The Power of Collaboration: Powerful Insights from Silicon Valley to Successfully Grow Groups, Strengthen Alliances, and Boost Team Potential
Thea Singer Spitzer
Career Press (December 2017)

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” African proverb

This book provides a solid introduction to the basics of collaboration in business. As is also true of collaboration in other domains such as athletics (e.g. teamwork) and marriages (e.g. parenting), successful collaboration depends on three components: mutual respect and trust as well as effective communication between and among those involved; also, a shared commitment to achieving the given objective. Thea Singer Spitzer offers no head-snapping insights, nor does she make any such promise. Think of this book as a primer on the basics. Those in need of much greater scope and depth of coverage are urged to check out Morten Hansen’s classic work, Collaboration: How Leaders Avoid the Traps, Build Common Ground, and Reap Big Results.

Spitzer shares lessons learned from her involvement with collaboration initiatives by companies in Silicon Valley where more patents are produced each year than in any other region of the world.

These are among the objectives she achieves:

o She explains the power of collaboration
o Identifies the defining characteristics of Silicon Valley Collaboration (SVC)
o Shares real-world stories of successful collaboration
o Identifies o Examines the Agile Work Process: Anyplace, Anytime
o Explains how to design management practices
o Reviews employee incentives that seem to be most effective
o Explains how and why access enables collaboration

My own rather extensive experience with collaboration suggests the importance if these components:

o Full support from the C-suite
o Leaders who have earned respect and trust and will inspire/activate/nourish self-motivation in others
o Sufficient resources
o Collaborators whose skills, talents, and experiences cover all needs
o And, collaborators who think and act in terms of third-person PLURAL pronouns

Spitzer provides an abundance of information, insights, and counsel that swill prepare leaders in almost any organization — whatever its size and nature — “to successfully grow groups, strengthen alliances, and boost team potential.” She keeps that promise in the book’s subtitle.

Also, those who read this book with appropriate care — as well as Morten Hansen’s book recommended earlier — will be become prepared to accelerate their personal growth and professional development.

Perhaps Thea Singer Spitzer agrees with me that the best career opportunities in months and years to come will develop when humans are in collaboration with machines. The power of their collaboration will be limited by their complementary and integrated capabilities.