Collaboration
This page describes the infrastructure to support large-scale p2p collaboration.
Theory
OVN is a model of commons-based peer production where valuables are co-produced by agents, using resources under various property regimes.
OVNs like Sensorica use internet-based tool to extend collaboration beyond physical barriers. This allows agents to collaborate synchronously and asynchronously, sharing the same physical space or remotely.
Important features
Transparency
Related to free access to information. It is crucial for value networks to thrive - see Economic model. The collaboration infrastructure must allow any individual to get at least a general idea about an open venture and its important activities. The level of transparency in an important parameter that must be adjusted in context.
The role of transparency is to
- show activity, which is an indication of the viability of the network
- signal problems in order to attract solutions and resources into the network
- build trust within the environment
- ...
Depending on the situation, too much transparency can be detrimental to the venture. For example, if the venture is engaging in commerce (distributing / selling a product) within a highly competitive environment, in the presence of powerful traditional economic entities (ex. large corporation), too much transparency reduces the advantage that the network might have in terms of surprise and time-to-market. Large corporations can copy a new product developed by the venture and use their market penetration and market domination to take away important rewards that, morally speaking, would go to the creators of this new product. This form of parasitism can be avoided by carefully crafting commercial licenses, or by maintaining an informational asymmetry by reducing the level of transparency. Sensorica has experimented with open and non-transparent processes, see more on the Venture page.
Openness
See more on the Openness page. Related to access to processes, to participation. Openness is crucial for open ventures to thrive, because it insures a continuous influx of resources. The collaboration infrastructure must allow anyone to contribute to the ventures without too much bureaucracy involved - see permissionless. The level of access in an important parameter that must be adjusted in context.
There are different types of access
- to communication - allows influx of new ideas, opinions, visions...
- to processes of production i.e. participation in development
- ...
If access is too easy, this might open the open venture to network attacks, might invite vandalism, might increase the level of noise. Also, new agents need to absorb the culture of the OVN in order to reduce friction, therefore enough time for accommodation must be allocated. See more on the Capacity and Outreach pages.
Participation in an open venture MUST be conditioned by the adherence of the new agent to the Governance of the venture.
The problem of identification
Some people would like to participate without revealing their identity. The issue of freedom, which comes with anonymity and security, which is associated with the cost of revealing one's identity is a real one. It is important to note that reputation very important within OVNs. It acts as a moderator of behavior and the reputation system is an important component of the infrastructure. Reputation affects one's ability to extract benefits from an open venture.
Patterns of collaboration
Obtained using Perplexity.ai
Collaboration patterns can vary widely depending on the nature of the work, dynamics, and project goals. Here are several examples of collaboration patterns:
Task-Oriented Collaboration
This pattern involves dividing work into specific tasks and assigning them to individuals based on their expertise. It's a mosaic approach.
Advantages: Clear responsibilities, efficient use of individual strengths
Example: In software development, one person might work on the backend while another focuses on the frontend
Real-Time Collaborative Approach
This pattern involves tight real-time coordination without specific task assignments.
Advantages: Flexibility, rapid problem-solving, leverages collective intelligence
Example: Brainstorming sessions or pair programming in software development
Network-Oriented Collaboration
This pattern emphasizes building and leveraging professional relationships within and outside the organization.
Advantages: Access to diverse expertise, fosters innovation
Example: R&D teams attending industry conferences and collaborating with external experts
Cross-Functional Collaboration
This pattern involves bringing together individuals from different departments or specialties to work on a common project.
Advantages: Diverse perspectives, holistic problem-solving
Example: Creating cross-functional task forces for specific projects or organizing joint workshops
Adaptive Action Collaboration
This pattern involves shared decision-making and expertise to plan the next wise action, considering the whole system rather than just individual parts.
Advantages: Holistic approach, shared accountability
Example: Team members considering current and desired patterns of the whole system when making decisions
Communication-Oriented Collaboration
This pattern emphasizes open sharing of ideas, opinions, and information among team members.
Advantages: Transparency, alignment, inclusivity
Example: Marketing teams holding weekly brainstorming sessions to discuss upcoming campaigns
Community-oriented collaboration
This pattern focuses on creating a sense of community and shared purpose within the workplace. It involves building a positive and supportive team culture, where members collaborate based on shared values and a sense of belonging. This collaboration style enhances employee engagement, teamwork, and overall well-being.
Advantages: Community-oriented collaboration is often seen in organizations that prioritize employee satisfaction and a strong organizational culture.
By understanding these different collaboration patterns, teams can choose the most appropriate approach for their specific project needs and team dynamics.
Types of collaborators
This content was imported from this source
To use a combination of collaboration styles at an organizational level, you also need to understand individual collaboration styles. When it comes to individuals, there are four main types of collaborators:
Drivers, the leaders of the group
Drivers are goal-focused and assertive leaders who proactively push teams with urgency. They excel in tasks that require decisiveness and thrive when given leadership roles and opportunities for direct communication.
Drivers prefer a combination of the task-oriented and communication-oriented collaboration styles. They thrive in environments where tasks are well-defined, roles are clear, and progress is measurable. Plus, regular updates, discussions, and direct communication allow them to maintain a sense of urgency and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Analysts, the thinkers of the group
Analysts are meticulous, logical thinkers who excel in data analysis and research. Supporting their collaboration involves clear objectives, structured communication, and tasks that leverage their detail-oriented approach.
Analysts are likely to prefer a combination of the task-oriented and community-oriented collaboration styles. Analysts' detail-oriented and logical nature aligns well with a focus on well-defined tasks and objectives. Their preference for accuracy and understanding intricacies can be supported by a community-like environment where team members share insights and knowledge.
Connectors, the glue that holds the team together
Connectors excel in building relationships and enhancing team cohesion through interpersonal skills. Supporting their collaboration involves team-building activities, networking opportunities, and recognition of their role in fostering camaraderie.
Connectors would likely prefer a combination of the network-oriented and community-oriented collaboration styles. They thrive when given the opportunity to connect with people from different teams, departments, and external networks. They also enjoy creating a sense of belonging and team cohesion, which contributes to a positive work environment.
Innovators, the visionaries that improve processes and deliverables
Innovators are imaginative creators who thrive on pushing boundaries, brainstorming, and coming up with new ideas. To support their collaboration style, offer resources for experimentation, platforms for idea-sharing, and opportunities for collaborative brainstorming.
Innovators would likely prefer a combination of the communication-oriented and task-oriented collaboration styles. That’s because regular discussions can help them bounce ideas off others and they thrive when given the opportunity to work on projects that allow for creative problem-solving.
How to choose the right collaboration style for your team
This content was heavily inspired from this source and remixed with our "local" knowledge and experience.
You likely have a group of drivers, analysts, connectors, innovators, and people who do not exclusively belong to any of the groups and have the qualities of many. Here’s what you should do to choose a collaboration style that caters to all members of your team.
1. Assess team composition
Begin by recognizing the dominant traits of your team members. Do you have proactive and results-driven individuals who thrive on pushing tasks forward? Or are there meticulous analysts who excel in detailed research? Identifying these traits will provide a foundation for choosing a complementary collaboration style. In open collaboration settings who's there is there. You need to implement processes that are transparent with clear on-boarding and orientation mechanisms, so that people can find their place, based on their respective capacities, since you'll rely on self-allocation. Support/help or guiding actions can also be put in place to enhance the self-allocation mechanism.
2. Consider task complexity
Analyze the nature of your projects. For tasks requiring clear objectives and measurable outcomes, a task-oriented collaboration style might be fitting. On the other hand, if creativity and brainstorming are central to your projects, a communication-oriented or innovative approach might be more effective.
3. Evaluate interpersonal dynamics
Team dynamics matter. If your team bonds well and thrives on a sense of camaraderie, a community-oriented style can enhance cohesion. If relationship-building is crucial, especially when interacting with external stakeholders, a network-oriented approach could prove advantageous. In open collaboration the accent is put more on the pragmatics related to collaboration rather than on the community or interpersonal relations among contributors. It is thus important to put processes in place that surface these pragmatics and diminishes the need to social relations. This requires increased transparency and orientation. Often open groups work in asynchron settings.
4. Blend styles where needed
These collaboration styles aren't mutually exclusive. Combining elements of different styles can harness the strengths of diverse team members. For instance, using task-oriented practices alongside communication-oriented ones can create a balanced environment that encourages focus and idea-sharing.
5. Adapt and refine
Collaboration styles should be flexible and adaptable. Regularly assess their effectiveness and solicit feedback from team members. Adjustments can be made to align with project requirements, team growth, and evolving goals.
Peer learning or mentoring is a great way to create a cycle of learning and collaboration. It not only facilitates skill development and productivity, but also helps your team build trust, rapport, and respect with each other while fostering a culture of feedback, learning, and innovation. Promote collaboration at your workplace by setting up a mentoring program.
When setting up a mentorship program for your team, it is important to align the collaboration styles of mentors and mentees.
Resources
General
- tools for communication and coordination
- data and information management, database
- task and project management tools
Manufacturing
- supply management tools
- recipes
- fablab network
Praxis
Sensorica uses a collective intelligence-based open collaboration pattern.
This collaboration pattern is called open, because all processes within Sensorica are open to participation (no one can block you from contributing positively to something, see more openness). Open processes are structured as a [long tail]], with a core group investing a lot in the process and a constellation of sporadic contributors and observers. This is characterized by uncertainty in terms of numbers of participants and skills profile. So you don't know who's going to be there, what's their strengths and weaknesses and you can't plan and assign tasks for participants. The collaborative process relies on redundancy (calling more people than you need to execute), transparency, good onboarding, orientation and guiding activities. In other words, the new participant can very rapidly find a place and self-allocate resources in context, in a way that is non-disruptive, coherently adding to the whole.
Moreover, before any concrete action, this collaborative process dedicates time to forge collective intelligence. This entails building shared understanding, clarifying, performing research actions together, collaborating on interlocking structures of the body of work. Only after this exercise of brain-to-brain coordination, when contributors have mapped the field of their actions, they can start executing the task. Newcomers can feed from the traces left behind during this initial collective intelligence formation exercise and pair with existing collaborators to absorb wherever contextual knowledge and know how not captured in these traces, as they go.
Collaboration then happens in real time activities (synchronously) and asynchronously, using stigmergy.
Sensoricans have templetized collaborative environments for various tasks. see for example an example for collaborative writing of funding proposals.