Collaboration+Continuum

=Collaboration Continuum= Collaboration is defined as a process to reach goals that cannot be achieved by one single person. It includes the following components:
 * Jointly developing and agreeing on a set of common goals and directions;
 * Sharing responsibility for obtaining those goals;
 * Working together to achieve those goals, using the expertise and resources of each collaborator.

Collaboration stresses sharing risks and responsibilities towards a jointly defined goal. However three powerful, common barriers that might impede collaborative efforts or working together of parties are time, turf, and trust.
 * Time - Collaborative efforts take time to develop. Short-term, collaboration will take more time and effort than providing services independently; however, long-term it will save time.
 * Turf - Turf issues surface when an imbalance, perceived or real, of benefits to the collaboration partners occurs. Partners do not see each other as equally involved in benefiting of the collaboration.
 * Trust - Lack of trust becomes a barrier in collaborative efforts. Trust can be influenced by prior or current troubled working relationships, or by lack of understanding on how groups operate, or by personal factors such as personality or temperament of participants.


 * The Collaboration Continuum:**
 * The Development Process of Effectively Working Together**


 * Stages || Behavior || Example ||
 * Networking Stage || Exchanging information for mutual benefit || School-based Library Media Specialists meet monthly with faculty members to provide most recent Information on library-based technology applications, resource arrivals, and share upcoming items of mutual interest. ||
 * Coordinating Stage || Exchanging information and altering activities for mutual benefit and to achieve a common purpose || At one of the monthly meetings, a Department Chair discusses that they have heard about changes coming next year. Students will be expected to understand certain research and information tools in order to apply that knowledge in all the core subject areas. The Department Chair asks the Library Media Specialist if future faculty meetings can focus on training how to use the tools in the classrooms. ||
 * Cooperating Stage || Exchanging information, altering activities, and sharing resources for mutual benefit and to achieve a common purpose || Two monthly meetings later, three Department Chairs and the Library Media Specialist present model lessons demonstrating the use of these research tools in three different subject areas. The Department Chairs provide access to a Wiki they developed containing model lessons for all the core subject areas. They agree to work with faculty members in developing modelling techniques. At the same time, word gets out to other schools regarding this blossoming collaboration. Requests for help from other schools start pouring in. ||
 * Collaborating Stage || Exchanging information, altering activities, sharing resources, and enhancing the capacity of another for mutual benefit, and to achieve a common purpose || Over the next couple of months, these initial efforts to share and train are successful. However, many faculties are utilizing the shared resources without the benefits of training or demonstrating proper modelling techniques. The Library Media Specialists at the initial school are overwhelmed with requests, and Central Office is unable to respond to the needs. A team of people representing the Central Office, Library Media Specialists, Department Chairs, and faculty develop a training program to bring others into the fold. Topics are advertised through the division's Library Media Specialists and offered on the first Monday of each month. Training programs address the needs of how to use the applications AND integrate them into the core subject areas. ||

Based on Arthur T. Himmelman, "Communities Working Collaboratively for a Change" in Resolving Conflict Strategies for Local Government. Margaret Herrman, Ed. Washington D.C.: International City/County Management Association, 1994, pp. 27-47.