What helps people collaborate?

"For twenty-five years, you paid for my hands when you could have had my brain as well- for nothing."

Middle-Aged Appliance worker @ GE

In Chapter four of Jack Welch's book, "Winning" he talks about how to motivate people to reach their potential in order to get the best out of them as a group. The following are some points he believes are important to remember when encouraging people to work together.

Chapter 4 - Voice and Dignity

• People want the opportunity to speak their minds and have their ideas, opinions, and feelings heard, regardless of their nationality, gender, age, or culture.

• People inherently and instinctively want to be respected for their work and effort and individuality.

• Some people have better ideas than others; some are smarter or more experienced or more creative. But everyone should be respected and heard.

On pages 54 to 56 Mr. Welch offers a suggestion of what he calls a 'Workout Session'. A lot of people do not share information with their bosses because they are afraid to or they are just never asked. If you can find a copy of the book, it is worth taking a look at or go to Google Books to see a copy on line.

Learning to share

What makes sharing and collaborating so hard for most people? I believe that most of us would agree that a group of minds will be stronger than any one single mind over time. What causes people to be unwilling to share their thoughts, opinions, and knowledge is fear. Fear of what? Fear of what others may think, of what others may say, of how others will respond, and/or of what others may do with what you share. At the end of the day isn't it always going to be better for the human race if something that we share or collaborate on helps make the world a better place for the next generation? Maybe its just me.