READING 1
When attempting to reinforce a new culture of collaboration it is important to consider that there will always be individuals who are reluctant. This reluctance often stems from those employees that feel the need to be recognized and standout from their peers. These employees often discourage collaboration because they are unwilling to share their knowledge and often put their own needs before the company's. As was discussed in earlier weeks these employees lack congruence and do not allow the organization to take full advantage of it's intellectual capital.
To counter such a problem it may be beneficial for management to form teams. By establishing teams and assigning team-based tasks individuals who refrain from collaboration would be put in a setting in which they would be required to share their knowledge and experience. It would seem as though these individuals would be unlikely to withhold their knowledge and experience while participating in team tasks because their nature is still one of competiveness and they would likely still strive to be successful.
According to Katzenbach(2008) establishing a culture of teamwork and collaboration should begin before new recruits are hired. Human resource personnel should not only go through the standard matching process of seeking out recruits based on competency and experience but should pay special attention to examples of how the recruit performed in team settings or how they have demonstrated an ability to share knowledge and assist others. Katzenbach(2008) also states that it is important for organizations to have recruiters who value collaborative individuals and are collaborative people themselves.
Establishing a culture of teamwork and collaboration also requires a strong mentoring process (DuFour, 2004). A junior employee who is mentored learns early the importance of teamwork and collaboration as their success early on is often determined by the guidance they receive by their mentors. Increasing the number of mentors reinforces the idea of the importance of sharing knowledge through collaboration. Just as in the previous examples organizations should seek to recruit and retain experienced managers that recognize the importance of mentorship and collaboration. Establishing a mentor program with a senior member of the organization who does not fully accept the role will likely have the opposite affect and may demonstrate a culture of individualism rather than collaboration. For this reason DuFour (2004) suggests mentors should be accepted only on a volunteer basis.
Structuring the organizations reward system to benefit members of teams rather than individuals can also help to establish a collaborative culture. Many believe that individuals should not be rewarded in team-based settings because it decreases the collaborative effort and puts the emphasis back on the individual. By rewarding the team the employees receive reinforcement that collaboration and teamwork are required for success. Not all situations and job types are suitable for team-based work and in these situations establishing some type of profit sharing incentive can still function to increase collaboration. In the case of city employees where profits are not the goal of the organization other types of team incentives such as days off or special recognition could be considered.
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