Do You Collaborate Too Much? 3 Techniques From A Facilitator That May Help You

Some 3 years ago, I was working with a client to develop a new product. We would have regular meetings and make significant progress, but at each stage, she would say that she had to get her boss’ signoff. She would then come to the next meeting stating that the boss wanted to get everyone’s input, so she had not yet got the go-ahead. We completed our work on the product within record time – 3 months, rather than the year the boss thought it would take. I checked in with my client a few months ago – the product had yet to be launched as the boss was still awaiting everyone’s input.

There’s a dark side of collaboration, as an article “Collaboration Without Burnout” in the July/August 2018 issue of the Harvard Business Review points out. Whilst it is generally accepted as being a good thing, too much collaboration, or collaborative overload as termed in the article, can lead to insufficient time for focused, reflective work, poor decision-making, and ultimately, burnout. Could this explain why you are constantly feeling that you are drowning in work, at someone else’s call 24/7 and out of control? Perhaps you are collaborating too much!

As a facilitator, the fundamental value I bring is to get a group of people together to COLLABORATIVELY solve problems. As I read the article, I wondered how the practices that I use to facilitate might help you walk the fine line between collaboration that is effective and collaborative burnout. The HBR article identified 3 categories on which to focus, along with some excellent and very practical recommendations for leaders to manage their collaborative time. Following is my perspective as a facilitator and how you might apply some of the techniques I use in getting your team to collaborate without burnout:

1. Beliefs – this relates to understanding why we take on too much collaborative work.
   As a facilitator, I have limited time. Often, the client wants way more than is possible – “Since we will have everyone in the room, let’s do X, Y and Z. Oh and while we are at it, A and B too!” Another challenge I encounter is the belief that everyone is already on board, and so we can get right into the topic, without venting or exploring issues and taking the time to hear and understand others’ views. To deal with this, I have to manage expectations and get clear on the critical few objectives for the session. You can apply this in your workplace as well – ask yourself what’s really important and get very clear on the prime objective of collaborating. Remember: collaboration is the means to an end, not an end itself.
2. Role, Schedule, Network i.e. eliminating unnecessary collaboration.
   I love the energy of a group of people in a room discussing issues and solving problems together. But it must be the right people. To ensure this, the client and I agree on who should be in the room, and who can be consulted or even collaborated with outside of the facilitated session. It’s the same at work – think carefully about who is absolutely critical for the collaborative work and involve only those. Remember: there are different levels of involvement – for some, consultation or communication is appropriate.
3. Behaviour i.e. making sure that the work is productive.
   This is my #1 task – to ensure that the facilitated session is productive i.e. that it meets the client’s objectives in the time allotted. One particularly effective technique is to address likely behaviours upfront and set up and agree ways to resolve them e.g. turning off phones, limiting side conversations. I also advise participants that I may have to curtail their discussions and ask them not to take this personally. Think about some of the behavioural challenges you face in effective collaboration in your organization and establish ways to address them.

Collaboration does not have to result in burnout, and can be a very exciting, invigorating and productive process. I urge you to read the HBR article, and apply even one recommendation from it, or from my suggestions above. It will be well worth it – the researchers found that “when the people we studied took action on just four or five of them, they were able to claw back 18% to 24% of their collaborative time.”

Link to HBR Article