Kendra KeeferMar 16, 20235 min readCollaborate!…A MANIFESTOUpdated: Jun 12, 20231. To be clear, I am writing on my own, as an individual, to direct the readeron how to effectively collaborate with other people or organizations.There will be no collaboration in the writing of this Manifesto.2. I am not collaborating with anyone on the writing of this Manifesto, forseveral reasons.2.1. I have a strict time frame.2.2. Collaboration is tiring.2.3. It’s the end of the summer.2.4. It’s hot.2.5. I simply do not have the time to endlessly discuss this issue withanother person or group of people, (see 2.1)2.6. I am not a Quaker.i3. Collaborate comes from the Latin, com-, meaning "with", and labore,"to work", so literally means “to work with”.4. It took the place of an Old English word, efenwyrkan, which means thesame thing, but sounds Elvish.5. Notice I said “effectively” collaborate. That was intentional. Ineffectivecollaboration is a much more common phenomenon.6. Many find collaboration challenging, difficult, or impossible because itinvolves working productively with a person or group of people who arenot yourself. It is interesting to note that there is nothing in the phrase“to work with” that defines how “to work with”.7. Jean-Paul Sartre once said, “Hell is other people”. The workii in which hesaid this is an exemplary example of how to collaborate ineffectively. iii7.1. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the play focuses on three whiteEuropeans who have gone to hell, which is made up of one roomdecorated in the Second Empire fashion. The entire rest of the worldis left in other undescribed rooms:7.1.1. “GARCIN Are all the other rooms like this one? VALET. Howcould they be? We cater for all sorts: Chinamen and Indians, forinstance. What use would they have for a Second Empire chair?”iv8. I have extensive experience with ineffective collaboration in American K-12schools, where I worked as a teacher for 10 years. Some of what I learned:8.1. Administrators prefer to assign collaborative projects to groups ofteachers or other personnel in whom they have little vested interest.8.2. The time and energy necessary for effective collaboration is generallynot available in K-12 schools.8.3. Because of such constraints, it may be preferable for educators toperform a facsimile of collaboration.8.4. Also, it is most expedient for the administrators if the teachers “workwith” each other to come up with solutions already chosen inadvance.8.3.1. This means that the best collaborators are those whose goals,interests, and priorities most closely match those of theadministrator. (Note-sycophant is not a word commonly used inAmerican K-12 schools.)8.3.2. If, on the outside chance, the group of teachers or otherstakeholders do come up with a solution to a problem that theadministrator did not foresee or approve, it may be expedient tosimply scrap the entire exercise.8.3.3. Administrators enjoy commiserating with each other about howdifficult teachers are to work with. Assigning them collaborativetasks allows administrators time to get their own work done whileproviding them with entertaining evidence of the teachers’ineffectiveness for the next time they meet with otheradministrators.9. Of course, collaboration is not limited to K-12 schools but also takes placebetween different organizations, such as nonprofit and governmentagencies. I also have experience in those realms and learned thefollowing:9.1. Most collaborations between organizations are asymmetrical,meaning one organization usually has more resources, clout, etc. thanthe other one.9.1.1. This leads to a dynamic that my brother (who is a lobbyist) onceexplained to me as the following: whoever has the most money getsthe most democracy. v9.1.2. Individuals who are not aware of this dynamic may findcollaboration between different organizations challenging.vi 10. Another type of collaboration takes place within organizations, such asmuseums. It is important to understand hierarchical thinking in theseinstances vii:10.1. See 8.1 and replace administrator with director and teachers withstaff.10.2. See 8.2.10.3. See 8.3 and replace educators with staff.10.4. See 8.4 and follow the directions for 10.1.10.5. See 8.5 and replace administrator with director. Note thatsycophant may be a term used in museums and other nonprofits, butit is not likely to be applied to any specific personnel as that would behurtful.10.6. See 8.6 and follow directions for 10.110.7. See 8.7 and (again) follow directions for 10.1.10.8. Also, bear in mind, that 10.1 – 10.7 are entirely dependent uponthe whims of the nonprofit or museum boardviii, a carefully selectedgroup of individuals who likely have little experience in theprofessions of the staff they are overseeing.ix11. Universities and Colleges may be seen as another site of ‘collaboration’.11.1. In these spaces, as in the ones mentioned in 8 – 10, collaboration maybe referred to by other terms or be a part of a larger task.11.1.1. “Networking”, working on “committees”, doing “research”, and“graduate assisting” are a few examples.11.1.2. Hierarchical thinking, as described in 9.2 and 10 continues to beprevalent.x xi12. In conclusion, collaboration could be seen as a utopian concept.12.1. However, if you still insist on trying it, I have a few pointers thatmight help.12.1.1. Bring snacks.12.1.2. Be respectful and kind.12.1.3. Try to get to know your fellow collaborators in terms of race,culture, gender, sexuality, background, and general concerns.xiixiii12.1.4. Listen to your fellow collaborators.12.1.5. Communicate clearly, remembering 14.1.2.12.1.6. Set a time frame in advance.12.1.7. Have an idea of what you hope to achieve.12.1.8. Write shit down.12.1.9. Remember that humans are “intensely social” creatures, who,though complex, also share commonalities. xivi Please never doubt my love for the Society of Friends. I just do not have the time or the amount of peanut buttersandwiches that a task of this size would require.ii Sartre, J.-P., & Camus, A. (2015). No Exit and Three Other Plays. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.iii Eternalised. (2021, May 15). No Exit | Jean Paul Sartre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u9NJrk97JYiv Sartre, J.-P., & Camus, A. (2015). No Exit and Three Other Plays. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, p. 3.v I know you are wondering, but, no, on that Thanksgiving in 2007, he did not think that there was anythingconcerning about his statement. As a 25-year-old white, male, who had recently graduated from the University ofTexas, and had just been hired by a valet customer at the Four Seasons to join a Texas Legislator’s office, hiswisdom was boundless.vi Yin, J., & Jamali, D. (2021). Collide or Collaborate: The Interplay of Competing Logics and Institutional Work inCross-Sector Social Partnerships. Journal of Business Ethics, 169(4), 673–694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04548-85vii, This is despite what one may have read in graduate school.viii Again, despite what one may have read in graduate school.ix If they attended graduate school at all, it was likely in what they would term a more fiscally responsible field. (See9.1.1.)x As I am now writing this in a university, we may be able to recognize that race, class, gender, sexuality, ethnicbackground, and privilege is performed all influence how collaboration is carried out.xi On the other hand, maybe not: Davis, D. J., Chaney, C., Edwards, L., Thompson-Rogers, G. K., & Gines, K. T.(2011). Academe as Extreme Sport: Black Women, Faculty Development, and Networking. Negro EducationalReview, 62/63(1–4), 167–187.xii Freire, P. (2014). Pedagogy of the oppressed (Thirtieth anniversary edition.). Bloomsbury.xiii hooks, bell. (2013). Writing beyond race: living theory and practice (1st ed.). Routledge.xiv Adolphs, R. (2003). COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE: Cognitive neuroscience of human social behaviour. Nature
1. To be clear, I am writing on my own, as an individual, to direct the readeron how to effectively collaborate with other people or organizations.There will be no collaboration in the writing of this Manifesto.2. I am not collaborating with anyone on the writing of this Manifesto, forseveral reasons.2.1. I have a strict time frame.2.2. Collaboration is tiring.2.3. It’s the end of the summer.2.4. It’s hot.2.5. I simply do not have the time to endlessly discuss this issue withanother person or group of people, (see 2.1)2.6. I am not a Quaker.i3. Collaborate comes from the Latin, com-, meaning "with", and labore,"to work", so literally means “to work with”.4. It took the place of an Old English word, efenwyrkan, which means thesame thing, but sounds Elvish.5. Notice I said “effectively” collaborate. That was intentional. Ineffectivecollaboration is a much more common phenomenon.6. Many find collaboration challenging, difficult, or impossible because itinvolves working productively with a person or group of people who arenot yourself. It is interesting to note that there is nothing in the phrase“to work with” that defines how “to work with”.7. Jean-Paul Sartre once said, “Hell is other people”. The workii in which hesaid this is an exemplary example of how to collaborate ineffectively. iii7.1. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the play focuses on three whiteEuropeans who have gone to hell, which is made up of one roomdecorated in the Second Empire fashion. The entire rest of the worldis left in other undescribed rooms:7.1.1. “GARCIN Are all the other rooms like this one? VALET. Howcould they be? We cater for all sorts: Chinamen and Indians, forinstance. What use would they have for a Second Empire chair?”iv8. I have extensive experience with ineffective collaboration in American K-12schools, where I worked as a teacher for 10 years. Some of what I learned:8.1. Administrators prefer to assign collaborative projects to groups ofteachers or other personnel in whom they have little vested interest.8.2. The time and energy necessary for effective collaboration is generallynot available in K-12 schools.8.3. Because of such constraints, it may be preferable for educators toperform a facsimile of collaboration.8.4. Also, it is most expedient for the administrators if the teachers “workwith” each other to come up with solutions already chosen inadvance.8.3.1. This means that the best collaborators are those whose goals,interests, and priorities most closely match those of theadministrator. (Note-sycophant is not a word commonly used inAmerican K-12 schools.)8.3.2. If, on the outside chance, the group of teachers or otherstakeholders do come up with a solution to a problem that theadministrator did not foresee or approve, it may be expedient tosimply scrap the entire exercise.8.3.3. Administrators enjoy commiserating with each other about howdifficult teachers are to work with. Assigning them collaborativetasks allows administrators time to get their own work done whileproviding them with entertaining evidence of the teachers’ineffectiveness for the next time they meet with otheradministrators.9. Of course, collaboration is not limited to K-12 schools but also takes placebetween different organizations, such as nonprofit and governmentagencies. I also have experience in those realms and learned thefollowing:9.1. Most collaborations between organizations are asymmetrical,meaning one organization usually has more resources, clout, etc. thanthe other one.9.1.1. This leads to a dynamic that my brother (who is a lobbyist) onceexplained to me as the following: whoever has the most money getsthe most democracy. v9.1.2. Individuals who are not aware of this dynamic may findcollaboration between different organizations challenging.vi 10. Another type of collaboration takes place within organizations, such asmuseums. It is important to understand hierarchical thinking in theseinstances vii:10.1. See 8.1 and replace administrator with director and teachers withstaff.10.2. See 8.2.10.3. See 8.3 and replace educators with staff.10.4. See 8.4 and follow the directions for 10.1.10.5. See 8.5 and replace administrator with director. Note thatsycophant may be a term used in museums and other nonprofits, butit is not likely to be applied to any specific personnel as that would behurtful.10.6. See 8.6 and follow directions for 10.110.7. See 8.7 and (again) follow directions for 10.1.10.8. Also, bear in mind, that 10.1 – 10.7 are entirely dependent uponthe whims of the nonprofit or museum boardviii, a carefully selectedgroup of individuals who likely have little experience in theprofessions of the staff they are overseeing.ix11. Universities and Colleges may be seen as another site of ‘collaboration’.11.1. In these spaces, as in the ones mentioned in 8 – 10, collaboration maybe referred to by other terms or be a part of a larger task.11.1.1. “Networking”, working on “committees”, doing “research”, and“graduate assisting” are a few examples.11.1.2. Hierarchical thinking, as described in 9.2 and 10 continues to beprevalent.x xi12. In conclusion, collaboration could be seen as a utopian concept.12.1. However, if you still insist on trying it, I have a few pointers thatmight help.12.1.1. Bring snacks.12.1.2. Be respectful and kind.12.1.3. Try to get to know your fellow collaborators in terms of race,culture, gender, sexuality, background, and general concerns.xiixiii12.1.4. Listen to your fellow collaborators.12.1.5. Communicate clearly, remembering 14.1.2.12.1.6. Set a time frame in advance.12.1.7. Have an idea of what you hope to achieve.12.1.8. Write shit down.12.1.9. Remember that humans are “intensely social” creatures, who,though complex, also share commonalities. xivi Please never doubt my love for the Society of Friends. I just do not have the time or the amount of peanut buttersandwiches that a task of this size would require.ii Sartre, J.-P., & Camus, A. (2015). No Exit and Three Other Plays. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.iii Eternalised. (2021, May 15). No Exit | Jean Paul Sartre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u9NJrk97JYiv Sartre, J.-P., & Camus, A. (2015). No Exit and Three Other Plays. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, p. 3.v I know you are wondering, but, no, on that Thanksgiving in 2007, he did not think that there was anythingconcerning about his statement. As a 25-year-old white, male, who had recently graduated from the University ofTexas, and had just been hired by a valet customer at the Four Seasons to join a Texas Legislator’s office, hiswisdom was boundless.vi Yin, J., & Jamali, D. (2021). Collide or Collaborate: The Interplay of Competing Logics and Institutional Work inCross-Sector Social Partnerships. Journal of Business Ethics, 169(4), 673–694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04548-85vii, This is despite what one may have read in graduate school.viii Again, despite what one may have read in graduate school.ix If they attended graduate school at all, it was likely in what they would term a more fiscally responsible field. (See9.1.1.)x As I am now writing this in a university, we may be able to recognize that race, class, gender, sexuality, ethnicbackground, and privilege is performed all influence how collaboration is carried out.xi On the other hand, maybe not: Davis, D. J., Chaney, C., Edwards, L., Thompson-Rogers, G. K., & Gines, K. T.(2011). Academe as Extreme Sport: Black Women, Faculty Development, and Networking. Negro EducationalReview, 62/63(1–4), 167–187.xii Freire, P. (2014). Pedagogy of the oppressed (Thirtieth anniversary edition.). Bloomsbury.xiii hooks, bell. (2013). Writing beyond race: living theory and practice (1st ed.). Routledge.xiv Adolphs, R. (2003). COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE: Cognitive neuroscience of human social behaviour. Nature
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