Course Objectives
	Teaching Format
	Learning Approach

Leadership for a Democratic Society
Transforming Organizations

The Practice of Collaboration

Overview: "The challenges are too complex, our budget is too tight, and we've got to start working across these rigid stovepipes! The only way we can address some of our toughest challenges is by collaborating across boundaries." That's how one Federal executive explained his agency's move toward collaboration. Many of the issues that agencies are expected to deal with today are cross-cutting, and no one unit or organization can address them fully. An increasing number of managers and leaders are learning how to collaborate on such challenges. But how do you deal with the many "speed bumps" that collaboration poses: turf and trust issues, the need for senior leaders to actively support it, the difficulty of collaborating across different agency cultures, the large amount of time it takes, the challenges of dealing with people who won't share information, the lack of incentives to collaborate? This workshop deals with these and related issues. Participants will dig deeply into the nature of collaboration. We will look at a number of government case examples to learn how others are succeeding, and why they sometimes don't. We'll also learn from several "pioneers," people whose writings and experience in the art of collaboration give us practical insights and useful strategies. And we will review the most effective tools and methods being used today. The workshop itself is collaborative. Two instructors have teamed up to design and deliver it. In addition, participants will provide some of the case examples that we will use. Our aim is to build the confidence, and competence, of government executives so that they are better able to tackle their complex challenges by working across boundaries.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the key elements of effective collaboration
• Be able to use several strategies and tactics that help to build effective collaborations
• Understand the nature of "collaborative leadership," and know how to lead as a peer (rather than as a superior)
• Know how to use several methods and tools that have been used effectively by their peers
• Have confidence that they can support effective collaborative efforts back home

Teaching Format : Different adults learn in different ways. Thus, a wide variety of teaching and learning activities are used, including: short and long case studies, videos, lecture-discussion, a structured simulation, a guest speaker with collaboration experience, small group exercises and a detailed workbook that describes the phases of collaboration, several methods, the key elements, hurdles, and effective strategies.

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