
Problem
Teams are unwilling to share resources, expertise, or ideas with other departments, often due to competition or lack of trust.
Workshop Title
"Collaboration in Action: Building Bridges Between Teams"
Objectives
- Identify the causes of resistance to collaboration.
- Foster a mindset of trust, openness, and mutual support.
- Develop actionable strategies to encourage cross-team collaboration.
Materials Needed
- Flipchart or whiteboard.
- Sticky notes and markers.
- Collaboration Canvas templates (printed or on large paper).
Process
1. Welcome and Icebreaker (10 minutes)
Activity: Common Ground
↳ Pair participants from different teams and ask them to find 3 things they have in common (work-related or personal).
2. Understanding Resistance to Collaboration (15 minutes)
Activity: Barriers to Collaboration
↳ In small groups, participants brainstorm reasons why teams may resist collaboration (e.g., fear of losing control, lack of trust, unclear goals).
↳ Groups share their findings, and the facilitator records themes on a flipchart or whiteboard.
3. The Benefits of Collaboration (15 minutes)
Activity: Collaboration Wins
↳ Each group identifies an example of successful collaboration (from their experience or hypothetical).
↳ Groups answer:
- What made the collaboration successful?
- How did it benefit the teams and the organisation?
↳ Share examples with the larger group.
4. Overcoming Resistance (25 minutes)
Activity: The Collaboration Canvas
↳ Provide each group with a “Collaboration Canvas” template to complete:
- Current Challenges: What makes collaboration difficult?
- Desired State: What does successful collaboration look like?
- Action Steps: What specific actions can we take to improve collaboration?
↳ Groups present their canvases to the larger team.
5. Building Trust Across Teams (20 minutes)
Activity: The Trust Circle
↳ Teams discuss:
- What support do they need from other teams to collaborate better?
- What can they offer other teams to build trust?
↳ Write down and share commitments to support collaboration.
6. Closing and Reflection (5 minutes)
Activity: One Step Forward
↳ Each participant shares one personal action they’ll take to improve collaboration (e.g., “I’ll schedule a regular check-in with X team”).
Facilitator Notes
- Welcome and Icebreaker (10 minutes): Purpose is to break the ice and highlight shared connections across teams.
- Understanding Resistance to Collaboration (15 minutes): In the debrief discuss how these barriers impact organisational success and team morale.
- The Benefits of Collaboration (15 minutes): In the debrief emphasise the value of collaboration and how it leads to better outcomes.
- Overcoming Resistance (25 minutes): Output is a consolidated list of actionable strategies to foster collaboration.
- Building Trust Across Teams (20 minutes): In the debrief reinforce the idea that trust is built through small, consistent actions over time.
- Closing and Reflection (5 minutes): Encourage accountability and ongoing dialogue.
Follow-up
Schedule a follow-up in 4 weeks to assess progress and refine the strategies developed in the workshop.
