An Empirical Examination of Collaboration as a Management Strategy: Collaboration Skills for Managers- Are they enough? Catherine Gerard, Director of PARCC and Professor of Public Administration Rosemary O Leary, Distinguished Professor of Public Administration Yujin Choi, Ph.D. Candidate Also on research team: Christiane Page, Ph.D. Candidate Stephanie Sofer, M.P.A. Student Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC)
PARCC: Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration Mission: Advancing Theory and Practice through research, education, and application Streams: International and Intra-State Conflicts; Advocacy and Activism; Environmental Collaboration; Collaborative Governance Collaborative Governance Initiative (2005): collaborative public management, citizen engagement, collaboration 2.0, models of collaborative governance
The Project Web-based survey of both career and noncareer Senior Executive Service (SES) members in U.S. federal government Focus: Their use of collaboration as a management strategy 15 questions (13 open-ended; 2 yes/no)
Definition Provided Collaboration means to work across boundaries and in multi-organizational arrangements to solve problems that cannot be solved or easily solved by single organizations.
The Project 305 usable surveys; 304 collaborators (biased results) Responses coded by 5 researchers ATLAS.ti. qualitative analysis (Qualitative) master hermeneutic unit and (quantitative) frequency count dataset
Importance SES Executive Core Qualification (2002): Building Coalitions Bush Management Agenda (2005) Obama Transparency and Collaboration Memo (2009) Understudied, important group Long tenure Standard setters Decisional authority
Profile Age: 46-55 Gender: 64% male; 36% female Education: Advanced degree (78%); college degree (20%) Location: Washington (69%). Status: Career senior executive service (90% ); appointed 8%
Why Collaborate? 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0
Actors 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Positive Results 500 0 Outcomes (303) Quality of the product (133 times); economic benefits (66); synergy effect (56); learning (56); better public service (31); mission accomplishment (27); sustainable outcomes (19); timely results (15). Relationship (175) Greater buy-in (65); relationship building and a greater willingness for future collaboration (57); human resource benefits (35); empowerment (18). Process (81) Produces comprehensive (more and better) ideas (57); identify and solve the problems better (18); more agreement/consensus (6); increase group performance. Collaboration is a force multiplier
Negative Results can produce a bureaucratic maze of competing interests Process (185) Time consuming (91); more work (46); slows us down (43); collective action problems (31); increased bureaucracy (8); resource mobilization challenges(6); transformed problems into crisis (3). Relationship (135) Individual (41) and agency-level (27)of loss (power, control, autonomy, responsibility, credit, or reputation); conflict (28); turf battles (16); unwillingness to collaborate in the future (10); alienation of those who refused to collaborate (8); hostility or distrust between collaborating parties (5). Outcomes (106) Suboptimal outcomes (39); loss of resources (28); nothing happened (25); unfulfilled (14).
Focus of Presentation People who engage in collaborations between or among organizations ------------- We asked: What is the skill set for the successful collaborator? Importance: Majority of literature on public management collaborations focuses on organizations, jurisdictions, and networks
Propositions about Skill Set #1 =Strategic management and visioning (Goldsmith & Eggers 2004; Milward & Provan 2006; McGuire & Silvia 2009) #2 = Facilitation, collaborative problem solving (Our real world work; Huxham et al 1993, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2005; Williams 2002; Crosby & Bryson 1992, McGuire & Silvia 2009; Silvia & McGuire 2010; Getha-Taylor 2008; Emerson & Smutco, forthcoming) #3 = Interpersonal skills (Our real world work; Getha- Taylor 2008; Silvia & McGuire 2010; Emerson & Smutco, forthcoming)
Findings 300 What is the Skill Set of the Successful Collaborator? 250 200 150 100 50 0 Personal Attributes Interpersonal Skills Group Process Skills Strategic Leadership Substantive/Technical Expertise
90 80 Skill Set for the Successful Collaborator According to SES Respondents: #1 (tied) = Personal Attributes 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Skill Set for the Successful Collaborator According to SES Respondents: #2 (tied) = Interpersonal Skills 140 120 116 100 92 80 60 51 40 20 0 Good Communicator Excellent Listener Works Well With People
Skill Set for the Successful Collaborator According to SES Respondents: # 3 = Group Process Skills Skill in Group Dynamics, Culture, Personalities Compromise Facilitation 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Interest-Based Negotiation Collaborative Problem Solving Mediation Conflict Resolution Consensus Building
Skill Set for the Successful Collaborator According to SES Respondents: # 4 = Strategic Leadership Sharing of Leadership, Power, Goals, and Credit Big Picture Thinking 50 40 30 20 10 0 Strategic Thinking Creative Approaches to Problem Solving Facilitative Leadership
Skill Set for the Successful Collaborator According to SES Respondents: # 5 = Substantive/Technical Knowledge Technical Knowledge of Subject Area 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Time Management Project Management & Organizational Skills
Does Collaboration Yield Conflict? Yes (63%)
Approaches to Dealing with Conflict 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 92 81 37 27 Facilitation Conflict Management "Let it Happen" Listening
Approaches Facilitation : eliciting common ground, voice, clarification of rules and goals Conflict management: negotiation, compromise, interest-based problem solving
What are Catalysts to Collaboration? #1 = Relational Followed by: Opportunity for improvement Sense of urgency Mandate Organizational
What are the Challenges to Collaboration? #1 = Relational Followed by: Logistical Political Organizational Personal
Technology Tools 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Phone and e-mail Videoconference Project management Wikis/blogs
Surprising Find Common thread = emphasis on people and people skills throughout survey responses Skill Set Approaches to conflict Catalysts to collaboration Challenges to collaboration Technology tools
Supports Work of Huxham et al, Williams, Getha-Taylor, Silvia & McGuire, Emerson and Smutco, and others EXCEPT for extent of emphasis on TRAITS/ATTRIBUTES
Questions Born Made Strategic, situational use of attributes (ie practices) Interaction between attributes and level/effectiveness of skills
What is the model? Context Attributes Skills Training and Development
Can Traits & Attributes of Successful Collaborators Be Taught? Awareness Building/Reflective Learning Argyris (1985): Defensive routines, espoused theorytheory in use Senge (1995): Mental Models Assessment Centers: Ohio State, NTL, Center for Creative Leadership
Can Traits & Attributes of Successful Collaborators Be Taught? Modeling Goleman (2000) and other EI scholars say yes (qualified): Coaching via incentives, videotaping, feedback; foreign country experience Rautalinko and Lisper (2004): Training through modeling, then role-playing Boyatzis (2008): New Competency development
What can Centers do? O Leary, Bingham, Choi (2010): Course that teaches how to work collaboratively E-PARCC free cases, simulations and syllabi on collaboration (www.eparcc.org) Integration of adult-learning theory, simulations (Sandfort)
Implications for Centers To consider: Emphasis on skills building Definition of leadership Integration of awareness /mindset development in leadership development
Interviews Underway Yes- it s about people and relational skills It s not about technology It s both attributes and skills It s nature and learning and context Collaboration gets results
Future Plans Using SES Data Additional exploration of the collaborative mindset Gender differences Differences across agencies Additional exploration of collaborative leadership IBM Report