“No problem ever exists in complete isolation. Therefore, every problem interacts with other problems and is part of a set of interrelated problems, a system of problems .. No unique “correct” view of the problem”.

It is convenient within the formal structure to organise people into a hierarchy of manageable units. Then to label and constrain individuals within subject matter and discipline groupings. We aim to help break down these walls and see individual colleagues as wonderful humans with a blend of experience, knowledge, skills, personality and perspectives.

Collabor-IT is about embracing and managing, rather than accepting, these constraints. This means reaching out and providing the opportunity for colleagues to come together. This creates the conditions in which their views are heard, dots are joined, challenges acknowledged, and opportunities explored – at a shared moment in time, against an easily understood landscape, aligned to the organisation’s purpose. Big(ger) picture thinking through a series of little window glimpses.

So, how do we achieve a necessary diversity of thinking? A convergence of these thoughts in the available time? By creating the conditions to share useful truths. As a result, exceptional outcomes are consistently achieved due to a high degree of engagement and a healthy collaboration ‘velocity’.

A facilitation approach that initially encourages divergence and then natural convergence in an appropriate environment or surroundings, with suitable resources, enables us to best utilise the available time effectively. This can be in a physical space or a digital one. Fail to implement this and the activity will suffer, or may not even start, given that it has been tried and has failed before.

Where social complexity is concerned, ‘not understanding the problem’ would not be something colleagues own up to. This often presents itself via different stakeholders who are confident that their version of the problem is the only correct one. This is not necessarily due to self-interest; rather a limited world-view.

The answer to this question – and locating the Holy Grail of effective collaboration – enables us to create a shared understanding of the problem and commitment to the possible solutions. Resolving a Wicked Challenge™ is fundamentally a social process.