Collabor(h)ate

Dr. Deb Mashek, PhD is the founder of Myco Consulting LLC, where she applies relationship science to help people achieve together that which cannot be achieved alone. Deb is an experienced professor, higher education administrator, and national nonprofit executive.

• FRONT MATERIALPrefacePART 1: FOUNDATIONS OF COLLABORATIONChapter 1. What is collaboration and why is it so dang difficult?What is "collaboration" anyway? | Mixed feelings about collaboration? You're not alone | Putting the H in collabor(h)ate | Why is collaboration so dang difficult? | So why bother? | Why aren't we taught how to do this? | Fear not: this learnable (and relationship theory can help) | Here's the point | Questions for reflection and integrationChapter 2. Two relationship dimensionsYour workplace relationships matter | Relationship quality: Is your collaboration relatively good or bad? | Interdependence: To what extent are you and your collaborators mutually dependent on each other? | The Mashek Matrix | Moving from collabor(h)ate to collaborGREAT | You, your team, your organization | Here's the point | Questions for reflection and integrationChapter 3. Improving relationship qualitySet clear expectations | Behave accordingly | Avoid telling yourself stories about others | Talk about yourself | Cultivate we-ness | Engage in novel and challenging work | Bring the donuts | Be responsive | The power of personality | Attachment anxiety and avoidance | Here's the point | Questions for reflection and integrationChapter 4. Changing interdependenceFrequency of interaction | Diversity of activities | Strength of influence: Tasks | Strength of influence: Consequences | Deciding how to decide | Maintaining boundaries | Individuals and their roles | Tools employed | Organizational values | Rituals and processes | Capacities and supports | Here's the point | Questions for reflection and integrationPART 2: COLLABORATIVE CHALLENGES (AND HOW TO ADDRESS THEM)Chapter 6. Diagnosing and remedying the 12 most common collaboration challengesHow to use this section | Dropped balls | Uneven workload | "My way or highway" | No capacity to give | Under preparation | Disengagement | Going rogue | Last minute contributions | Inconsistent contributions | Stealing credit | Dodging hard conversations | Mushy roles | Here's the point | Questions for reflection and integrationChapter 7. Special collaborative contextsCross-functional | Skip rank | Cross-cultural | Inter-generational | Other power dynamics | Difficult personalities | Here's the point | Questions for reflection and integrationChapter 8. When to get the heck out of there4 horsemen of the apocalypse | Process loss vs. sudden death | Chaos and toxicity | Teams in crisis | Should I stay or should I go? | The things you cannot change | Don't be a doormat | Growth after breakup | Here's the point | Questions for reflection and integrationPART 3: LIVING IN A WORLD OF COLLBORGREATChapter 9. Further developing your collaboration chops: Professional development for you and your teamUnderstanding the impact of your behaviors | Finding the courage to change | Options and interventions for you as an individual | Options and interventions for your team and organization | Here's the point | Questions for reflection and integrationChapter 10. Hey, you're collaborGREAT!Taking the H out of collabor(h)ate | Choosing which stone soups to contribute to | Identifying, vetting, and committing to collaborators | Learning to say "yes" vs knowing when to say "no" | How to be in the room where it happens | Helping others level up | It takes a village | Here's the point | Questions for reflection and integrationChapter 11. The Collaborators' VowBACKEND MATERIALBonus chapter: Collaboration in friendships, family, community, and lifeReferencesAcknowledgements

When collaboration is done well it creates an exponentially better end result but when done poorly it can create low morale, low output and a whole host of other problems. The book teaches readers a framework for collaborating better and explains the dynamics of solid team/group work.