In our earliest days of schooling, our parents got report cards that reported things like “gets along well with others.” Then, somewhere between third and sixth grade, we were instructed to do the opposite.

We were essentially asked to stop cooperating and do our own work, share little or nothing, and not let anyone copy our notes, papers, or tests. That’s when we began to be taught exactly how not to collaborate; how not to work together to reach a common goal, product, or deliverable. This carried all the way through the end of formal education. Then when we’re done, we get a job with other people who were also taught how not to collaborate for most of their education.

And yet, the only way our organizations and communities can produce quality outcomes is to collaborate on creative solutions.

We have all kinds of collaborative computer applications for document control and corrective and preventive actions. Yet somehow they manage to separate people as much as they help us come together. These are great tools, and they can help us reach our goals, but they are only tools, not solutions.

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