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This is why you need collaborations

zooboole

Published By zooboole

Collaboration is the only solution that will take us to the next stage. We have gotten to the point that everyone knows what needs to be done. Everyone has a bit of the skill required to satisfy those needs. All that is left is for us to join the hands together and get things done.

So how come collaborating has become a huge barrier? Why is it that engineers and other experts in various fields find it so difficult to mingle and solve problems in Africa?

In one of my previous articles, I tried to bring out the reasons why African developers and startups do not like collaborations. Yesterday, I was at Se. Consulting Ltd with the CEO Komla Baka and Prof. Patrick Fred Acquah, U.C.C Educational Psychology in Accounting & Economics, and as usual I brought the issue of collaborations amongst ourselves. While we were exchanging ideas and trying to explain the reasons why it's difficult for young Africans to come together, it came to me some few reasons which we discussed extensively and that I would like to share with you in this short article.

Specialization

We are usually versatile. That gives us the feeling of being the Kingkongs, the one who can do everything. The lack of skills in the continent has been lasting for quite some time now. This forces everyone to learn as many skills as possible which could help them to be self-reliable and self-sufficient. This practice prevents us from specializing in an appropriate field. Which I consider as a wound. We need to know our strength and learn how to join/plug our know-how with others'.

I insist on the specialization because, when we do so we are forced to require other people's specialties anytime we have a project. This systematically imposes collaboration on us in any situation. An environment in which one man can be at the same time a Carpenter, Welder, the mason, and a Medical Doctor and much more parallel skills, it would be impossible to collaborate with him. Such people always lack mastery, focus, and they live in a deep illusion of perfect knower causing other people to flair it and try to avoid them. You feel like you are good enough but nobody seems to be interested in working with you. Imagine you are going to work for a client with such level. This will be always a source of confusion and discords just like I mention it at section 6 of this article.

Antagonistic mindset

We grow in a bracketed education system. The system is designed for competitivity and opposition among students but not to encourage collaboration and dependance.

Our parents have also been trained in the same systems, thus, they want their kids crossing everyone on the way and becoming the best. There is no best without others participating in our making. Such a mindset doesn't like collaboration but domination.

Hypocrisy & Dishonesty

I can't write this without criticizing ourselves. When you talk to a brother about a burning idea that you hope he would welcome it. Instead, you get a "hmmm, it's cool". After that the next thing you see is him making of your idea a module of a project. He would not recognize that you gave him the idea, nor he would admit that he stole it from you or simply admit that you are talking about something he's thinking of.

Notice this about those answers. It either means "wow, just like what I am thinking of right now" or "wow, this could be cool if I add it to that my project".

This is where the dishonesty comes in. He had that in mind but he would not express his knowledge or his desire for the thought, instead, he keeps silent and admits with the veracity of it internally. This could have been the occasion to expand your knowledge on the topic. Doing so allows other people to confirm that you had an idea or thought of the subject.

In case it just inspired you to come up with a solution, recognize it. Give credit. Let people know how it came to you. I will discuss this more in the following sections.

We don't give credit where credit is due

As a continuation of the previous section, let's look at this issue closer. I am a blogger, and over the past five years in this activity I have learned the importance of referencing the sources of your inspiration:

  • It creates a tree of knowledge and information which allows us to find the origin of an information
  • It increases the author's credibility because they inherit that of the originator
  • It increases the audience of your content because it inherits the originator's audience
  • It testifies that you researched before writing like Prof. Patrick says it well.
  • It also testifies that you did not plagiarize
  • It's also a proof that you respect the field and that you respect others work.
  • It motivates others to do more because they know that people are following their cause.
  • etc.

It doesn't matter if the people are popular, celebrities, best sellers, or a simple student. That's why this section is entitled "give credit where credit is due". There is no shame in saying that so so person inspired me or told me such and such. You would avoid many legal disputes if you give credit where it is due. If you found your business on an existing idea and make mention of it explicitly, in many cases, the originator would not want to harm you. But if you try to show that you are the originator instead, it would hurt them and they would hurt you back.

We don't want to get dirty

In simple terms, we don't want our names to be associated with others' things because we don't judge them worthy. This can be either underrating or a full lack of trust. In general, we think others are not good enough for us to join their team: the losers. In this case, I think you should consider that your presence can make these people better. They would learn from you and it's an opportunity for you to change them for the better you wish they are.

Trust

They must be some trust in any collaboration, and trust is a huge concern in teams. We can admit that hardly people trust each other when we collaborate. Most of us are afraid of such collisions and do not want to venture. But this should not stop us. Good deals and collaboration must go with explicit terms and conditions, contracts and agreement that each part must adhere to. Do not venture in any collaboration without establishing the borders of your relationship.

I was told during this discussion that one of our friends just lost 5M because his colleague emptied their account and run to the USA. Obviously, this wouldn't have been possible if their account was signed by both partners.

The trust issue is common in any business and in any country. It shouldn't stop us from collaborating. Do not trust, but always collaborate.

Thank you for reading.