I just read a thought provoking article in LinkedIn about culture and how Kindergartners collaborate better than MBAs. Author Daniel Coyle shares that “at some point, we exchange our willingness to experiment and jump into new projects for the need to size each other up. But great organizational cultures focus on action rather than posturing.”
Does the willingness to collaborate change as you move into grade school? Is it when you start to see that there is competition among each other as students? Students tend to separate as they get into middle school and break into various groups within the class. Those groups may be based on “those who play sports’, “those who get good grades” or “those who struggle to get good grades.” The groups that are similar tend to still work pretty well together.
Does it happen when you get to high school or college? We can all remember the groups we had in high school or college where one person didn’t do the work. It makes it really hard to be the ones who actually do get the work done. Do you cover up for the person who didn’t do the work? Do you just move on and not say anything at all? A tough position to be in feeling like you are being taken advantage of in the situation. Why do some students choose not to do the work? Is it because they don’t want to do the work or could it be that they feel intimidated and lack confidence?
So why would it be that MBA students are seen as less collaborative? They are voluntarily going back for more education to set themselves apart from the rest. It may be a degree that they need to get promoted or in some cases to even be hired. Most MBA students in general are thought of as fairly driven individuals. Are they driven by ego where they feel competitive and they wonder if the group they have to collaborate with will help them succeed or fail. Could a simpler explanation be that they are working full time while getting their MBA, so they don’t have a lot of extra time to spend time in groups? It definitely presents a challenge if you are working a lot of hours each week, traveling and trying to still spend time with your family.
Kindergartners don’t look at the other kids as competition, they just see new friends. Maybe it is because they haven’t been jaded by bad experiences when working with others yet. Coyle says “While successful culture can look and feel like magic, the truth is that it’s not. Culture is a set of living relationships working toward a shared goal. It’s not something you are. It’s something you do.” What if everyone would use a different mindset and assume positive intent at the high school, college and MBA levels? What if they looked at each person as having a lot to contribute and encouraged that throughout the program? What if they focused on the goal, instead of focusing on and judging each other? Achieving the shared goal would unite them instead of driving them apart.
This type of behavior doesn’t only occur in school. It can happen in teams, families, and neighborhoods as well. Imagine how much more could be accomplished if we all just saw the best in each other and worked together instead? I know this seems aspirational right now, but changing how you see things has a domino effect on everyone around you. Assume the best of the other people you work with and see what happens. It changes how everyone else will see them too. You can be the catalyst to bring stronger collaboration to your team and your organization.
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