workspace on the run

Social protocols of collaboration

Source: http://www.collectivate.net/the-participatory-challenge/

“What makes collaboration work? Certainly there is no ‘happy pill’ for something as complex and quotidian as collaboration. The following general, practical guidelines for collaboration resurface throughout much of the literature in the field of collaboration study:

• Develop trust and mutual respect
• Outline clear and attainable short and long-term goals
• Define needs/self-interest well
• Give reasons behind your thinking
• Combine online collaboration with face-to-face meetings to speed up the process
• Be concise, patient, and persistent
• Get everybody involved in the process
• Develop a clear process including self-reflexive loops
• Stick to initially made commitments
• Take a dose of humility
• Develop good listening skills
• Pay attention to scale in collaborative groups (production groups: 4-5 participants)
• Put a stop to domineering interruptions and put-downs
• Communicate frequently, clearly and openly
• Acknowledge upcoming problems
• Use facilitators for larger groups
• Develop a long-term view
• Learn when to let go

For facilitators of online participatory projects the ground rules become more
specific:

• Start with a core group of users/producers (start working with a core group of 10-15 when it comes to the point where you need to solicit participation)
• Start with relevant, high quality material (the quality of initial contributions sets the tone and an expectation for posts to come; it creates an identity of the online space)
• Keep contributors informed (it is not unusual for contributors to drift away after a few initial interactions with the collaborative system; thus a useful response is to give contributors an update on what is going on)
• Give individuals credit (verbal acknowledgment, the pleasure of making a submission, and having your ideas appreciated contribute to the success of online collaboration)
• Emphasise the benefits (it is natural for contributors to resist getting involved; hence facilitators of a social tool need to talk about the advantages of using it in workshops and face-to-face meetings)
• Allow for conflict (controversial debates are important - disagreement fosters engaged, substantive conversations)
• Let the users/producers rule (trust your contributors to take your system and adapt it to their needs.”