DEVELOPING YOUR COLLABORATION SKILL 管科 04 王亭予、謝巧玲

Steps in practicing the skill  1.Look for common points of interest.  2.Listen to others.  3.Check for understanding.  4. Add diversity.  5. Seek additional information.  6. Don’t become defensive.

Case 1:Listen to others Problem: The offending team member, Joe, had an unpleasant habit: He picked his nose. Joe’s habit was a problem. The bigger problem was that no one on the team knew how to talk to him about it. Esther Derby CROSSTALK April 2007 Collaboration Skills for Agile Teams

Solution: The simple feedback model to help team members have a feedback conversation: Create an opening to give feedback. Describe the behavior or result without using labels. State the impact (on you, the feedback giver, or on the team). If necessary, make a request. Feedback is information, and the over-arching goal of feedback is to improve work and social relationships.

Result: After approaching Joe, it was surprise to learn that Joe was completely unaware of his habit. And he was embarrassed, but also grateful that someone had finally told him. All teams have disappointments and friction. Contrary to a widespread fear, congruent feedback does not damage relationships; it increases trust and openness. Clear and early feedback keeps small irritations from growing into major resentments.

Case2:Seek additional information Problem: Mayer learned that her workforce was slacking off at home — she simply checked the VPN logs and found that far too many over her employees weren’t using them for significant portions of the day. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer “To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side,” Mayer said.

Solution: Abolish its work-at-home policy and order everyone to work in the office. It helps her achieve her overall goal of aping Google’s culture and boost worker productivity.

Result: A memo from the company's human resources department says face-to-face interaction among employees fosters a more collaborative culture. “If you want innovation, then you need interaction”. “If you want productivity, then you want people working from home.” workers-back-to-the-office.html