Building successful
collaboration requires articulating a shared story, or framing
the issue. By surfacing hidden assumptions and delving into
what the language hides and reveals, everyone in the group
begins to understand the common story they share, and how each
individual perspective enriches the story.
Imagine a lake with three boats – a powerboat, a sailboat, and
a rowboat – near one shore.
If you want to get them together on the other side you might
say, "Proceed to the other side of the lake." Each boat
captain will determine what is meant by the other side and
will move accordingly.
But change the command to "Proceed to the large tree on the other
side of the lake." The sailboat must tack to reach the
destination; the rowboat makes many small course corrections;
and the motorboat cuts a straight course. They arrive at
the same place, in their own way, because the goal was
specific.
Like
boats on the lake, organizations working in alliance have many
captains, each with their own understanding of the goal.
While each group may have different needs and
perspectives, framing allows everyone working on an issue to
direct their communication toward the same objective.
