Secrets to the Success of the 3 Cs - CONNECTING, COOPERATING & COLLABORATING

Chris Adams, Vice President Category & Pricing Services at Ahold Delhaize USA company in an article “Collaboration & Creating "Win-Win" Relationships” published Dec 18, 2019, said that “In an increasingly digital and omnichannel world bringing people together to collaborate and problem solve across teams, across functions, across companies and industries can be extremely impactful.”

Apart from being impressed with all the leading-edge techniques and strategies Adams shared in his article on the LinkedIn platform, I particularly subscribe to his views on creating connections. He suggested that leaders should be the glue that connects significant people together. “Sometimes the hardest questions to answer for a project or assignment is who else is impacted, who else should be involved in a decision, or who you should collaborate with.” Adam further stressed “Bring in people who can add value and connect them to others who might not know them yet. Facilitate connections and you help build opportunities to collaborate successfully!”

Cooperation and collaboration are almost similar. Both occur when two or more people work together. The difference is that collaboration involves these individuals or teams working to achieve a common goal whether to produce or create something. Whereas in cooperation, the goal of every participant is the same but their interests are individual. I believe for every organization both are of value, depending on the circumstances. But what is important here is that the most successful work environments are places where employees feel safe to share their thoughts and contribute actively in a tension-free environment. These workplaces advocate healthy communication where people are connected through efficient systems and collaboration processes. Don’t let the business jargons overwhelm you. It is not just about technology, it is more concerned with people and connections. At AGD Solutions, we call it humanizing communication.

When employees care for one another, communicate openly, and are connected to each other and the organization, they feel valued. When trust and rapport coexist, ideas and creativity flow freely. Whether it is to cooperate or collaborate, connected people are empowered to create wonders. Research shows that organizations are able to achieve impressive breakthroughs through their processes and reactions and their willingness to embed creativity in their communications.

Therein the snowball effect takes place where the more effective they are at communicating and collaborating, the more creative and resourceful people become, and this in essence is the perfect nutrient for productivity and innovation.

Reading Materials:

Collaboration & creating "win-win" relationships

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/collaboration-creating-win-relationships-chris-adams

Merriam-Webster’s definitions:

Cooperation: the actions of someone who is being helpful by doing what is asked for: common effort.

Collaboration:  the process of working jointly with others or together, especially in an intellectual endeavor.