Graduate Skill - Collaboration

Collaboration is a skill that requires working with other people to achieve a desired outcome. Collaboration within a team situation requires a shared goal and an ability to negotiate roles, responsibilities and contributions. Successful teamwork values and respects individual contributions while each member carries out their agreed responsibilities and is accountable for the quality of their input.

Collaboration is valued as an important attribute that enables people to work well in teams in a synergistic and respectful manner. In today’s work place, collaboration is considered an essential skill that provides an avenue for flexible thinking, problem solving, sharing of knowledge and determining future direction.

A person who collaborates effectively:

• Works successfully with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Shows appreciation for the contributions of others.
• Productively contributes to the group.
• Defines roles and responsibilities and negotiates own position.
• Networks with identified strengths of others to reach a desired outcome.
• Keeps other participants informed as to progress towards achieving goals.
• Accepts intellectual criticism, applies conflict and resolution strategies, compromises and negotiates with group members.
• Reflects on own contribution, provides evaluative feedback to others involved in a collaborative process and accepts feedback on own performance from them.
• Contributes to a supportive environment that fosters collaboration.

Introductory

• Identifies and defines roles and responsibilities of a team/group.
• Follows modelled and scaffolded group strategies
• Works in pairs or small groups with a prepared task.
• Uses courteous and tactful communication with group members.
• Delivers outputs to the group that enable the completion of a set project.

Developing

• Identifies the value of collaboration.
• Works effectively in a group.
• Cogenerates a solution or justification to a problem.
• Evaluates collaborative performance of self and peers.
• Accepts feedback on collaboration techniques from peers/lecturer/tutor.
• Analyses and reflects on observed collaboration strategies within Work Integrated Learning contexts.

Graduate

• Shows advanced characteristics of effective team work strategies.
• Employs collaboration in Work Integrated Learning settings with professional proficiency.
• Analyses and evaluates collaborative processes in work place settings and suggests improvements.
• Extends ability to work effectively in a group, recognises own strengths and develops confidence in being a lifelong contributor to achieve common goals.