Why Radical Collaboration Gives Back

I recently read this HBR article by David Maxfield, on How a Culture of Silence Eats Away at Your Company.

No surprise, there were some shocking statistics in the article such as:'90% of nurses don’t speak up to a physician even when they know a patient’s safety is at risk. .... 93% of people say their organization is at risk of an accident waiting to happen because people are either unwilling or unable to speak up." or that the costs of these silences was so high 'The average person estimated the cost of silence at $7,500, and 20% of our sample estimated the cost of avoiding a difficult conversation to be more than $50,000. "

While these numbers are shocking, this syndrome is decades old.  I see this as a solid leadership problem.  As the article suggests, there are ways to overcome this problem.  However, the solutions are not instinctive, and really need to be learned and practiced.  Individuals and teams need to learn how to create an environment of trust where team players not only can feel safe to speak up, but also learn to manage and accept responsibility for their own behaviors.   But to do so, means that they have to be able to manage not only their own responses and behaviors, but learn how to be flexible and understanding of others.  There are always rational, political and emotional factors to be considered in any work interaction, and this is where the Radical Collaboration training is so powerful.

It not only gives people an understanding of how to approach different perspectives, but it goes through a clear process over a period of 3 days, in which people are taught the essential skills for building collaborative and how to lay the foundation to build more open relationships.  This approach has been tried and tested and is used by organizations like NASA, Boeng, ConMed Electrosurgery, Children's Hospital & Medical Center, Omaha, among many others.

The program is focused on collaborative skill building, with specific objectives to help participants:      

•  Build collaborative skill

• Gain understanding of the elements of building and maintaining long-term climates of trust

• Develop skills establishing and solidifying partnerships and alliances

• Learn about the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, particularly in conflicted situations

• Practice problem solving in simulated and real-time situation

• Gain personal insight into attitudes and behaviors in conflicted situations

After 20 years of trial and error, Jim Tamm and Ron Luyet, the founders of the Radical Collaboration approach, settled on 5 essential skills for collaboration:

1. Collaborative intention - learning how to come from a positive and inclusive place
2. Truthfulness - committing to both telling the truth and listening to the truth from others, no matter how uncomfortable
3. Self-accountability - taking accountability for circumstances, choices, actions and the impact of our choices in our lives and relationships
4. Self-awareness and awareness of others - committing to understanding more about yourself, and being open to exploring interpersonal issues, intentions and motivations.
5. The ability to negotiate and problem solve - learning a range of approaches to include others in problem solving tools and approaches, which remove the element of competition and ensure that both parties feel their needs are being met.

Three studies have verified and shown remarkable results of the Radical Collaboration training adopted by companies:

The first study was conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Industrial Relations.  It found:

• The number of employees describing their working relationships as adversarial (as opposed to cooperative) was reduced by almost 70%.
• 89% of participants reported increased effectiveness at managing conflict and resolving differences.
• Prior to the training the majority of employees (57%) said their working relationships were unproductive.  
• After the training, 87% of the employees said their working relationships were productive.
• Almost all the participants felt the training had a highly positive impact on both the process and the products of their working relationships.

The second study analyzed information from very accurate data collected by the State of California regarding the amount of labor-management conflict within California’s 1,200 school districts.  The research documented an astonishing 85% reduction in the rate of disputes filed with the State among unions and employers that had participated in the training three years or more earlier.  The average reduction of measurable conflict in almost 100 organizations was close to 70%.

A third study focused on the impact of open enrollment workshops over a 6 year period with participants from 9 different countries. By focusing on learning the five key skills of the Radical Collaboration workshop participants reported, on average, the following gains:

• ·         A 49.5% increase in effectiveness in reducing their own defensiveness in conflicted situations.
• ·         A 44.8% increase in effectiveness at getting their interests met in conflicted situations.
• ·         A 31.5% increase in effectiveness at problem solving.
• ·         A 26.4% increase in effectiveness at building and maintaining climates of trust.

Two very recent studies with companies in Northern Europe also documented equally dramatic results.

If you would like to know more about how Radical Collaboration can help your company, contact Nicole Aliev, at www.namaquaconsulting.com