A question that I regularly get, and that I really enjoy talking about, is “Why don’t you call it cooperation? Collaboration reminds me of people working with the Nazis…”. And they’re totally right. The term is historically occupied and brings along some horrific connotations. But that doesn’t mean we should just do away with the term. What if we re-occupy collaboration and give it new meaning? Isn’t the intensity of co-laborate (labor!) way more beautiful than the mechanistic co-operate?
The Tamarack Institute is an absolute institution when it comes to thinking about collaboration and they have published many resources that have inspired me and many practitioners in the field. One of their hallmark articles is about the spectrum of collaboration. Collaboration is not a single action but can take many forms, depending on the partners involved and their goals. It ranges from competition to full integration, offering various modalities of working together—making it essential to clarify the nature of the collaboration from the outset.
Successful collaboration begins with clarity of purpose and a strong start to build trust and engagement. The spectrum encourages partners to align expectations and define their roles, avoiding conflict and inefficiency. Leadership plays a crucial role in convening the right people and guiding them through complex, purpose-driven collaboration. Shared ownership, accountability, and governance agreements—like action plans and decision-making strategies—are key to long-term success. The goal is to move beyond superficial cooperation to coordinated, collaborative, or even integrated efforts that deliver real systems change.
For non-profits and social businesses, this means being deliberate about partnership strategies and ensuring alignment with organisational goals and values. And for me, ultimately, the collaboration phase is a key step in a structured pathway to collective impact. It’s the phase when borders between teams become diffuse. When leadership, if truly working in service of the purpose of their organisation, can let go of their kingdoms. When organisations become organic movements towards a common good.
That’s what I talk about, when I talk about collaboration. If this sounds like something you want to do more of and could use a little help figuring things out: please get in touch! Meantime, you can read the full article on the Tamarack Institute website, along with a lot more resources. Enjoy!