- Reach a general agreement on the problem you want to address. This is the necessary precondition for a successful collaboration.
- Keep things as unambiguous as possible: start by focusing on one target and one vision only. Once the initial confusion has been resolved, you can start thinking of tackling problems from multiple angles, yet always with the aim of supporting your vision.
- It is key to prove that you actually do something with the ideas you hear. Specify deadlines to maintain the momentum. Keep the focus on exploration by defining learning goals.
Cross
Industry
Innovation
Industry
Innovation
Create
Tips & tricks
Tools
- Dialogue of interests
The essence of this dialogue is to deepen the ambition of the potential collaboration. Explore possible strategies. Analyze what each strategy means for the various parties involved. By entering into this particular kind of dialogue, you'll accelerate the process of exploring and sharing.
- Clarifying ambitions
If you don’t have a shared ambition, your cooperation is at a high risk of failure. Getting an overview of all the partners and their respective ambitions, then, is a big help. Fill out these individual templates and discuss them in group. As a next step, you can arrive at a mutual template that ensures a transparent collaboration.
- 5 W’s
These are the key points of your mission:- What is the problem or need you’re solving for the customer or client organization?
- What is its value or benefit, as compared to the competition?
- Why should this excite your partners or investors, i.e. what's the business case?
- What have you accomplished so far?
- What do you still need in order to be successful?
- Guidelines for optimal collaboration
Dive into this book Leren samenwerken tussen organisatie by E. Kaats and W. Opheij (2012). It contains a list of useful guidelines for collaboration.
- Action plan
An action plan can be beneficial on an individual basis, but it also comes in handy for businesses. Use it to monitor your progress and to take a task step-by-step. This allows you to handle each project efficiently, to keep your focus and to manage your energy levels. An action plan helps you shorten the road to your goal. It provides your team with the necessary support too. After all, you can rely on such a plan to establish a timeframe for each task and thus to prioritize. Lastly, it is good for team bonding. Each member is perfectly aware of their individual role and has all the necessary information to ensure the project's success.