How Collaborative Working Can Build Market Confidence

Collaboration can be defined as a purposeful relationship in which all parties strategically choose to cooperate in order to achieve shared or overlapping objectives Collaboration is very similar to, but more closely aligned than, cooperation. Teams that work collaboratively can obtain greater resources, recognition and reward when facing competition for finite resources.

Many organisations particularly in the construction industry, are forced into collaborative partnerships called Joint Ventures, normally consisting of two organisations coming together in partnership for government funded work such as highways construction.

Highways England understand the importance of effective collaborative working and have devised the Highways England Collaborative Behavioural Framework or CBF for short. Companies have to evidence that they can work collaboratively with their partner companies in these ‘Joint Ventures’. One way Churchill Square Training and Development has been working with some of these organisations is by using Insights Discovery. This has helped individuals and teams understand each other better, bring together cultures and differences and work much more effectively as a team.

A big driver behind collaboration is cost reduction based on increased efficiency through better communications and working practices. Openness, better understanding and building a culture of trust builds a “joined up” organisation for delivering project or programme objectives. Insights Discovery has been used to foster greater confidence in organisations which resulting in more productive engagements

Recent research has identified a range of tangible benefits achieved through collaborative working including:

• Improved business and operational performance
• Increased business winning
• Enhanced risk management
• Innovation
• Multi-million pound efficiencies
• Increased client confidence and repeat business

Growing inter dependency as a result of more complex, high risk, business together with increasing global trade is focusing industry and government on the need to invest in developing more integrated business relationships.

The most significant future challenge organisations face is to change traditional organisational cultures to accept more readily collaborative business models. This highlights the need to identify and further develop

Competencies and skills to harness collaborative working, collaborative processes and systems that underpin business environments can only be seen as a competitive advantage.

For more details on how Churchill Square Training can help you work more collaboratively contact us today on 023 92 160840 or 07811 946315 or email us on enquiries@churchillsquareconsulting.co.uk.