Not all collaboration is productive. In today's business environment, effective communication and collaboration are valued as key drivers of innovation. On average, in a five-day workweek, employees spend between one to two and a half workdays attending meetings. According to a recent study, employees spend almost 31 hours each month in unproductive meetings (HubSpot, 2014). Given these assumptions, most meetings have a 40 percent chance of being unproductive. It’s worth noting that an unproductive meeting doesn’t mean that the meeting was a complete failure. It just means that most meeting attendees could have been doing something more productive with their time.

1. COLLABORATION, IS THERE A
DOWNSIDE?

2. NOT ALL COLLABORATION IS PRODUCTIVE
In today's business environment,
effective communication and
collaboration are valued as key
drivers of innovation.
On average, in a five-day work
week, employees spend
between 1 to 2 ½ days attending
meetings

3. TIME WASTED IN UNPRODUCTIVE MEETINGS

4. A RECENT STUDY
According to a recent study, employees spend
almost 31 hours each month in unproductive
meetings (HubSpot, 2014).
It’s worth noting that an unproductive
meeting doesn’t mean that the meeting
was a complete failure
It just means that most meeting attendees
could have been doing something more
productive with their time.
Given these assumptions, most meetings
have a 40 percent chance of being
unproductive

5. HOW TO PREVENT EMPLOYEES FROM UNPRODUCTIVE
MEETINGS?
So, how can you prevent employees from spending hours each week in unproductive meetings?
More than likely, most of these meetings should never have been scheduled in the first place.

6. MORTEN HANSER, THE AUTHOR OF COLLABORATION
How Leaders Avoid the Traps, Build Common Ground, and Reap Big
Results, promotes what he calls “disciplined collaboration” and describes
four types of barriers to collaboration.

8. FOUR TYPES OF BARRIERS TO COLLABORATION
Not invented
here
Hoarding
barrier
Searching
barrier
Transfer
barrier
01
02
03
04
First, Hanser identifies the “not invented
here” barrier which describes people
who are unwilling to reach out to others
Third, is what’s known as the “searching
barrier” in which people are unable to find
the experts or information they are
searching for.
Second, there’s the “hoarding barrier”
where people are simply unwilling to
help others
Finally, there's the “transfer barrier”
where people are unwilling to work with
those who they don’t know.

9. STEPS OF
EFFECTIVE
COLLABORATION
❖ Evaluate opportunities for collaboration
❖ Spot barriers to collaboration
❖ Tailor collaboration solutions
Managers need to research when the barriers to
effective collaboration are too high for the successful
completion of a project. When managers suggest
that small groups of subject matter experts
collaborate, they should consider the three steps of
disciplined collaboration Hanser writes about in
Collaboration.

10. IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLABORATION
Good managers can help their teams identify opportunities for
collaboration. This responsibility requires the ability to spot barriers to
successful collaboration and determine whether they can be overcome.

11. BUSINESSES BENEFIT FROM COLLABORATION
Many businesses can benefit from collaboration
with external partners as well. When you choose
potential companies to partner with, research the
company's’ core values and make sure they align
with your firm’s values and mission. Look for
ways that you can help one another for a
mutually beneficial relationship.

12. PERILS OF OVER-COLLABORATION
Managers need to watch out for the
perils of “over-collaboration” where
teams underestimate the
opportunity costs of collaboration
Managers need to watch out for the
perils of “over-collaboration” where
teams underestimate the opportunity
costs of collaboration

13. ONLINE COLLABORATION IS A MEANS TO AN END
After all, online collaboration is a
means to an end, and that end is
increased productivity. Promoting
disciplined collaboration can help
leaders determine whether
projects that are heavy on
collaboration are effective for their
organization.