Far from being a productivity panacea, a collaborative culture will drive your top performers away.

Geoffrey James, Inc.com

I thought this article in Inc.com… was an interesting take on Collaboration, one which highlights how the word is used not just to describe the working practices of a group of people, but also the environment and culture that goes along side it.

[Tweet “A collaborative environment doesn’t ensure that collaboration will happen.”]

In the Journey to Collaboration…  I discuss the process of moving from an idea to realising it as a collaborative group. Mr James has identified something important here though. He identifies the reality that people move at different speeds and the ablest are often spearheading the collaborative approach and being overburdened by those who have not yet aligned with the collaborative goal.

He concludes by saying “your teams may need hierarchical leadership…” and I think that is true, Collaboration doesn’t remove the need for leadership, in many ways the need for great leadership increases, but it does take away the need for those leaders to manage the coordination the work. That can mean that you need different leadership.

Do you agree?