Collaborative Capital Research Articles

The Living CV project: a model of collaborative learning in third space

The Living CV project is a collaborative initiative launched at a south coast university in the UK, which aims to help students develop their employability skills and evidence their learning outcomes. The project is delivered university-wide from a third space hub, where people from different disciplines and backgrounds come together to work on shared goals. It has therefore provided a way for colleagues across the university to collaborate within third space. In this study we focus on the role of the departmental Living CV Champions and their pivotal role in driving forward this third space project. These champions are situated across the university – in academic departments, in the university’s central Learning and Teaching service and in its career service – but all are working across boundaries and drawing collaborators into the third space of the project. We suggest that the Living CV Champions are also collaboration champions for the institution, in the way in which they support the development of staff networks and knowledge sharing, and therefore the collaborative capital of the institution as a whole. We find that third space projects such as the Living CV can contribute to the development of collaborative capital, act as a gateway for staff to wider communities of practice and build confidence for those engaged in them. In this case study we illustrate one route to achieving this, through a champions model which breaks down traditional academic silos and encourages wider collaboration.

Building upstream supplier capabilities for downstream customization: The role of collaboration capital

AbstractOffering highly customized products and services is an attractive strategic option for firms in business‐to‐business (B2B) markets. However, as effective customization for downstream customers requires significant reliance on upstream suppliers, capabilities of upstream suppliers become central to firm strategies to produce customized offerings. Despite the importance of upstream supplier capabilities for downstream customization, there is a scarcity of research on how firms build their suppliers' capabilities for effective customization. Building on the foundations of research streams on customization, capabilities, and collaboration, this research tests a model which illustrates that (i) upstream supplier capabilities can result in positive customization outcomes for downstream markets and (ii) a firm's collaboration capital can build upstream supplier capabilities directly and also indirectly through supplier communication. Analyses of data collected from 189 organizations that extensively engage in downstream customization reveal the role of collaboration capital—conceptualized as a higher order factor with collaboration orientation, collaborative flexibility, and collaborative communication as first‐order dimensions—in building upstream supplier capabilities for downstream customization. We conclude with a delineation of the contributions, theoretical and practical implications, and limitations of this research.

The usual suspects? Distribution of collaboration capital in marine biodiversity research

International scientific collaboration is vital for supporting global and regional measures to protect marine biodiversity in and beyond national jurisdiction. While scientists and governments seem to agree that scientific cooperation is also needed to reduce global imbalances to explore and exploit marine biodiversity, progress in defining and assessing developing countries’ needs has been slow. This paper aims to identify some of those needs by mapping the global distribution of scientific publications from the marine biodiversity field from 1990 until 2018. We present bibliographic data gathered from the Web of Science Core Collection using network analysis and article meta-data to examine international cooperation patterns both within and across regions. We introduce a novel measure, ‘collaboration capital’, which, based on metrics derived from a co-authorship network, attempts to gauge how valuable other actors in the network perceive the collaboration with an actor. Our data reveal that the US and Europe’s usual suspects allocate a significant proportion of collaboration capital from all regions. In turn, regional research networks in Asia, South America, and Africa are severely underdeveloped. These results suggest that measures to strengthen scientific collaboration within regions and between neighboring countries may contribute to strengthening regional research networks, for instance, by encouraging large emerging economies such as Brazil and China to become leaders in their regions in this respect. We conclude that capacity-building measures, such as discussed in current marine biodiversity negotiations, should foster regional scale cooperation efforts.

Cross-school ‘close-to-practice’ action research, system leadership and local civic partnership re-engineering an inner-city learning community

This article presents two sequential case reports of how 60 schools in the London Borough of Camden used action research in three phases of development of their local school system reform, from a traditional council-led, top-down model of centrally based professional development and monitoring of schools, to one that is schools-led and ‘bottom-up’ in nature, but still in close partnership with its local council and community. The article uses a sociocultural lens through which to view this journey of self-reform, tracking change through three evolutions of the sociocultural model as professional learning becomes situated in classrooms and between schools in Camden, as motivations to develop and change become increasingly intrinsic and less driven by fear of failure or the consequences of failure. Of critical importance is the feedback-rich context created by adoption of enquiry- and coaching-based learning models at classroom, organizational and system levels. This both fuels and is fuelled by the strategic collaboration of head teachers and by system leadership also provided by middle leaders, whose increased cross-school agency builds improvement capacity and collaborative capital. The article does not report on the action research alone: unlike many accounts of action research for change, this account provides a narrative backdrop in which to locate both scientific and system developments. This is provided through three short vignettes that place the changes reported in a societal, political and community context, without whose energetic actors (in the form of local political and community leaders and school governors) the local ‘civic governance’ so strongly behind these reforms, would not have existed.

Collaborating network in managing post the Mount Merapi's disruption, Indonesia.

Collaborative governance and social capital can help to form a resilient community in the wake of a disaster, such as the eruptions of Mount Merapi in Indonesia. This study examines the successfulness of the handling of disasters in Indonesia, with particular focus on eruptions of Mount Merapi. Disasters foster a close relationship between the government and the community in response to the emergency. This study uses a mixed method to analyse social networks in evaluating the structure of disaster networks in Indonesia and their implications for disaster management. Data were collected via a survey of 100 respondents from 28 institutions representing, for practical purposes, each population identified by each institution (government, non-governmental organisations and volunteers) that participated in handling the Merapi eruption disaster. The findings revealed that considerable miscommunication between institutions reduced the effectiveness of disaster management so that close discussion about conflict resolution was needed to develop more mature and systematic planning. Inter-agency trust is also felt to be necessary in disaster management. Trust between agency members and other institutions strongly supports the success of systematic disaster management. Meanwhile, every institution must foster open leadership by giving individuals with precise knowledge of the situation and the condition of the disaster area a mandate to lead directly in the field. Disaster governance is carried out through the agreement of each institution formed in the Disaster Emergency Planning (Rencana Penanggulangan Kedaruratan Bencana – RPKB) guidelines. These guidelines expect the Government and the community to coordinate with each other in a structured and systematic manner in the process of disaster management.

Complex collaboration champions: university third space professionals working together across borders

ABSTRACTIn an age of global interconnectedness of people, cultures, technology and professions, within higher education, collaborations between university staff increase in complexity and traverse time and space. Global and local changes and challenges give rise to new and hybrid university professionals – third space professionals – often operating outside their predefined work portfolios on various collaborative projects. Analysing the literature on complex collaborations, the authors discuss three dimensions of collaborative engagements: first, culture in its local, national and global representations; second, integration between professions/occupations; and third, the level of interaction/engagement. Integrating these dimensions into a conceptual model, it is proposed that the university third space serves both as a portal between dimensions and as a vehicle for advancing cross-border collaborations. Third space professionals are likely candidates to assume the role of collaboration champions. Further research and development of the proposed model of university complex collaborations will enhance university workforce development, building staff capabilities and thus increasing organisational collaborative capital.

Working Together in a Complex Environment: Collaborative Behaviors and Social Capital

We investigate collaboration in a unique context: nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working together to address a “wicked social problem” in a super-stressed environment. We interviewed NGO leaders involved in HIV/AIDS collaborative initiatives in South Africa. Seven collaborative behaviors were identified. The overarching theme was the influence of interpersonal and interprofessional ties (social capital) on the nature and tone of interorganizational relations. Our findings suggest that collaborative work in this context may differ in three key ways: (1) the timing of stages in the partnership life cycle, (2) the importance and type of trust needed for success, and (3) the interplay between social and collaborative capital.

The Social Capital and the Development of Collaborative Networks in the Tourism Sector: a Case Study on The Grupo Gestor do Turismo Rural do Rio Grande do Sul (Rural Tourism Steering Group) - RS, Brazil

This research aims to contribute to the inter-organizational network analysis perspective discussion, subsidized by the theories of collaborative networks and social capital. Elements based on social capital notions are recognized as greatly influencing collaboration and the actors’ predisposition to collaborate. The qualitative method was adopted, using as techniques the documental research, the direct observation and interviews applied to the members of the Grupo Gestor do Turismo Rural do Rio Grande do Sul (the Rural Tourism Steering Group). The validity of these techniques application was considered to enrich the analysis and to better understand the relationship among the participant actors. Results show that in purposeful and operational terms the group can be characterized as a collaborative inter-organizational network, alternating moments of intense collaboration and independent work. Also relationships based on trust, norms of reciprocity, identification, elements related to social capital theory may be decisive for the group strengthening and continuity, as it is facing a period of transformation.

A Collaborative Capital Planning Process for Departments of Radiology

Having the right capital equipment available by both type and capacity is essential to establishing and maintaining a successful and sustainable radiology practice. Acquiring capital equipment for imaging has become increasingly challenging as the scope and magnitude of imaging services have grown over the past two decades and therewith the magnitude of funding required. Here we describe a comprehensive approach to the problem that depends on, and at the same time promotes, simultaneous investments in both human and social capital.

When collaborative HR practices may not work well: the moderating role of social capital in the Chinese life insurance industry

In this study, we examine the main and interaction effects of insurance agent-focused collaborative HR practices and insurance agents' social capital on their sales performance. Data from 984 participants were collected in five subsidiaries of a large Chinese life insurance company. The results show a strong relationship between social capital and objective sales performance. More importantly, we found a negative interaction effect of collaborative HR practices and network size on individual performance and a positive interaction effect of collaborative HR practices and network range on objective sales performance. The study is unique in that it looks at the interaction between HR and social capital, investigates how HR practices affect individual performance and not firm performance as has been more commonly done, and focuses on one industry to be able to capture the unique aspects of HR practices in that industry. Theoretical contributions, managerial implications, and limitations are also discussed.

Workplace conversations: Building and maintaining collaborative capital

Heavy, pressured workloads are a feature of health workplaces internationally, presenting challenges to communication and contributing to tension and negative emotions. This paper explores supportive and unsupportive workplace conversations between nurses and midwives and their colleagues. The findings focus on qualitative interviews of ten nurses and midwives that were audio-taped and analysed for perceptions about the role of workplace conversations. Conversations between colleagues were significant for building and maintaining collaborative capital, but unsupportive conversations also threatened it. Findings suggest the need for considering the impact of co-worker conversations on workplace culture. Nurse managers and management may play a pivotal role in establishing and maintaining supportive conversations. Recognising the role and potential of workplace conversations for building capacities for support, conflict resolution, job satisfaction and the personal resilience of nurses and midwives can raise the collaborative capital of the workplace.

Collaboration: The Big Picture

A new magazine, ICOSA: Connection and Collaboration, began publication in September, 2008. Dedicated to promoting community partnerships and collaboration of all types, its publisher and editor explain further the importance of collaboration and the vision they have for a new era of cooperation among agencies of academia, business and community. Interview with Gayle Dendinger, Founder and Publisher, and Jan Mazotti, Editor, ICOSA: Connection and Collaboration Jan Mazotti, Editor of ICOSA While public libraries tend to lead the way in understanding and connecting with the larger communities they serve, all types of libraries could benefit from having a deeper understanding of the needs, interests and developments of our communities. Collaboration involves not only partnering with other libraries and librarians; it means connecting in important ways with other persons, groups and agencies within the broader community. A new magazine began publication in September, 2008, devoted precisely to understanding and promoting collaboration on every level of society. With this in mind, Collaborative Librarianship sat down with the Founder and Publisher of ICOSA: Connection and Collaboration magazine, Gayle Dendinger, and with Editor, Jan Mazotti. One would be hardpressed to find more enthusiastic ambassadors for wide-scale collaboration. Gayle Dendinger, CEO of CAP Logistics, an international heavy weight freight carrier, and Member of the Board of Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado at Boulder, is Founder and Publisher of ICOSA. According to his article in a recent Leeds newsletter, http://leeds.colorado.edu/About_Leeds/in terior.aspx?id=2170, Gayle “would like to see Colorado become the collaboration capital of the world.” Jan Mazotti serves as Business Development Director for CAP Worldwide, the international division of CAP Logistics, and is Editor of ICOSA. Jan also is a Board Member of the Alliance for Quality Teaching and for Colorado Performance Excellence, two organizations in Colorado committed to improving education and management through collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.

Collaborative Capital Planning in Charlotte–Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Collaborative Capital Planning in Charlotte–Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Development of computer-supported collaborative social networks in a distributed learning community

This study examines the formation and change of collaborative learning social networks in a distributed learning community. A social network perspective is employed to understand how collaborative networks evolved over time when 31 distributed learners collaborated on a design project using a computer-mediated communication system during two semesters. Special attention was paid to how pre-existing friendship networks influenced the formation of macro-level collaborative learning networks and individual level social capital. We discovered that pre-existing friendship networks significantly influenced the formation of collaborative learning networks, but the effect was dependent on the developmental phase of community. Also, pre-existing networks generally acted as a social liability that constrained learners' ability to enhance their social networks and build social capital when they participated in a new learning environment. The results suggest that, in order to fully understand how to build effective collaborative learning and work environments, participants' social network structures need to be considered.