What does “collaboration” really mean?
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EmailUnderstanding the collaborative process can help address complex natural resource issues.
Rising deer populations in a suburb. Declining well water levels in a small northern town. Increasing wildfire risks in old-growth forests. Growing suburban development in wildland areas. Most of these natural resource-oriented issues involve many different groups and include multiple factors. How should communities or other groups address them?
What does it mean to collaborate?
Collaboration is one approach that many teams and organizations turn to when addressing complex natural resource issues. When people want to collaborate, however, do they all have the same definition in mind? Generally speaking, collaboration means more than just sitting down and swapping ideas on an issue. Collaboration can range across many different tasks: conducting research when trying to understand an issue, gaining broader perspectives or making decisions in lieu of more hierarchical, single leader-style governance.
According to the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), collaboration describes an overall relationship between a decision-maker (individual or group) and others with a stake in the outcome of an issue. Unlike merely informing or consulting with others, taking that collaborative step means there is a commitment to include multiple interests through an entire process—from defining the problem to reaching a decision. This commitment often suggests having to share information or resources as well.
Benefits to natural resource issues
Most natural resource issues tend to be complex, having many different players and unclear strategies to resolve them. A collaborative process can help clarify understanding of the causes and impacts of the issue by having different groups or individuals involved. A clearer, more inclusive view of the problem can assure efforts will be directed most effectively to address that issue. Multiple interests can also help forge more creative solutions that may have otherwise been overlooked. From a long-term perspective, productive collaborative efforts can also forge relationships that may offer future opportunities to work together.
The most common objection to taking a collaborative approach is the amount of time required to achieve results. Working with others requires building trusting relationships which may not come easily. Members of any collaboration, regardless of the purpose, must also be willing to consider ideas or interests that may not align perfectly with their own. They must also be open to sharing authority and decision-making power. For organizations that historically have worked in a command-and-control environment, these collaboration challenges may be hard to overcome.
Learning effective collaboration techniques
To learn more about when using a collaborative process might be appropriate for addressing natural resource issues, specialists from Michigan State University Extension are offering the Conflict, Collaboration and Consensus in Natural Resources (CCCNR) program. It will be offered as a two-part series from March 23-24 and April 13-14 at the Kettunen Center near Tustin, MI (participants must be able to attend both sessions). This interactive, retreat-style program helps natural resource professionals and other interested individuals build expertise in facilitating collaborative problem solving and deliberation among groups. Registration is now open, so enroll today!
