Collaboration means a supportive agreement in which two or more parties, which may or may not have any previous association, work together towards a common goal. Collaboration is very important in team meetings as collaboration requires trust and a sense of shared responsibility. Collaboration consists of five essential elements or techniques, which are required in order to have a successful team meeting.
Face to face interaction is the 1st element of collaboration. Team members must have convenient and regular opportunities to meet for discussions. If however, convenience is not possible, an effective communication system must be in place for meeting, such as phone or email. Positive interdependence is the 2nd element of collaboration. Each member of the team should be able to identify the team’s goal and purpose and develop a common understanding of the team’s scope of work and authority. In order to be efficient, team members should rotate roles and share tasks or resources, such as facilitator, recorder, or time keeper. The team should also be able to identify common rewards and opportunities. Interpersonal skill is the 3rd element of collaboration. Each member of the team should develop group norms indicating desired behaviors and types of communication with the team along with communication and conflict resolution skills. All group members need to practice his or her best communication and collaboration skills by arriving on time, respecting diverse point of views, and no judging during creative problem solving. Monitoring and processing of group functioning is the 4th element of collaboration. The team should develop time and method for regular processing since regular processing is the key to the team’s growth. For example, the team’s best time to conduct processing is at the end of each meeting in order to have an immediate feedback. Individual Accountability is the 5th element of collaboration. The team should use an agenda during meetings, which needs...