Whether you’re a business executive or a lawyer in a law firm, an in-house counsel or a sole practitioner, you have probably wondered whether collaboration matters to your business and how it can help. Heidi Gardner initially explored these questions during her tenure at McKinsey & Co. She continued that exploration later in the course of obtaining a doctorate on the subject of group collaboration. In her research, spanning what is now a period of 20 years, Dr. Gardner found that teams that fully leverage their members’ talents earn higher margins, inspire greater client loyalty and attract and retain the best talent. Much of that research culminated in her recent book, Smart Collaboration: How Professionals and Their Firms Succeed by Breaking Down Silos.
I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Gardner, a lecturer at Harvard Law School, about her book, Smart Collaboration, during which we discussed how teams can effectively collaborate, what it takes to be a great collaborator and how technology can help foster smart collaboration.
Dr. Gardner also shared with me some of the secrets of fostering smart collaboration. For more of our wide-ranging discussion, click on the video below.