GENUINE COLLABORATION: Lessons Learned

By Caryn Cooper

Over the course of my work in the creative sector, a lot of my work is deeply rooted in partnerships and collaborations. As artists and educators, we constantly look for ways to work together. The goal behind that partnership may be to increase the use of limited resources, to reach a new constituency or broaden your audience, or because both parties have similar values. Regardless of why there is an interest to work together, there are certain things to take into consideration when building a partnership. 

In my personal experience, I have learned a few lessons that I believe are essential in creating genuine collaborations.

Case Study #1: If you don’t have a plan, you are planning to fail.

I met someone who worked for a similar organization as me. I heard her speak at an event and I got excited about the work she and her organization were involved in that I wanted to find ways to collaborate with her on some projects. I later approached her and she also seemed excited about the prospect of working together. We had set up a time to speak the following week. 

However, during our conversation, I found it going nowhere. Neither of us had looked into the other’s organization, neither of us had a clue what the other person did, and neither of us had an idea of a proposed project. As a result, the partnership never materialized. 

Lessons learned: do research into who you are interested in collaborating with and have a plan going into the conversation. 

Case Study #2: Good intentions go nowhere if you are unwilling to compromise.

I met someone who approached me with an interest to work together on some projects. Learning from the previous example, I went into the planning meeting having done my research and a list of some potential projects. We wanted to find ways to better serve our existing audiences. He seemed interested in my ideas and wanted to move forward. In my excitement, I happily accepted. However, to my surprise, the collaboration failed.

Recognizing that we both had our own protocols and procedures, I knew that there would be a learning curve in how we could work together. I also knew that on my end I would need to be flexible about how the project was conducted. However, I noticed that I was the only one trying to stretch beyond my limits. My collaborating partner respectfully had some boundaries, but they also proved to make the relationship very difficult. He was unwilling to bend on any of his policies or ways of knowing and doing. As a result, we decided to both walk away from the collaborative project. 

Lessons learned: be flexible and open to try new things. 

Case Study #3: Success comes from clear communication.

I was introduced to a woman from another organization. Our companies on paper were very different, but we both worked to serve the same audience. Learning from the first example, I went into our conversation having done my research on the company and had a list of ideas of possible collaborative programs we could run. Learning from my second example, I decided to also be clear about what it is that my organization does and has to offer, and about the support I would need from them. 

As I clearly laid out my hopes and guidelines, they admitted they couldn’t meet them all, but could offer some alternatives. Accepting the alternatives would require some flexibility on my side, but I knew it would allow the program and the partnership to flourish. As a result, the collaboration was and continues to be a success. 

Lessons learned: clearly communicate what you can offer and what support you need -e open to working together. 

Lessons Learned

I hope these lessons that I have learned resonate with the work that you do. Here’s a summary:

  • do research into who you are interested in collaborating with and have a plan going into the conversation;

  • be flexible and open to try new things; and

  • clearly communicate what you can offer and what support you need - be open to working together.

Partnerships can often be tricky, but the biggest lesson here is to try and learn in each partnership. To get you started, Ihope that you can take these lessons and incorporate them into your professional or personal practice.