Smarter Collaboration: A New Approach to Breaking Down Barriers and Transforming Work

"Market volatility. Sustainability demands. Opportunities and hazards of fast-changing technology and regulations. The challenges for companies in a VUCA world are more daunting than ever. How can we collaborate in our organizations-and with outside partners-to solve problems, innovate, and succeed? In her bestselling first book, Smart Collaboration, Heidi K. Gardner brought her years of research and experience at Harvard Business School, Harvard Law School, and McKinsey to the thorny problem of how to collaborate in professional service firms. Her key insight: firms that collaborate across silos generate higher revenues and profits, innovate faster, build stronger client relationships, and attract and retain better talent. The book quickly became the go-to resource on collaboration for PSFs. Since then, Gardner has engaged with tens of thousands of senior business leaders from around the world. Turns out that the challenge of smart collaboration exists far more broadly, in organizations in such diverse industries as financial services, healthcare, biotech/pharma, consumer products, automotive, technology, and more. Now, in Smarter Collaboration, Gardner teams up with senior executive Ivan Matviak to help any organization implement the principles of smart collaboration. As with all fast-growing business trends, the key question quickly becomes how to execute on the ideas and avoid the potential pitfalls. Gardner and Matviak combine their wisdom to advance the state of the art of smart collaboration. Filled with rich stories and cases, new empirical research, and loads of practical tips and advice, Smarter Collaboration is essential reading for leaders and managers in today's complex, data-rich, war-for-talent environment.
We need a new approach for solving tough problems in a complex world we need to collaborate smarter.Market volatility. Sustainability demands. Hybrid working. Opportunities and hazards of fast-changing technology and regulations. Companies and nonprofits face more daunting challenges than ever. How can we collaborate in our organizations and with outside partners to solve problems, innovate, and succeed?Smarter Collaboration offers groundbreaking solutions. This indispensable new book lays out a pragmatic action plan blending rich stories, new empirical research, and loads of practical advice to help companies thrive by collaborating more effectively. As Harvard professor Heidi K. Gardner and senior executive Ivan A. Matviak show, firms that collaborate smarter consistently generate higher revenues and profits, boost innovation, strengthen client relationships, and attract and retain better talent. In this successor to Gardner's bestselling first book, Smart Collaboration, the authors expand their mandate, illustrating the fundamental dynamics of collaborating well across industries like financial services, health care, biotech/pharma, consumer products, automotive, and technology.Based on their research with thousands of executives from around the world, they share deep insights on how to implement smarter collaboration and avoid the potential pitfalls. They also help leaders troubleshoot thorny challenges like misaligned incentives, collaboration overload, and unintended consequences on diversity and inclusion. Complete with how-tos and cases, the book concludes with inspiring examples of groups harnessing smarter collaboration to tackle society's biggest challenges such as saving the oceans, eradicating diseases, and tackling global warming.Smarter Collaboration is the essential guide for forward-thinking leaders to transform their organizations, reshape the way they work, and increase impact and success.