Try on other roles
Why do we collaborate?
To work together, obviously.
To share, multiply, brainpower.
To challenge our own, and other’s, perspectives.
To get further, together, than we could alone.
And some more practical reasons:
Support, direction, communication, connection.
One of the biggest benefits that I see is being up close to other people and really observing how they work.
Collaboration is a melting pot not only to make progress on the challenge in hand, but to make progress on ourselves.
We can’t operate in a vacuum. We are not islands.
We are (hopefully) always growing and changing as individuals.
Collaboration is a golden opportunity for ‘see(ing) it to be it’.
And one way to supercharge this is to try on different identities.
Collaboration, done well, is one of the dare-I-say-it joys of work.
It’s something that it would be worth being in person for.
The value of time well spent in others’ company.
Alas, it is often more dystopian than utopian.
Which doesn’t have to be the case.
This week, we have already explored ensuring everyone can contribute, that there is a true shared understanding, and that we take real, radical, responsibility for ourselves, the ‘I’ in every team.
Now let’s think about how to get more out of the time, for both the organisation, and I think, most importantly, ourselves.
It’s all about our identities and what biases and assumptions we bring into the space that may, or may not, be helpful.
And we can choose which identity suits us best for a particular task or type of thinking.
Here’s a simple example:
Six thinking hats
Edward de Bono's "Six Thinking Hats" is a decision-making and problem-solving framework designed to enhance creative and critical thinking. It involves six "hats” which are metaphorically worn in a collaborative setting, each representing a different mode of thinking:
White Hat (Information): Focuses on data, facts, and information available. It emphasises neutral and objective thinking.
Red Hat (Emotions): Encourages expressing feelings, intuitions, and emotions without the need for justification or logic.
Black Hat (Caution): Identifies potential risks, problems, and negative outcomes. It involves critical judgment and cautious thinking.
Yellow Hat (Optimism): Highlights positive aspects, benefits, and opportunities. It promotes optimistic and constructive thinking.
Green Hat (Creativity): Fosters creative ideas, alternative solutions, and new possibilities. It is the mode of lateral thinking and innovation.
Blue Hat (Control): Manages the thinking process, organises the use of other hats, and focuses on overview, structure, and process control.
By ‘wearing’ each hat, individuals and groups can approach problems more comprehensively, ensuring balanced and effective decision-making by focusing their thinking in one area at a time.
And for certain objectives, such as thinking up new ideas, certain hats will feature more than others. For example, the Black hat would be saved for an appropriate time for critical thinking, allowing for the Green and Yellow hats to be worn.
The Six Thinking Hats are a great, simple tool to use to help people shift their identity and try a different role in a collaborative setting.
It can also be as simple as rotating the chairperson of the meeting.
Giving someone an opportunity to lead.
Being a leader is a mindset as much as it is a relative position in a hierarchy.
As long as there is a true decision-maker present – to ensure that progress will be made.
Leave job titles at the door
It can be mentally liberating to let go of being the most ‘senior’ in favour of imagining yourself as a beginner again?
What extra clarifying questions would you ask? What conventions would you challenge?
Equally, if you take on a more responsible role, how would you do things differently? What areas would you explore.
When team members shed their formal titles, they contribute to creating a more level playing field. This means that ideas are valued based on their merit rather than the rank of the person presenting them.
By breaking down these barriers, teams can access a diverse range of insights and solutions that might otherwise remain untapped.
One of the most significant benefits of leaving job titles behind is the opportunity it provides for more junior team members to take the lead. When junior staff are encouraged to step into leadership roles, they bring fresh perspectives and novel approaches to problem-solving.
This not only boosts their confidence and professional growth but also injects new energy and creativity into the team.
Senior team members, in turn, benefit from seeing challenges through the eyes of their less experienced colleagues, often discovering innovative solutions that they might have overlooked.
A new identity for collaboration
Collaboration – ideas, innovation, progress – benefits the individuals that participate in it, as much as the wider arena of the change we are trying to make.
By allowing ourselves a sense of freedom (or play) in our identities and assumptions, we create more conducive conditions/mindsets to achieve the goals of the activity.
Embracing identity play by leaving job titles at the door and adopting new perspectives can transform the way teams collaborate.
By creating a more level playing field, empowering junior members, and encouraging senior leaders to adopt a beginner’s mindset, organisations can unlock their full creative potential.
