Collaboration is a noble aspiration. As a concept, or way forward of working together, it is widely and frequently talked about. But are we really clear about what it really means? What are we individually and collectively committing together to do when we say we’ll collaborate?

Attempts at collaboration very often run into unexpected difficulties, and the value of a diversity of ideas, perspectives, resources, passion and commitment is lost. This happens in all sorts of arenas, but a recent BMC Public Health review showed it to be a real issue in healthcare sectors.

More often than not, what sets out to be empowering and energising falls into conflict and frustration.

In this workshop we’ll look at some current perceptions and experiences of collaboration in Plymouth and, from there, begin to develop a common understanding, a common set of expectations, a common ‘road-map’, of what it means to collaborate.

We’ll look at factors which might be contributing to the difficulties and what shifts in beliefs, attitudes and behaviours are being asked for when people come together to collaborate around an issue/idea, and what skills need to be brought to bear, to be practiced/improved in service of effective collaboration.

The objective is to begin to get shared clarity around what we mean when we agree to act collaboratively, a shared understanding of the implications, and a way in which we can manage expectations of and from each other, in order to maximise the success of any collaborative venture.

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Collaboration: Our Collective Challenge