Collaboration Design

A step-by-step guide to successful collaboration

“When great results depend on working with others, you can’t afford to leave things to chance.”

In this book, Mark Elliott shares the collaboration design method that has seen his firm deliver high-impact results in hundreds of initiatives with government agencies over the last decade.

Grounded in Mark’s doctoral research, the Collabforge Method is a proven, step-by-step process for bringing people together, keeping them together, and delivering great results.

What you’ll learn

The 36 included tools will help you to:

  • Determine the value of collaboration for a given situation
  • Communicate its vision and value to others
  • Bring people together to gain their commitment and participation
  • Work through and resolve challenging tensions
  • Sustain or grow your group to any size needed

Available in e-book and Kindle formats, paperback and hardcover

What’s been said about Collaboration Design:

Collaboration Design translates the vague promise of collaboration into concrete, specific and practical steps. Whether you are designing a product, policy or service, Mark Elliott’s engaging analysis of successful collaboration makes a powerful case for why collaboration matters, and clearly lays out how to do it.’

BETH SIMONE NOVECK, Professor, New York University, and Director, The Governance Lab


‘Mark Elliott’s research is meticulous and his prose is direct and free of jargon. I recommend Collaboration Design to anyone involved in or interested in online and offline collaboration.’

HOWARD RHEINGOLD, bestselling author of The Virtual Community


‘Over 30 years of work, I’ve learned that collaboration determines success. I’ve also been lucky enough to experience first-hand the down-to-earth mentorship of Mark Elliott and Collabforge. This book effectively captures many years of practice and presents an easy-to-understand set of methods and tools anyone can use.’

CHRIS VEIN, former Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy



What’s included in the book:

Understanding Collaboration
 – What Collaboration Isn’t
 – What Collaboration Is
 – Why Collaboration Often Falls Short
 – When Collaboration Succeeds
 – Collaboration Design
 – The Three Principles of Collaboration

The 36 Tools included in The Collabforge Method:  

  Decide   

      Tool 1: Your Value Proposition for Collaboration   
      Tool 2: The Collaboration Premium   
      Tool 3: Support for Collaboration   
      Tool 4: The Shared Capability Baseline   
      Tool 5: Space for Collaboration   


  Convene   

      Tool 6: A Draft Collaboration Design   
      Tool 7: The Why–How–What Pitch   
      Tool 8: Participant Mapping for the Core, Community and Crowd   
      Tool 9: The Double-Sided Value Proposition   
      Tool 10: The Ask   
      Tool 11: Inputs to Your First Group Discussion   


  Cocreate   

      Tool 12: The Facilitation Runsheet   
      Tool 13: Individual Perspectives   
      Tool 14: The Why–How–What Discussion   
      Tool 15: Ideas on Display   
      Tool 16: Aligned Understandings   
      Tool 17: The LEGO Challenge   
      Tool 18: A Shared Definition of Collaboration   
      Tool 19: The Collaboration Plan   
      Tool 20: Detailed Participation Map and Core Formation   


  Resolve  

      Tool 21: Question-Storming   
      Tool 22: Hearts and Elephants   
      Tool 23: Check-in   
      Tool 24: Soliciting Constructive Feedback   
      Tool 25: Brainstorm, Bundle and Bind – the 3Bs   
      Tool 26: A Collaboration Self-Assessment   
      Tool 27: The Perspective Modeller   


  Maintain

      Tool 28: A Single Source of Truth   
      Tool 29: Refocusing and Realising Outcomes   
      Tool 30: The 3Cs Engagement Plan   
      Tool 31: An Activity Catalyst   


    Grow   

      Tool 32: The Golden Staircase   
      Tool 33: A Growth Assessment   
      Tool 34: Onboarding Participants   
      Tool 35: A 3Cs Analysis of Technologies for Growth   
      Tool 36: When to Stop Collaborating