How to Make Collaboration Work: Powerful Ways to Build Consensus, Solve Problems, and Make Decisions (Paperback)

~ (Author), Thomas C. Layton (Author) "In 1965, I entered the architecture program at Harvard Graduate School of Design (HGSD)..." (more)
Key Phrases: process design committee, common meeting problems, effective collaborative problem solving, Interaction Associates, Interaction Method, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lawyers, consultants, accountants and managers need to learn how to manage conflict and build effective teams. David Straus captures in this lively book all the best learning about how professionals can facilitate collaboration." -Robert H. Mnookin, Williston Professor of Law, Chairman, Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School

Product Description

Collaboration is an everyday practice that many people find to be a frustrating, even exhausting, experience. How to Make Collaboration Work provides a remedy: five principles of collaboration that have been tested and refined in organizations throughout the world. Author David Straus shows that these methods can help any group make better decisions and function more effectively. The five principles are: Involve the Relevant Stakeholders, Build Consensus Phase by Phase, Design a Process Map, Designate a Process Facilitator, and Harness the Power of Group Memory. Each principle addresses the specific challenges people face when trying to work collaboratively, and each can be applied to any problem-solving scenario.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; illustrated edition edition (September 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576751287
• ISBN-13: 978-1576751282
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #265,368 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Book from a National Leader in Group Empowerment, September 10, 2002

By	Eugene H. Pool (Belmont, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Just plain terrific. David Straus's second book is useful for anyone involved in groups, whether at work, at home, or in the community-- and isn't that all of us? He covers it all-- from very basic details such as how to arrange the furniture in your meeting room, to how to effect the most sophisticated interchanges between participants at the highest levels of authority. Whether you're in business, education, government,or consulting, you'll learn from Straus. He has worked with a wide range of clients, from Ford Motors and the E.P.A. to the City of Denver and the Boston public schools. Throughout the book, his warm personality, absolute candor, and wealth of anecdotes make his principles easy to understand and absorb. A really valuable book from a national leader in group empowerment.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, well-organized guidance., February 23, 2005

By	Bill Godfrey (Mt Stuart, TAS Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book does exactly what the title says it does. It provides clear, well-organized and specific guidance to building collaboration in a whole range of situations and between individuals, within groups and across organizations.

This book is likely to be useful whether you are a professional facilitator or simply someone who needs to get agreement with one or more others. Much of its advice is, of course, widely available elsewhere, but this is a good choice for a single reference. 

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to Make Collaboration Work, August 15, 2007

By	Mohammad Majidy "Lazy Reader" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to work things out with their family, co-workers, managers, or any relationship you may have that requires collaboration.