This is a collaboration tool that helps you move your collaborations from being rooted in Individualism to being rooted in Solidarity.
Collaboration, noun
Collaboration is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal.
The image below depicts the roots of two different approaches to collaboration. One shows how our collaborations grow when rooted in Individualism and the other illustrates what can bloom when our collaborations are rooted in Solidarity.
It is important to pay attention to these roots as they can impact what is cultivated in our collaborations.
What does collaboration rooted in Individualism look like?
- Rooted in hierarchy, the perspective with the most power dominates and everyone else is expected to agree with and assimilate to that perspective; dissenting viewpoints are marginalized, erased, or ostracized.
- Competition embedded in an assumption of winners and losers, given this partners act in a protective manner and little trust is present
- Driven by efficiency, focus is on managing tasks through delegation
- Transactional interactions result in a lack of shared values and purpose and reinforces of silos and separation
- Replicates existing power structures and maintains business as usual, e.g., white supremacy culture, patriarchy, classism, etc.
- Utilizes a representative model where individuals are asked to speak on behalf of their entire community or organization
- Only individual collaborative workgroup members are engaged in the change that the collaborative seeks to create, the work of the collaboration remains independent and disconnected from the practices of members’ teams, organizations or communities
Reflection Questions
- Which of these practices are present in your collaboration? In what ways? What concrete examples can you identify?
- Where do you see the most potential to shift away from collaborative practices rooted in individualism?
What does collaboration rooted in Solidarity look like?
- Focused on building collective power utilizing inclusive, participatory methods
- Centers and engages those most directly and adversely impacted
- Transparent about process and decision-making
- Welcomes complexity and uses iterative processes that allow for refining based on ongoing engagement and feedback
- Invests time to build relationships and shared understanding
- Cultivates spaces that can navigate ambiguity, where an openness to learning and growing is present, risk-taking and discomfort are encouraged, and conflict is viewed as generative
- Recognizing that we need one another’s perspectives and wisdom, we are committed to understanding individual collaborative members and the communities of which they are apart and leveraging the strengths of each member
- Engage in intersectional analysis that names and acknowledges difference while remaining anchored in our larger shared values
- Creates supportive and generous environments in which trust, and grace are practiced
Reflection Questions
- Which of these practices are present in your collaboration? In what ways? What concrete examples can you identify?
- Where do you see the most potential to deepen or move towards collaborative practices rooted in solidarity?