Some thoughts on the theory of collaborative advantage, having read about the theory and how it was developed in Managing to collaborate, one of the B325 course readers.
The theory of collaborative advantage is a practice-oriented theory based on extensive empirical research carried out during several collaborations, with the authors of the theory playing active roles as members within those collaborations.
Reading about the theory has already given me confidence by demonstrating that the inertia I have experienced in previous collaborations I have been involved with was a very typical symptom of the nature of collaboration!
From a reactive point of view, I feel confident that the theory can guide me by offering pointers to potential trouble spots that could be causing inertia in a given collaboration.
Taking a more proactive approach, it could help me to ensure that potential problem areas are better addressed in advance in order to mitigate where possible the risk of inertia occurring in the first place.
(Source: Huxham and Vangen, 2005).
