By Victoria Scarborough, Ph.D., Materia Prima Ventures
Spring is here and that means baseball is finally back in action. We root for our favorite teams and watch as highly skilled athletes work together to create unexpected magic on the field. It is a collaboration that requires trust, communication, and focus to win the game. It is a great example of how collaboration can deliver a remarkable performance. Innovation, like baseball, is a collaborative exercise. Collaboration is the process of working together, individually or in teams, and innovators must have good collaboration skills to drive new technology towards commercialization. It is not an easy process, but mastering a few key elements can enhance any collaborative effort in a big way.
Trust—All companies are particularly sensitive about sharing too much proprietary information with others outside their organization, and this represents a challenge for potential collaborators. When organizations impose cumbersome legal agreements, highly structured work plans, and warn against too much information sharing, collaboration is locked behind a large trust barrier that is hard to navigate. In this situation, different company teams may never work together in the same lab at the same time. The shared collaborative experience is limited to mailing samples back and forth and perhaps sharing half a day in a lab reviewing results. The skill and knowledge of each team is so compartmentalized that the opportunity for unexpected results is diminished. Collaborators must find ways to eliminate unnecessary roadblocks and learn to trust one another as they are barriers to greater success.
Communication—How are your listening skills? The key to good communication is the ability to listen well. Collaborators who are distracted, jump to conclusions too soon, or bring their innovation bias into the discussion will serve to sabotage a working relationship. Active listening means reserving judgement, hearing words and the meaning behind them, and being respectful of others by having only one conversation at a time. This may seem like Basic Courtesy 101, but how many times have you observed this behavior in your own company? Practice listening and learning for the best collaborations.
Focus—Forming collaborations between two or more companies means there will be varying viewpoints on what is important for each group to achieve. Clearly stating the target milestones and timelines for the project first and then understanding the strengths that each team member brings to the collaboration, can better establish the roles and responsibilities of the work plan. Capture all the best ideas and try to use them. Decision-making power is balanced between all members who are best qualified to make a particular decision. The most successful collaborations have a cohesive team that follow a common process and shared goals.
Not all good ideas come from one place. Your innovation path to success will involve many individuals and companies who bring knowledge, skills, and technology. Successful collaborations can deliver surprising results. So, when the umpire yells “play ball,” put your best collaborative team on the field and win the innovation game!
CoatingsTech | Vol. 16, No. 4 | April 2019