We hear it all the time.

"Collaboration is essential. This is a group project. You'll need to be a key cross-functional collaborator." Or maybe it's "partner with two to three classmates to work on this paper." Perhaps it's, "I need the three of you to bring your expertise together for this client pitch next week…"

We're constantly being asked to collaborate at school and work. Some people love it; others hate it. Some think it will ruin all that's good about their idea. Others know that, without collaboration, giant gaps in thinking will be the only sure thing. All the while, there are few discussions about how to collaborate.

Somehow, we're expected to know how to do it successfully. Little time is spent on how to be a good collaborator and how diversity can improve a single-threaded idea. This is something that needs to be discussed and improved.

• SPEAKER
• Jodi Cutler, Design Principal, IBM
• Jodi has spent the last 25 years of her career designing the conditions for people to be successful. Seeking every opportunity to play with people who share a vision for high impact outcomes and a willingness to build trustworthy relationships to do work that matters. She currently works at IBM’s Watson Health.