Collaboration is universally seen as an essential leadership skill. It can improve decision-making, problem-solving, relationships, and innovation. Job profiles and advertisements are littered with this desirable attribute, but what is the flipside, and can you have too much of a good thing?

From a decision-making perspective, a body of evidence suggests unique idea generation suffers within a group setting, and this increases as the size of the group grows. Given that innovation is touted as one of the solutions to the impending challenge facing local government, the leadership trick will be harnessing the benefits of collaboration without stifling innovative thought. Too much emphasis on collaboration can lead to an absence of risk-taking and consensus-based decisions. The diversification of leadership teams is improving, but groupthink remains a phenomenon that can lead to poor decisions.

To foster the innovation required, leaders must strike the right balance between collaboration and individual decision-making.

Creating a culture where people are comfortable sharing ideas that are different from the majority view is part of it. As is celebrating different working styles, as not everybody collaborates in the same way. Accountability is an important consideration too. People are less likely to go with the flow and make poor decisions where accountability exists. And giving people clear expectations and outcomes for collaborating will make them much more likely to be effective and productive. Given that collaboration via email, instant messaging, phone, and video has risen by 50% in the past decade and consumes 85% of most people's working week, leaders must ensure it is purposeful and done effectively. It is harder and more contrived to collaborate post-pandemic, which can lead to greater demands on people's time and burnout. For better decisions, more innovation, and a more fulfilled workforce, let's collaborate on the right things at the right time.

Greg Hayes is a director at Tile Hill Executive Recruitment

This article is sponsored content for The MJ