Is collaboration a powerful asset to all businesses? Or are there some instances where it is not the best option? We’ve investigated the advantages and disadvantages of working with others – be that giving your products to influential individuals to place on their social media feeds or partnering with other businesses – and our study will show you whether you should do it and how to go about it if you do…
Working with others has obvious advantages; you can get different opinions on work, raise more questions and concerns at the early stages of a project and pool different sets of skills in order to create a better end result. But there are disadvantages to collaborative working; sometimes you can have too many cooks, or end up making decisions by committee and it doesn’t suit some people who work better independently.
There are broadly two types of collaboration – that which you can do internally, and that which involves the participation of an external consultant or influencer. Largely, internal collaboration is helped with collaborative software (such as project management tool Trello) and hardware (such as the newly launched Jamboard from Google).
Networking
The old idea of a networking event has changed significantly over the last few years – it’s shaken off the idea of being a slightly awkward gathering in a conference room with stale sandwiches. Now, it’s a lot more about looking for people you can partner and collaborate with. This has the advantage of building even more meaningful relationships, as you are both depending on each other, rather than it being a one-sided transaction. To make the most of this, think about areas that you’d like to expand into (such as hosting an event) and what things are holding you back from doing it (such as not having the logistics available). That way, when you get to an event where you’re meeting lots of new people, you’re prepared.
Forget about hierarchy
One of the main advantages to collaboration is that it can get rid of any friction that may exist if people feel left out of the decision making process. By involving a number of different skills and people, you can avoid creating an atmosphere of distrust and one-upmanship. The only disadvantage that can sometimes appear is that if it involves people of different levels, it can be difficult to make a truly collaborative atmosphere. To avoid this, level the playing field with interactive brainstorms and workshops, or try setting up a framework using collaborative software that outlines areas of responsibility within the team.
Influencers and brands
Partnering with influencers means that you can use their creativity, experience and resources to arrive at a solution quickly. They are particularly useful when it comes to advertising products on their social feeds – those with lots of followers command thousands of pounds per post in return for providing exposure. They get a payment and you get your product seen by a key demographic. One key point to remember is that you can’t expect to get anything for free – influencers are now considered to be stars in their own right. Adding ‘paid opportunity’ to the subject line of your email will catch their eye, and make it through the initial filter through the hundreds of request emails they get a day.
Partnering with other brands is also possible – H&M are a great example, having had collaborations with fashion houses including Balmain, Alexander Wang, Karl Lagerfeld, Matthew Williamson, and Versace. This lets people with a smaller budget experience the design of the clothes, without the huge price tags of buying from the catwalk. This works for the designer brand as it elevates their popularity and gives them a lot of press, but it also works for H&M as it drives positive sentiment, increases footfall and creates a sense of desirability and exclusivity for their collection. In order to pick the perfect partner for your business, consider what you can offer them, as well as what they offer you.
For the right reasons
Make sure you know why you are collaborating before you do it. Whether it’s to make your marketing messages stronger, or to broaden your audience, make sure you have identified your reasons before you make any changes to your processes.
Collaboration is a fantastic way to improve your business and the motivation of your team. Judging by the number of advantages there are to it, there are always going to be reasons to incorporate it into your work. Just make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve before you start and that you’re ready to see how you can make it work for you. By making the most of the collaborative economy, you can work much quicker and develop an edge over your competition.
Content on this page is paid for and provided by Kia Fleet sponsor of the Guardian Small Business Network Accessing Expertise hub.
