Collaboration Theory

Collaboration, what is it?

Defining terms can be a difficult task since the act of defining creates a unified understanding of the said concept. For example, how can coordination be collaboration? Cooperation? Partnership? Or, can they even be part of the collaboration process? These are questions that any newcomer to collaboration will have to engage from the onset of the collaboration practice and throughout its end. Intrinsically, there is a connection between each and one can assume that each belong to the collaboration process. That is, that coordination is a precursor for cooperation, but when does it become collaboration? Or is it always a collaboration? Thus, the need to provide some guidance through definitions, particularly when you engage in collaboration in your own discipline and in the context of your own research and teaching.

Theories of collaboration

Collaboration is the coordinated, synchronous activity that is the result of a continued attempt to construct and maintain a shared conception of a problem (Roschelle and Teasley, 1995). This involves a set of coordinated activities that aim to increase cooperation. However, the cooperation is more than just the transactional behavior of working together to complete tasks. It is a specific form of cooperation that engages on the plane of ideas and understanding and representation of the given task (Cienki, 2015). It’s based under the underpinnings of inclusivity, instruction, and integrative to better form a better shared understanding of the given problem.

The difference between collaboration and cooperation is that cooperative work is accomplished by the division of labor among participants, or as an activity where each person is responsible for a portion of the problem (e.g. group work). Collaborative work goes further than pursuing to solve a problem together and enhances a shared understanding of a task rather than multiple ones. It involves inclusivity because it actively invites the participation of those involved to voice concerns and share their social knowledge in conversations. It is meant to be a learning experience among collaborators, and it is integrative because it blends the work (writing, research, etc.), knowledges, and expertise of collaborators into one deliverable.

This shared understanding of differences in terminology and how they apply to the bigger practice of collaboration. As you transition into your collaborative research and teaching, explore the dynamics of how your team works together, or what assignments you are teaching collaboratively. Some guiding questions to help you see this:

How are you negotiating work distribution?
How often are you all engaging in meaningful intellectual conversations about your work?

How do the different theories and definitions come together?

Definitions used by researchers in collaborative learning are generally similar, but we don't see them being enacted. The easiest way to visualize this is by recognizing that collaborative work prioritizes inclusive relationships and interactions. This is established by setting channels of communication and structuring communication opportunities for group discussions and individual group conversations. In the process of working together, collaborators are assumed to be equals in terms of their statuses with the right to intervene in the interaction at any point of the collaboration. While differences exist, the goal is to engage those differences, not as impediments in the collaboration, but as assets in the problem-solving stages. Differences that are invited lead to instructional learning strategies.

In establishing the inclusive space of collaboration, collaborators develop a desire to share and achieve mutuality in the experiences that divide them. This is a self-reflective act that encourages instructional where all collaborators are able to explain their experiences for others to learn. Thus, conversations do not exist in a vacuum but are jointly structured adding to individual learning and team dynamic - which helps in integrating ideas in the deliverable.

Finally, for a successful collaboration to exist, integration of knowledge needs to be accomplished. In cooperation, the silo effect impedes the sharing of knowledge. This deterrent can interfere in the collective activity of working together where collaborators prioritize their own styles and knowledge over the others and leads to uncommon grounds. For the collaboration to truly be integrative, the group needs to coordinate representations of knowledge and voices. As pictured in the interaction model, each step is interchangeable interacting with another meaning that it is not a step-like procedure each leading to the other. Instead, it functions synchronously at finding the best representation strategy.

What insights can we get into the practice from theory?

Theory informs practice and practice informs theory. But the contexts of the interaction are just as important as the theories that we use to inform how to structure collaborative work. These context serve to understand some of the nuances of collaboration as well as our positionality in each context. We provide more extensive review of each of the contexts here.

Sources:

Amici, F., & Bietti, L. M. (2015). Coordination, collaboration and cooperation: Interdisciplinary perspectives. Interaction Studies, 16(3), vii-xii.
Baker, M. J. (2015). Collaboration in collaborative learning. Interaction Studies, 16(3), 451-473.
Cienki, A. (2015). Insights into coordination, collaboration, and cooperation from the behavioral and cognitive sciences: A commentary. Interaction Studies, 16(3), 553-560.
Roschelle, J., & Teasley, S. D. (1995). The construction of shared knowledge in collaborative problem solving. In Computer supported collaborative learning (pp. 69-97). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

Report abuse