22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Sorry, but I can't agree., December 13, 2009
This review is from: The Collaborative Habit: Life Lessons for Working Together (Hardcover)
I was eager to own this book after hearing Ms Tharp (who I think is brilliant)interviewed on NPR. After reading the book jacket and reviews here on Amazon I even thought this book might be a good gift for my work team at our annual training. Unfortunately the book is mostly anecdotes strung together into chapter form, triple spaced in large font format; perhaps charming, but not a substantial read. I felt compelled to write a review because this is not "how-to" or a "business book" as the jacket claims and the current reviews here are somewhat misleading. Buy it if you love theater and want a slim text to adorn your coffee table but don't expect more.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK, to a point, October 23, 2010
I enjoyed Tharp's
The Creative Habit immensely. I consider it one of the clearest statements of what it takes to succeed in a creative field, be it dance, art, engineering, or any of the sciences. So I dove into this with high hopes.
I fully agree with everything she says. Collaborations differ according to whether the rest of the team is nearby or distant, or is a friend, institution, or community. Collaboration is learned, and it matters critically in all but the smallest kind of endeavor. And, as in everything else, careful preparation and hard, continuous work improve your chances of success as much as they can be improved. Tharp illustrates these points largely through her own experience with dancers like Barishnikov, dance companies around the world, and small companies of her own. Always, in the relationship between choreographer and dancer, there is an asymmetry: the choreographer designs and the dancer executes. Tharp emphasizes the other half of this relationship as well: the choreographer pays close attention to each dancer, as well, in order to discover and play to their unique strengths. And, of course, performers collaborate with the audience. She illustrates this with "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." That nearly failed as a stage production until the creators added one song: the introduction, "... comedy tonight." Once viewers had their expectations set properly, they loved it.
Each chapter ends with a case study: Steve Martin, clothing designer Norma Kamali, her experience with David Byrne, and more. These add focus and concreteness to the discussion. They also emphasize the rewards of successful collaboration for all concerned. I found the discussion lacking in a few ways, however. Perhaps Tharp has never had a collaborator she just couldn't get along with. A little professionalism goes a long way, but the pathological cases do exist. You can't always just bail, so a little more mention of damage control might have helped. Perhaps that asks too much though - to paraphrase Tolstoy, "Happy collaborations are all alike; every unhappy collaboration is unhappy in its own way." Tharp also concentrates on collaborations between peers, albeit peers with different responsibilities in the collaboration. Nearly all collaborations in industry involve management hierarchies. Although engineers (drawing on my own experience) and managers can often work together in their different spheres, the boss/bossed relationship can't be denied and imposes special demands of its own.
I found "The Collaborative Habit" helpful, entertaining, and very readable. There's a lot to agree with, including one gem: "... really smart and talented people don't hoard the 'secrets' of their success - they share them." I appreciate brevity, too. Without its airy typesetting, this ~150 page book might have been half as long. Despite her wide experience, however, Tharp seems to lack experience in some of the kinds of collaborations in which many people must engage. This book is good, but it's not the classic that I consider "The Creative Habit" to be.
- wiredweird
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Collaboration Skills for 21st Century Success, December 3, 2009
This review is from: The Collaborative Habit: Life Lessons for Working Together (Hardcover)
From politicians who embrace transparency to progressive CEOs who value employee engagement, it's clear their success is driven by their proficiency at getting others to "buy in" to what they're "selling"; and what they're selling is "trust". By building enough trust, they can usually achieve their goals with a great deal of mutual collaboration. Both parties win when the collaborative process goes smoothly; of course, when it doesn't, the results are rarely favorable.
Twyla Tharp certainly understands this, and has compiled this highly engaging book detailing her personal collaborative experiences. Although most of those experiences have been successful, she's quick to point out some of her less than stellar moments, with her spin on why things didn't go as planned. Her approach is refreshingly candid without blaming others for the problems; like any good collaboration, egos are kept in check. Results are much more favorable when the parties can communicate openly, with no hidden agendas.
This is a most enlightening perspective from an extremely successful person, who's built an entire career on making the most of her collaborative efforts. In this day and age of instant information, practically everyone needs to learn the skills of making collaboration a good habit; one you'd never want to break. Going it alone just won't fly these days.
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