A CASE STUDY IN COLLABORATION: Looking back at the National Graphic Design Archive

Visible Language, 2004 by Remington, R Roger

There were considerable differences among the schools in their digital capabilities and technical support. This created a serious imbalance when it came to delegation of resources as the institution with the greater computer resources felt the need for more of the grant monies. Another larger technical difficulty was that the Macintosh computer and the Internet were in early stages of development so the three schools were wed to different existing technologies. If the consortium were to begin in 2003, the technology issues would be fewer. The National Graphic Design Archive, which had started out with such grand expectations and potential, diminished ultimately in realizing its major goals of collaboration toward a functional national network. It was a victim of the risky challenge of interinstitutional collaboration.

In retrospect, what lessons were learned from this project? What might institutions be aware of as they sense a need and respond to a motivation to work together in addressing a common challenge?

What follows is one participant's look in the rearview mirror, offered as a set of constructive suggestions for future collaborative ventures between institutions:

- Consortia provide excellent opportunities for participants to evaluate their own work in relationship to others.

- Consortia are very appealing organizations for funding agencies and foundations.

- When establishing a consortium, there needs to be a conscious equity in every aspect of the project, in the organization, in the mission, in the administration and organization, in the program development plan and in the expected deliverables.

- Participants must realize up front the amount of energy and passion that will be necessary to overcome the lethargy and pressure for maintaining the separate institutional status quo.

- The consortia should consider hiring an organizational consultant to bring objectivity to the planning process.

- In the initial planning, the group should emphasize strategies for sustaining the vitality of the organization into the future.

- Participants should read the current and classic literature on organizational planning such as the book, Why Change Doesn't Work by Robbins and Finley (1996).

- From the outset, participants should devote time, energy and resources to monitoring the psychodynamics of the organization itself and the means by which participating individuals interrelate.

Sociologist Warren Bennis (1969) was realistic when he wrote, "Collaboration is always an achievement not a gift. It is usually attained through open and grueling confrontation of differences, through conflicts faced and resolved, through limited areas of collaboration growing into larger areas of collaboration as fuller trust develops." Finally, when thinking about collaborative relationships, it is instructive to remember the wisdom of the Gestalt psychologists when they offered, "the whole is different from and greater than the sum of its parts."

RESOURCES

Bennis, W.G., Benne, K.D. and Chin, R. 1969. The Planning of Change, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 147.