TL;DR

A key capability for success in multidisciplinary teams is smart collaboration. The challenge lies in advancing smart collaboration from the early stages of project initiation to seamless, high-level execution.

 

In this design science project, we tackle this question by developing actionable design knowledge, offering insights on how to elevate smart collaboration from good to exceptional within firms working across diverse disciplines.

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You can read the full paper here: LINK

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PROJECT SPONSOR AND LEAD - JOLANDA BURGERS-PAS
 
ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE

Increasingly, researchers are focusing on improving multidisciplinary collaboration, with a particular emphasis on "smart collaboration". Smart collaboration involves integrating the specialized expertise of different knowledge workers to deliver high-quality, customized solutions to complex problems. 

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Research shows that smart collaboration delivers significant financial and people-related benefits to organizations, such as higher profit margins, greater customer loyalty, talent attraction and retention, and competitive advantage when specialists collaborate across functional boundaries. Despite its recognized value, there is limited guidance on how to take smart collaboration beyond its infancy and make it a sustainable and consistent practice within organizations.

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This research project addresses this gap by developing design knowledge for taking smart collaboration from good to great in multidisciplinary teams and ensuring its effectiveness beyond initiation.

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PROBLEM DEFINITION​

The problem was defined using Minto's SCQ (Situation, Complication, Question) framework, which outlines the current situation (S), identifies the complication (C), and poses a resulting question (Q). This framework was chosen for its effectiveness in addressing improvement issues.

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Situation: The company, originally a consulting firm, was rapidly transforming into a digital consulting and technology firm to meet new client needs. This transformation introduced complexity due to the integration of technology, people, and content. Teams needed to work together across different levels of expertise and seniority, making effective collaboration critical to solving client challenges.

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Complication: While intelligent collaboration was initiated, leadership felt it was not fully realized. Some teams lacked buy-in, and collaboration often remained superficial and did not reach its full potential. As a result, teams struggled to realize the benefits of collaboration across departments.

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Question: How can the company improve its intelligent collaboration to fully realize the benefits across its multidisciplinary teams?

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This project was empirically explored through semi-structured interviews with key members of the firm to gain insight into the current state and challenges of intelligent collaboration within the organization.

 

PROBLEM ANALYSIS​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The problem analysis involved both empirical and theoretical approaches, using two rounds of interviews to explore and validate the causes that hinder intelligent collaboration within the organization. Fifteen interviews were conducted, focusing on leadership, behavior, structure and process, and ecosystem and network.

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Leadership: A lack of adequate leadership emerged as a significant barrier. Leaders tended to avoid taking ownership of collaboration efforts, and there was insufficient guidance on what smart collaboration entailed. This led to confusion among teams about expectations and goals.

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Behavior: Collaboration was often hindered by unclear behaviors and attitudes. Some team members operated with a "silo" mindset, while others lacked the skills and professionalism required for effective collaboration. This lack of behavioral clarity hindered consistent collaborative efforts across teams.

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Structure and Processes: The organizational structure was another barrier, with unclear roles and responsibilities within departments. This made it difficult for employees to collaborate effectively, as they often did not know who was responsible or how to navigate the company's processes.

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Ecosystem and network: The company's ecosystem lacked a well-defined network of relationships, which hindered collaboration across teams. Employees did not know where to go to develop solutions or seek support.
 

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SOLUTION DESIGN​

In the solution design phase, a situated artifact was developed in two main steps: (1) defining the design requirements for the solution design, (2) elaborating the most promising solution in a detailed solution design. 

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Design Requirements

The four types of design requirements identified are:
 

1. Functional Requirement: The solution must elevate smart collaboration to a higher professional level, starting from the business development phase and extending through the delivery of projects and programs within the firm.
    

2. User Requirement: A visible change in behavior is required, showing more collaboration between teams. This includes a shift from individual effort to teamwork and collaboration across disciplines.
    

3. Boundary Conditions: The new smart collaboration approach must align with the firm’s culture of "caring and daring" and be inclusive, supporting collaboration among people from all backgrounds.
    

4. Design Restriction: Within 6 to 12 months, the firm must achieve a breakthrough in collaborative behavior, making smart collaboration a part of the firm's new normal.

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Object Design

Following the design requirements, a solution design was developed through a structured design session involving key partners from the organization. Lorsch and Tierney's (2002) alignment pyramid was used as a framework to guide the solution design, focusing on the interrelated elements of strategy, organization, culture, and leadership.
 

Strategy: The organization must align its strategy to prioritize intelligent collaboration and articulate why collaboration is critical to success, particularly in the context of achieving digital transformation. This requires a strategic decision to elevate collaboration as a core value within the organization.
 

Organization: The structure of the organization should support collaboration from the outset, with clear roles and governance to promote ownership and alignment across departments. A "light" structure that promotes flexibility is recommended, where collaboration can occur organically, but with guided support from leadership.
 

Culture: Culture is dynamic and must support continuous improvement in collaboration. The organization must foster a culture that emphasizes openness, transparency, and accountability. Collaboration should be viewed as a "we" effort rather than an individual task, encouraging a collective mindset.
 

Leadership: Leadership must champion collaboration and foster alignment within teams and across departments. Leaders must actively support and encourage collaboration through their behaviors and decisions, ensuring consistent buy-in from all levels of the organization.

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CONCLUSION​

This study was motivated by both a practical and a design problem. While previous literature on smart collaboration provides insights into how to introduce it within firms, there is limited understanding of how to fully integrate it into a firm’s daily operations. In this design science project, we sought to address this gap. The study makes three key contributions to the body of design knowledge. First, it develops an artifact aimed at improving smart collaboration. Second, it outlines general design principles for enhancing collaboration, particularly in professional service firms. Third, it provides initial empirical evidence that supports the effectiveness of the proposed design object. We hope that these findings will benefit both scholars and firms looking to move smart collaboration from good to great.​