Collaboration at work is more than working together

At work, collaboration is often associated with getting things done. We talk about information flow, division of responsibilities, meetings, goals and project progress. We think of collaboration as people working together to achieve results. This is, of course, part of collaboration. Yet its significance goes much deeper.

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Shared understanding creates the foundation for collaboration

Before people can act together, they need to develop some kind of shared understanding of what is happening around them. They need to understand what matters, where they are heading and how different situations are interpreted. Decisions, plans and action are built on this shared understanding. From this perspective, collaboration is fundamentally about building a shared reality.

Different perspectives strenghten an organization’s understanding

The idea may sound abstract, but in practice it is visible everywhere in working life. Every person views organizational life from a slightly different perspective. Someone working directly with customers encounters their concerns, needs and expectations. An expert focuses deeply on their own area of expertise. Leadership looks at the organization from a strategic perspective. Each person sees something that may easily go unnoticed by others. This is where both the potential and the challenge of collaboration emerge.

An organization’s strength does not come from everyone seeing the world in the same way. Quite the opposite. The value comes from different perspectives complementing one another. When people genuinely listen to each other and seek to understand one another’s observations, they gradually build a picture of reality that is richer than any individual perspective.

A lack of shared understanding lies behind many challenges at work

Many of the most difficult situations at work ultimately stem from people operating based on different perceptions of reality. Everyone is doing their best based on their own understanding, but a shared direction begins to fade. In these situations, the problem is often not a lack of commitment or competence. Rather, a shared understanding of the situation has not been established.

That is why one of the most important functions of collaboration is to maintain an ongoing conversation about what is happening around us and what our observations mean for us.

AI at work increases the importance of shared thinking

This becomes even more important at a time when more information is available than ever before. AI can generate analyses, insights and alternatives almost without limit. At the same time, every member of an organization can look at the world from a slightly different perspective and arrive at different interpretations.

“The more perspectives emerge, the more important it becomes to build connections between them.” – Ville Ojanen, Lead Psychologist (Academy of Brain)

AI at work does not reduce the need for collaboration. It increases it. The more information is available, the more important it becomes to turn that information into shared understanding and a shared direction.

Shared understanding emerges through interaction that goes beyond sharing information

The value of collaboration does not come simply from people sharing information with one another. It comes from turning information into shared understanding. Gradually, people develop a shared sense of what matters, what deserves attention and how they should respond to a changing situation.

This kind of interaction is at the heart of a learning organization. It enables shared thinking and the continuous ability to renew the way work is done as circumstances change.

At Academy of Brain, learning psychological workplace skills does not remain an individual learning experience. Research-based microlearning, reflection and meaningful conversations help bring learning into shared thinking and everyday action. Explore our learning solutions.

Subject matter by Ville Ojanen
(Lead Psychologist at Academy of Brain)

Ville Ojanen is a psychologist with a doctorate in cognitive neuroscience. His passion is understanding and influencing the human behavior. Ville combines an exceptionally broad and in-depth understanding of behavioral and neurosciences with practical experience in developing individuals, teams and communities.

He has worked as a clinical neuropsychologist, as an HR professional in Nokia and for fifteen years as an organizational psychologist, coach and keynote speaker. Ville is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder of Academy of Brain Ltd. He has served in the behavioral science advisor team of the Finnish Prime minister´s office since 2020, currently as a steering group member.

– Academy of Brain, The Science of Soft Skills Learning