The document discusses collaboration and innovation. It begins by stating that innovation is always a collaboration, according to Phillip Bullock. It then lists some assumptions about collaboration, such as governments spending money on collaboration but few efforts being truly productive. It also discusses how to choose when to collaborate, unify people, cultivate collaborative leadership, and other tips. The document outlines two obstacles to collaboration: lack of willingness and inability. It ends by stating Wyatt's Law, which is that the greater your competency in collaboration, the higher your return on investment will be.

1. “Innovation is
always a
collaboration!!”
Phillip Bullock, CEO IBM Australia
National Innovation Conference 2010
Frank Wyatt, Enterprising Partnerships Pty Ltd
www.enterprisingpartnerships.com.au

2. And we know a lot more
about the beginning of
that sentence than the end
of it!!

3. Assumptions
1. Governments have paid huge $’s for collaboration;
yet few are truly productive in practice
2. We debate the term ‘Innovation’ and distort the
term ‘Collaboration’
3. If people knew how and wanted to collaborate, the
world would work better
4. Poor collaboration is worse than no
collaboration
Safe Hands

4. We need to know more about
How to
the how
to of collaboration
• Choose when to collaborate,
• Unify people to shared goals,
• Cultivate a culture of collaborative
leadership,
• Build mutual commitment to shared
relevance with precision,
• Galvanise the power of working together
to deliver better results
We have no choice
but to collaborate
well, the world
demands it of us
Jim Collins 2009

5. So what’s wrong with transactional 0r
cooperative engagements?
NOTHING!!
• Just don’t confuse Transaction with Collaboration
• Or with when collaboration is more appropriate
• We need to know when and how and when not to
choose collaboration

6. When don’t you collaborate??
When there is no business case to do
so!!
• When the net value of collaboration is less than the return minus
both opportunity costs and collaboration costs
Collaboration premium = Return on Project – Opportunity costs –
Collaboration costs
Opportunity costs = alternative uses of time, resources and effort

7. The Goal of collaboration is not
collaboration itself; but better
results!!
So we should collaborate when better results
are more likely than not!!
When the net value of collaboration is greater than the
return minus both opportunity costs and collaboration
costs

8. Two Collaboration Obstacles
1. Lack of willingness to collaborate
•
•
•
•
•
•
Not how its done here e.g. competition dominates
Hoarding knowledge and resources
High status structures
Self reliance or self focus (no shared outcomes)
Fear of exposure or the loss of power
Chemistry doesn’t work
2. Inability to collaborate
•
•
•
•
Lack of engagement opportunities to find who to collaborate with
Lack of internal collaborative leadership
Decentralised management and accountability = silos & insular cultures
Asymmetrical drivers and / or poor incentives

9. What is below the surface
of collaborative
leadership?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Conductors enabling people
Shared vision & responsibility
Whole of enterprise mindset
Unification balanced with individual accountability
No stars & no butterflies – focus on performance
and results
Rigorous review
Clear incentives
Networks capturing value
Trust and mutual respect
Collaboration
Deliverables
Collaboration
Thinking

10. Recognition
3 R’s
 Curiosity about what matters to
others – no assumptions
 Shared leadership & power
 Open questioning
Reassurance
Respect
 Broad dialogue
 Inviting diversity
 Equity in exchange
Collaborative
Culture
 Failures seen as
opportunities
 Sharing knowledge &
information
 Trust, Generosity of spirit,
& Surrender

11. Collaboration and ROI
Innovations come about by shared learning and problem
solving with users, manufacturers, distributors and others
Innovation occurs not when an idea is born but when someone
in the market places a value on that idea
Market facing businesses are the point where new value is
created from innovative activities – it is here where
collaboration is richest
Wyatt’s Law,
The greater your competency in collaboration,
2009
the higher your ROI

12. Collaboration Equation
All stand please (just to keep you awake)
Sit down if you believe you’re collaborating when
you:
• Assume what your partner wants in transactions
• Coordinate your deliverables with others
• Engage in cooperative processes towards shared
outcomes
• Surrender self to share the building of value with
others

13. Collaboration
Co-operation
Co-ordination
Transactional
Driven by mutual self interest
•Requires high levels of commitment
on all sides
•Creates new value
•Value accrues to all parties
Requires specialisation &
commitment of time on each
sides. Requires surrender of self
to a higher ideal.
Meets a need; often driven by a
directive
Can succeed even if commitment is
uneven
Value often incremental
Value might accrue to one part or
neither
Driven by directive
Teamwork helps but not pivotal
Value unlikely to accrue to all involved
Often focused on one-time, shortterm goals
Driven by the need to exchange
Goods and services exchanged
Value limited to the price
Most often one-off
Requires high levels of personal
trust
Only requires medium levels of
personal trust
Personal trust not a key to
success
Trust in the exchange rather than
the person
What is collaboration?
Adapted by EP from Economist Intelligence Unit

14. For More Information
Thank you
Frank Wyatt, Enterprising Partnerships Pty Ltd
www.enterprisingpartnerships.com.au