The
Collaborative Leader
Primus interes pares
Department of Recreation Administration
California State University, Fresno
Volume 1, Issue 6
April 2010
On the E.D.G.E. by L-Jay Fine
Order and simplification are the first steps toward mastery. Thomas Mann
It’s hard to believe we’re getting close to wrapping up another academic year. As such, this will be the
final edition of the Collaborative Leader Newsletter until September. Thanks to all who have contributed,
shared their comments, participated in the Desktop Initiatives, and took the time to read these articles. A
special thanks to Dr. Nancy Nisbett for her editing prowess, without which, I would not have had the
courage to send these out.
The Collaborative Leadership Project by L-Jay Fine
Last month we convened an advisory board meeting for the newly named Collaborative Leadership Project
(formerly The Interprofessional Collaboration Committee). The Collaborative Leadership Project (CLP)
comprises members from this campus as well as community partners from a wide range of human service
disciplines. Since 1995, we have enjoyed the charismatic leadership of Dr. Berta Gonzalez. Read more…
Desktop Initiative
Initiative is the term given to experiential problem solving activities traditionally presented to teams for
solving on challenge courses. To challenge you, each newsletter will include a Desktop Initiative. The first
person or team to send in the correct answer will win a prize ($25.00 value). Send your answer to
L-Jay Fine at larryf@csufresno.edu. The winner will be announced in the next newsletter. Read more…
Non-Verbal Communication
Non-verbal indicators serve as an important tool for the collaborative leader in reading members of your
team. Boredom, anxiety, frustration, interest, and enthusiasm are often best realized through facial cues
and body language. However, we need to be cautious in how much we read into people’s Read more…
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Team Problem Solving Failures by L-Jay Fine
The last edition of the Collaborative Leader discussed three common failures among teams. As
mentioned, there are several traps teams fall prey to and in this article we will look at a few more.
Although not the cheeriest of topics, being cognizant of these pitfalls offers the collaborative leader an
opportunity to mitigate poor decisions before they manifest. Read more…
Group Formation Stages by L-Jay Fine
A traditional way of looking at group development has been through the Tuckman Model: forming,
storming, norming, and transforming. This continues to serve as a useful tool and is remarkably accurate
in reading a team’s level and readiness. However, Read more…
Resources:
Serving as the Reader’s Digest of business and management practices the Soundview Executive Book
Summaries provides an easy way to skim through some of the top leadership books Read more…
Full Articles
The Collaborative Leadership Project by L-Jay Fine
Last month we convened an advisory board meeting for the newly named Collaborative Leadership
Project (formerly The Interprofessional Collaboration Committee). The Collaborative Leadership Project
(CLP) comprises members from this campus as well as community partners from a wide range of human
service disciplines. Since 1995, we have enjoyed the charismatic leadership of Dr. Berta Gonzalez.
Through the inspired direction of Dr. Gonzalez and several others (it is a collaboration after all), the
Interprofessional Collaboration Committee published modules, wrote grants (and received funding),
developed the Certificate in Advanced Studies in Interprofessional Collaboration (offering graduate
education in cross-disciplinary studies), implemented eight regional conferences, and provided several
trainings throughout the region. Dr. Gonzalez has handed over the reins to the College of Health and
Human Services with the support of Dean Hoff. I will be overseeing CLP and look forward to fulfilling my
charge of bringing the awareness of collaborative leadership and the importance of academic preparation
in this field to the attention of students, faculty, and practitioners in the Central Valley.
The Collaborative Leadership Project is uniquely positioned to provide much needed training in this
critical area. Highly skilled faculty are ready to offer training, facilitate teams, to develop grants to assist in
jumpstarting newly formed collaborations, and to provide assistance in the group processes of longer term
coalitions, boards, or organizations. If you are interested in becoming involved in the Collaborative
Leadership Project or would like more information, please contact me at larryf@csufresno.edu or 559278-2629.
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Desktop Initiative
Initiative is the term given to experiential problem solving activities traditionally presented to teams on
challenge courses. To challenge you, each newsletter will include a Desktop Initiative. The first person or
team to send in the correct answer will win a prize ($25.00 value). Send your answer to L-Jay Fine at
larryf@csufresno.edu. The winner will be announced in the next newsletter.
Last Month’s Desktop Initiative Solution
Last Month’s Desktop Initiative:
Draw two concentric circles with a line through it (see below) without picking up your pen or pencil or
crossing lines.
Imagine all along the line there are letters A-F from the beginning to the end. The answer would go in this
order A-B-E (loop big half circle)-D small half circle-C-D-C (small half circle)-B-E (large half circle)-F
P
Thanks to Chris Nute for the photo
Winner of Last Month’s initiative is Brian Negley, manager of Emadco in Oakhurst, CA
(and his wife Brenda, who also proved she could also solve the problem).
!!!Winner of the Previous Unsolved Initiative goes to Chris Nute!!
Chris figured out the answer to the cryptex: IWSEKIEANDRNOEVA
“I know I deserve an A”. He referenced this website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scytale for assisting in
the encryption. After five years, I’m pleased it has finally been solved. Nice job, Nute. If you take the
letters and place them in columns of four and read it from left to right you’ll see the answer.
I
W
S
E
3
K
I
E
A
N
D
R
N
O
E
V
A
This Month’s Desktop Initiative
Here’s an easy one to conclude this year’s challenges: What is the next letter to the following (and why):
OTTFFSS?
Non-Verbal Communication
Non-verbal indicators serve as an important tool for the collaborative leader in reading members of your
team. Boredom, anxiety, frustration, interest, and enthusiasm are often best realized through facial cues
and body language. However, we need to be cautious in how much we read into people’s motivations
based on their non-verbal behavior. Because individuals may send mixed messages subject to
misinterpretation, it is generally imprudent to interpret meanings behind non-verbal communication. One
member might be poker-faced; another might always shake his head in affirmation; or another, for cultural
reasons, may be sending us contradictory messages (for example, consider the differences among cultures
with the act of looking someone in the eye). Instead of assuming what these hidden messages mean, it
might be wiser to relay them back to members as specific observations. In a private meeting you might
say: “I noticed that your arms were crossed and you turned away when Armin spoke. Is there something
to this?” Because our interpretations are often flawed, simply providing a concrete observation is a safer
than saying “You obviously have some issues with Armin.” Indeed, some interesting research suggests that
we are able to make a more accurate assessment of people’s state of mind during phone messages than in
person. Regardless, it is incumbent upon the collaborative leader to be sensitive to body language and to
use these as cues for discussion not to make assertions.
Reference for this article: Justice, T. and Jamieson, D.W. (1999) The Facilitator’s Handbook, American Management Association,
NY, p. 18).
Team Problem Solving Failures by L-Jay Fine
The last edition of the Collaborative Leader discussed three common failures among teams. As
mentioned, there are several traps teams fall prey to and in this article we will look at a few more.
Although not the cheeriest of topics, being cognizant of these pitfalls offers the collaborative leader an
opportunity to mitigate poor decisions before they manifest.
Analysis to paralysis: It’s a struggle to decide how much data your team needs to make the best decision.
Microsoft learned from its near disaster with the Vista operating system that spending lots of trials on beta
versions was imperative. As a result, we enjoy Windows 7 which has suffered the fewest complaints in
Microsoft’s history. Apple, however, takes a different approach. In the tradition of Henry Ford, who
famously quipped: “If I gave my customers what they wanted, I’d have created a faster horse.” In this line
of thinking, Apple has told its customers what they want. Hence, Apple enjoys the mega-success of iPod,
iPhone, iPad, and iTunes. How can your team determine the level of inquiry they need to delve prior to
embarking on an action plan?
One sign that they may fall in the trap of analysis to paralysis is if they are fearful that the risk far
outweighs the benefits of a decision and action. If there is an incessant call for more research, stakeholder
interviews, surveys, and focus groups than the decision warrants than it’s time to put the rubber to the
road.
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Commission bias: In sharp contrast to analysis to paralysis is the pitfall I often witness from my students:
Jumping into a problem head-first without any pre-planning or strategic thinking. I usually refer to this as
the opiate of action. Human nature gravitates to activity and avoids the tedium of reflection. Tackling the
problem is far more fun than ruminating about it, so instead of too much analysis, you get very little.
However, the first step to effective problem solving is identifying the problem. Then your group needs to
determine the amount of data and resources they will need prior to making any key decisions. Finding the
happy medium between over- analysis and under- analysis will always be the grand challenge of the
collaborative leader. As a collaborative leader you can take the group’s temperature by playing devil’s
advocate. Ask the tough questions: “Given our purpose, who are the stakeholders, what information do
we need, or what resources will be required?”
Satisfaction of the search: Similar to the above problem, team members may grab hold of the first
solution they come across. Solutions to challenges given to collaborative teams are seldom easy.
Dedicating the resources to bring interdisciplinary skills to the table centers on the inherent complexity of
the problem; otherwise, there would be no need for a team. “Just Say No” was a catchy slogan but not the
answer to a problem as complex as drug abuse.
Diagnosis Momentum: If your team is falling into the trap of commission bias or satisfaction of the search,
it is also likely to engage in diagnosis momentum. With diagnosis momentum the team exhibits
unconscious suppression of evidence if it conflicts with a current theory or thinking. Albert Einstein
remarked that “you can’t solve a problem with the same consciousness that created it.” In a similar vein,
you have to challenge conventional thinking in order to develop innovative solutions.
Group Formation Stages by L-Jay Fine
A traditional way of looking at group development has been through the Tuckman Model: forming,
storming, norming, and performing. This continues to serve as a useful tool and is remarkably accurate in
reading a team’s level and readiness. However, the unintended message is that group members are at
odds with each other in a competitive turf battle until they reach cohesiveness. Collaborative leaders see
beyond the conflict and recognize members go through productive stages such as those offered in the
Facilitator’s Handbook: Polite, Goal, Power, Work, and Esprit. Although, arguably semantics, looking at
this from a more positive angle can help the team understand the process they need to go through and
that there is value to each stage. At the Polite stage members are cautious and courteous. The Goal stage
has the team working on assessing their mission while the Power stage has them determine the structure
(e.g., leaders) and process for achieving results. The Work stage resembles norming and the Esprit
represents the “we did it” level. The term Esprit resonates nicely because it not only signifies a high level
of team cohesiveness but reminds us that we need to celebrate our successes and teamwork.
Reference for this article: Justice, T. and Jamieson, D.W. (1999) The Facilitator’s Handbook, American Management Association:
NY).
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Resources:
Serving as the Reader’s Digest of business and management practices the Soundview Executive Book
Summaries provides an easy way to skim through some of the top leadership books to decide which ones
are worth the full read. As a legacy member of Audible.com I get this and one book a month to ease my
commute boredom.
Although perhaps not specifically related to collaborative leadership another worthy way to pass time on
the road or with your iPod is the free podcast To the Best of My Knowledge. Each week a new topic is
explored through interviews with authors. The twist is that the topic, not the book, is the focus. One
topic was on speech and they interviewed a man who voluntarily did not speak for seventeen years.
Primus interes pares: Latin for first among equals.
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