Carol Jacklin-JarvisModerator Post 1
• 20 October 2016, 8:03 AM • Edited by Matthew Driver on 31 October 2016, 9:55 AMWeek 6, Activity 7 Nurturing the collaboration garden
You can post your diagram of a collaboration garden in this thread. First hit reply, then add your diagram or a photo as an attachment to your message. Please be aware that the largest file size you can post is 500 KB. (If you are struggling just post request for help in the discussion and we will do out best to advise you.)
Here's my reflection on how I (Carol) and my colleagues nurtured collaboration in my previous work in children's services. Certainly watering the garden meant holding numerous one-to-one meetings around the formal meetings of the collaboration. There was lots of informal relationship building to tend the fragile plants of our joint projects. This took considerable time - visiting key partners, getting to know people, offering them support and advice. The nurturing continued in formal meetings through careful adoption of an inclusive approach - ensuring everyone had their say; making time for listening as well as decision-making. These activities remind me of the way in which I have to get on my knees with my trowel to gently prepare the ground around each plant in my own back garden. This tending is gentle but time-consuming work.
Yet, there was also a need to make decisions, and sometimes this led to pain, with individuals and organizations choosing to withdraw from the collaboration. This is the pruning of the garden. I always find it hard when partners choose to withdraw from a collaboration, but sometimes it is the only way that the work can move forward, as the partners who are left behind are able to reach a consensus and act together.
Being prepared to prune and weed, as well as tend and water, is an important element of leadership in collaborative contexts. Tell us about your experience of engaging in these activities. We'd love to see your diagrams, but if you are hesitant about sharing your artistic skills, then just join the conversation by hitting reply.
In the meantime, you can see my attempt to draw a simplified version of my experience of nurturing a garden of collaboration in the attached document.
Drawing the garden was interesting dont usually get time to creative in
this way. It allowed me to look at the relationships between different
aspects that underpin collaborative relationships.
Hi Ian
Glad it was a useful reflection. Did the need for pruning and weeding resonate, as well as the watering and tending? In other words, did you recognize the need for decisive action, and a bit of politicking alongside the more familiar 'nurturing' activities?
Carol
Most definitely identified the need to prude and weed. With the current challenges and stress within the system decisive action is occasionally required. This of course can be difficult to manage, particularly in a democratically structured organisation and one that is driven by strong values. The most frustrating thing I find is the lack of open dialogue between partners, one has to unpick so much conversation that is shrouded in the mists of politicking that resources and time is wasted. If one appears too honest then you can be disliked and feel that you are being pruned as well!
My garden is on the collaborative relationship I have with a local adult learning school where I provide free-to-access arts workshops.
I made a tree the centre of the image - the tree is stable, rooted, and shows age - this to me, represents the stability of the experience of the school, its international network, its reputation.
The blossoms, flowers and berries of the tree are the students - they need feeding, time and nurturing the flourish. They also drop or fly off the tree to fertilise the school through their later achievements, and sharing their positive experience with their friends, family, etc
I thought of the tutors as the rain and weather. Rain is essential and weather (tutors) come with its own perspective, its own impact, but when it comes together in a positive (sunny) way it makes the best impact for the students (photosynthesis to grow).
Beside the tree, I added a watering can full with fertiliser - this represents the boost of funding, of growing a social media network, of positive recommendations, support from the council, etc.
(see photo here: http://tinypic.com/r/2z5m5a0/9 had trouble uploading)
Garden
Digger to breakdown barriers/clear the way forward. (Grant Funder and Service provider)
Fertiliser to feed the plant (Grant Funder)
Seeds to plant (Service Provider)
Individual plants (Instrument pupils)
Bed of flowers (New Choir)
Supported Saplings (Service provider, Choir and instrument pupils)
Fully Grown Tree to last for decades (Improved Community spirit, musical appreciation)
Project
12 months funding to deliver regular free concerts (Jazz, brass bands, Grunge, singers) and free musical instrument tuition (drums, guitar, piano, organ and trumpet) and refreshments to disadvantaged area of city.
Sorry have been unable to get garden drawing below 500kb
Hi John
Sorry you weren't able to load the picture. I am struck by the inclusion of a digger in your garden for two reasons. First, it reinforces the significance of preparation when growing a collaborative project. Second, it highlights the scale of the work to prepare the ground - it takes a digger rather than a hand trowel! All of this suggests a long-term approach to collaboration, rather than a short-term approach.
Thanks for this contribution.
Carol
Week 6 – Activity 7 Nurturing the collaboration garden
Let me paint you a picture of my garden…
Welcome to my sensory garden.
The rising sun at the top of the picture is a bright start to proceedings and represents the warmth of collaboration. A keenly trimmed privet hedge encloses the sensory garden and represents the council’s revised and strict budget framework. Planted just in front of the shorn hedges, are the seeds of change – a mix of Sweet Williams and Snap Dragons. These seeds represent new beginnings amongst an adjusted and adjusting council workforce.
In the left-hand corner of the garden is a glasshouse, which represents the council’s office. It offers panoramic views of their borough responsibilities. In the right-hand corner is a shed with many useful tools on display, which represents our charity’s resource centre. Outside the glasshouse and the shed are pots containing lavender and are frequented by bees flying between the lavender plants. The bees drawing an abstract association of people going about their business and making the most of what is available.
Set in the foreground and between the glasshouse and the shed, is a bench. It sits beneath a trellis archway, which provides an integrated and supportive structure for the young shoots of the hop plants at the left-hand and the right-hand base of the trellis. These hop plants represent a joint binding enterprise to advance access to council services for our visually impaired patrons. There is a watering can pitched over each aromatic hop plant. These represent a commitment to nourish the growth of this joint enterprise so that both organisations can advance towards reaching a happy medium. Two pairs of secateurs loom over the top of the trellis, and represent a need for both organisations to meet, carry out discussions and pruning of loose ends and cut out inefficiencies in the form of side shoots. Dutifully they return to their respective organisations to debrief and critique.
At the bottom of the picture and beckoning you in, are irregular shaped stepping stones leading you directly to the bench. And sitting on that bench are two ladies. One with a golden retriever guide dog at her feet and the other lady, is clasping a short white symbol cane.
Hi Darren
What a great word picture you paint here. I have a real sense of the possibilities of collaboration, albeit with an acknowledgement of the very real constraints and need for tough actions on the part of the collaborating organisations. I do wonder though how the balance that you portray here is maintained over time, the 'happy medium' as you describe it - especially in the light of the tendency towards collaborative inertia that is evidenced in so many cross-sector partnerships. Do you have any insights to share with us all on this?
Carol
Using the garden analogy, I focused on the tree with branches showing all the organisations working (fairly) equally to create/grow and hold up the project/tree.
Week 6 Activity 7
I found it really interesting thinking about the collaboration using this metaphor. It helped me to think more clearly about roles and the nature of engagement and the various activities involved in making things happen. Taking the metaphor further it also highlighted the dissappointment when things dont work but the fact that you need to choose the right plants for the right soil, positioning and weather conditions.I though about the process for engaging and relationship building and how tentative it was at first. Getting to know people, getting them to prioritise meetings, creating an environment of openess and honesty where we can build people's confidence and get to the knotty problems.
Decision making was often difficult and complex because individual soverignty was played as a trump card against the partnership. so pruning activity focused on debunking the myths and removing the obstacles.