Collaborative Overload

Collaborative Overload

1. Collaboration is taking over the workplace.

   • Connectivity is increasing and teamwork is seen as a key to organizational success.
   • "Extra miller" - an employee who frequently contributes beyond the scope of his or her role.
   • What can leaders do to manage the demands?
     • Precious Personal Resources
       • 3 types of "collaborative resources" that individual employees invest in others to create value: informational, social, and personal.
     • Redistributing the Work
       • should start with understanding of the existing supply and demand
         • Encourage behavioral change
           • Show the most active and overburdened helpers how to filter and prioritize requests
         • Consider structural changes
           • support staff or lower-level managers should be authorized to approve small capital expenditures, travel, and some HR activities
         • Leverage technology and physical space
           • to make informational and social resources more accessible and transparent
     • Rewarding Effective Collaboration
       • many helpers underperform because they're overwhelmed; that's why managers should aim to redistribute work.