research study conducted by The Ontario Trillium Foundation, collaboration has the following four key characteristics:
Benefits of collaboration
Initiatives will be stronger, more resilient and efficient when they are built on collaboration, they will:
- have a unified voice to influence policy and bring change
- have access to creative, financial, technical and human resources
- limit duplication
- share knowledge
- be able to accomplish more
- have outcomes that are mutually beneficial
Complex Problems require complex collaborations
What is required for successful collaborations?
- A common agenda
- Every partner should have a shared vision for change, including a common understanding of the issue and a joint approach to solving it.
- Shared measurement
- There needs to be consistency in data collection and measuring results in order to confirm that efforts remain aligned, and to ensure that partners hold each other accountable.
- Mutually reinforcing activities
- Partners must ensure that their efforts contribute to, rather than impede, the collective plan of action.
- Continuous communication
- Being open with one another is vital to building trust, assuring mutual objectives, and creating motivation.
- Backbone support organization
- Due to the scale of the initiative, it is important that one organization serves as the backbone for the entire initiative, helping coordinate participating organizations and agencies.
For more information on collaborating see the Introduction to Collaboration guide: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/nfporgs/collaboration.htm
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