Looking for some perspectives on collaboration in the workplace.

Anonymous

February 20,2023 at 7:03PM UTC

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Looking for some perspectives on collaboration in the workplace. If you were assigned a project with vague tasks, when does collaboration with colleagues and superiors, especially males, cross the line from helpful to them just doing the work for you? What do you do in the case that someone takes tasks from your project without any prior feedback to do so under the guise of "collaboration." Take the day off?! LOL!

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AnonymousFebruary 20,2023 at 7:57PM UTC
First, you need a project charter. This legitimizes the project and your authority as the project manager (without this, you do not have a project). Second, you must establish who requested the project, the sponsor, and the resources you can utilize. If you are operating in a matrixed environment, you must coordinate with functional managers (resources direct supervisor) to secure resources and capacity. Changing tasks is not an issue, but if you do not have a desired result and there is no established baseline of scope, that's an issue.
Communication is 90% of project management and is a metric directly correlated to your effectiveness in completing this project.
AnonymousFebruary 21,2023 at 2:53PM UTC
I agree 100% with the anonymous reply below. You need to have a project structure with tangible tasks to complete. Otherwise, you could end up chasing a moving target. Those tasks need to be split between the team members with subject matter expertise in each task. This addresses all the issues you mention, as everyone knows what they are responsible and accountable for. As for people snagging tasks without asking, that is inappropriate, even under the guise of "being helpful." You mention that the tasks are vague. Turning them into something tangible should be the first task.
AnonymousFebruary 21,2023 at 5:43PM UTC
Vague project assignments lend themselves to land grabs and that "anything goes" mentality. Without clarity and direction no one is really controlling or on charge of the project.
Coach Nancie Kay ShumanFebruary 24,2023 at 4:02PM UTC
I just wrote an entire paper about the need for a clear framework for collaborative teams and projects. This is not new, and there are several great models for this. But research time and again shows that true collaboration is only achieved when there is a clear understanding of mutual values, vision and mission, the goal of the team and as well as the roles of each participant, not only title, but who brings what to the table and can be counted on for support in other areas. This has to hashed out before the team can successfully move into being productive. Studies have shown that without this within the "storming" phase, the team quickly devolves and there is usually a high turn over, leading to lower productivity, effectiveness and loss of a significant bank of knowledge.
AnonymousFebruary 24,2023 at 10:00PM UTC
When you get a project the best thing to do is to map out who does what and the handoffs for same. Be clear where the lines are firm vs blurry and set timelines to complete each segment. Don't take for granted that some crossover will occur but when it does if you have to be vocal about it not happening per the map of the project speak up!.