“Collaboration as a self-contained success.” Ooooo…I like that.

Yes, often collaborating on a project becomes a work of art & an act of love. It’s the satisfaction of making something useful & sweet (the heart of good literature and art).

In my business life with a large corporation I worked with a man who embodied this approach. It was our job and we got paid. But, something more was at stake: making something (a corporate newsletter) that made us and the entire organization happier.

Janet Riehl

Thanks for stopping by. Yes, collaboration (and concerted action) occurs in many forms. Our blog chain is perhaps more of a cooperative venture. Collaboration for me implies that there’s something greater at the end of the effort together. Critique groups are another venture entirely. Collaborative? Concerted effort? Depends on the group.

Stephanie and I ran a cycle of three posts on Telling Her Stories–our Creative Catalyst column–on the art of critique. Here are the links. These do tie directly in to our views on collaboration. –Janet

http://storycircle.typepad.com/scn/2009/11/cycle-51-art-of-critique.html

http://storycircle.typepad.com/scn/2009/12/cycle-52-critiquegroup-ears-eyes-voice-and-heart-.html

http://storycircle.typepad.com/scn/2010/01/3-the-critique-waltz-january.html

Curt weighs in on the systemic level. You have played at high levels of international bureaucracy…and, also at the village and national international development level. So, let’s see. Your corresponding hierarchy of moving away from rivalry in organizations toward concerted action would be: 1) Build a culture of collaboration by sharing information & pledging support; 2) reward mutual support; and 3) Seek & encourage visionary leadership. The constraining forces for visionary leadership in particular is rigidity & protectiveness.

That certainly matches my experiences as an individual working in organizations. As a maverick player I found blockades at every turn. Rather than “out-of-the-box” thinking, my challenge was “in-the-box” thinking. The trick organizationally is not to think too far outside the box.

I think Curt’s systemic model and yours can be applied to individuals working together. Curt’s three levels. And your antidotes to the blockades. It’s at the third level of visionary thinking and resolve leading to concerted action that system and individual come together. The collaborative unit will flounder in the face of destructive competition. When both collaborators support and share the same vision, then concerted action results.

Janet Riehl

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Power-of-Collaboration-and-Joint-Venture-Partnerships-For-Marketing-Your-Business&id=3552520

Donna–thanks for your response. You might be particularly interested in Parts 1-4 of this series exploring two collaborations with two sets of writing collaborators. Also, check out the links in our collaboration series on Telling Her Stories: The Broad View (Story Circle Network). My Creative Catalyst column there is exploring collaboration in a cycle of three posts.

Tell me more about your writing buddy relationship. That is my favorite. I’ll be writing a post on this for Telling Her Stories. I’d like to collect more stories.

Janet Riehl

Joan–what a generous idea! I’ll connect you to Dr. Madison via email.

Janet Riehl