Which kind of collaboration is right for you?

Pisano, G. P. & Verganti, R. (2008, December). Which kind of collaboration is right for you?

Harvard Business Review, 86(12), 78-79.

Different situations call for different types of collaboration and are measurable across two different dimensions: openness and hierarchy. Four possible types of collaboration exist in this model, the first is an open, hierarchical model: the innovation mall. This mode means that any person can contribute ideas or solutions, but a specific person or group of people selects the outcome. The open, flat mode is the innovation community model, also where anyone can contribute ideas and solutions as well as the outcome; it is a collaborative approach. The closed, hierarchical model, the elite circle model, means a specific group of people define the problem, solutions, and choose the outcome; this is an insular process. Finally, the flat, closed mode, or consortium, means a defined group of people collectively define the problem, divvy up the work, and select the solutions. Each of these models provide different benefits and tradeoffs; open models offer space for collaboration and hierarchical models lend themselves to swifter problem solving. Regardless of the selection, innovation is possible in any of these models, the key is to select the right structure for the right purpose.

As one who works in the middle of several internal and external partnership networks, this article illuminated some of the frameworks of which I am a part, and pointed to tensions between competing network structures. Working within and between networks that operate differently, namely a closed hierarchical model versus an open flat model, creates competing pressures. Considering these structures within an organization will help me to ask better questions, diagnose issues more quickly, and offer potential solutions.

LO2: demonstrate the ability to assess complex organizational environments and achieve communication goals.

LO6: create and deliver elegant messages appropriate to audience, purpose, and context.