Collaborating Approach. PERSONIFIED by Nelson Mandela

People with a natural bias toward this approach are behavioral and people oriented. They seek consensus and agreement on near-term solutions. They favor the use of subjective information and personal views in decision making. The focus of this approach is on collaborating with others to make progress. They seek to facilitate understanding and a positive working environment. They work to generate support for the various steps and potential outcomes of plans and processes. They focus on people-related issues and on near-term problems. They have a low tolerance for ambiguity. They can quickly identify the conditions of the bonds between people.

Those biased toward a Collaborating approach can quickly identify the common bonds among people that create effective coalitions. They are sensitive to others and consider others’ views when making decisions. When making a decision, they are careful to solicit the views of others and affirm that their decisions are understood. These leaders are collaborative in their decision making. The strength of those biased toward the Collaborating approach is the ability to create common understanding and consensus. They tend to excel in developing strong relationships and support for a decision or course of action.

People favoring this approach tend to be motivated by acceptance. At times, others view them as being political in their approach to problems. These leaders can be heard to say, “Let’s get together and discuss the situation.”

Under stress, they avoid the situation. The "approach advisory" is that developing effective consensus can be time consuming and requires the presence of people knowledgeable in the relevant matters. These leaders can also be overly influenced by the opinions of others.

General example: You and two friends have nonrefundable tickets for a cruise in two weeks, you will be sharing a cabin, and your two friends are having a simmering disagreement.

Investment example: You lead a team of 8 economists, each focusing on one major country, and must come up with a global economic forecast for the next 6 months.

Person: Nelson Mandela, Nobel Peace Prize winner and President of South Africa. Noted for effective negotiation with a wide range of groups representing different interests.

Management Priorities and Practices Associated with Collaborating Approach

Organizational Structure: They prefer to have clear lines of responsibility and authority that are supported by those involved.

Methods of Control: Those biased toward the Collaborating approach accept loose controls. They use persuasion to influence others.

Reporting and Communication: They prefer verbal over written reports.

Move to Decision Making: They use meetings to exchange information and develop consensus. They end discussion and move on to decision making when there is broad agreement that a good decision can be made.

Process Character: They prefer collaborative processes that include frequent “check-in” sessions to exchange information, highlight new issues, and build consensus.

Motivational Techniques: People favoring this approach tend to motivate others by including them in decision making, allowing them to have an impact on outcomes, and by offering specific rewards.

Habits of Effective Collaborating Managers

One can improve skills in using this approach by doing the following:

<> Understand others’ experiences and desired outcomes. Learn from their success and failures

<> Consciously emphasize obtaining buy-in from others in the work you do

<> Involve others in a plan-do-review cycle

<> Search for and address problems rooted in interpersonal relationships, culture, human processes, and customer satisfaction

<> Make extra effort to seek out the views of others

Helping Entrepreneurs Take Growth to the Next Level

Collaborating Approach. PERSONIFIED by Nelson Mandela

Cookie Policy