I’m guessing that most of us who are involved in facilitating the learning about, and practice of collaborative project work generally have some passion for it. I know my own passion probably borders on what might be called evangelism. I’m strong not just on the advantages of it in terms of what can be delivered for a Project Sponsor, but also how collaboration helps develop and grow individuals as fabulous and meaningful human beings. I work with Graduate Profiles, Programme Statements and Course Descriptors that talk mostly about the hard skills learners will develop through their projects; and imply some of the personal development outcomes learners will achieve (probably because achievement of those is more difficult to measure quantifiably).
Much of our effort goes towards developing the same passion in our learners as we have for collaborative learning and collaborative working. Learners exposed to the facilitator’s passion for all things collaborative and project-based within the formal learning environment might be forgiven for developing an expectation – if they enjoyed their experience – that everything post-graduation will be all unicorns and rainbows. Project opportunities will keep getting bigger and better, feelings of accomplishment and motivation will continue to grow – all because of this one collaborative project as part of a whole qualification they enrolled in.
One of the outcomes of a collaborative project experience might be that Johnny or Suzy discovers an interest in performing a particular task or type of work It might be something they previously didn’t think they were very good at, but the practical experience that brings the theory to life changes that for them. When they graduate, that thing is something they emphasise to prospective employers as a way for them to stand out from the crowd of other job hopefuls. If that thing matches what the employer needs, they naturally get assigned projects which involve that thing. Their reward for being good at something is being given more of it to do. For a while, at least, this might seem like unicorns and rainbows do come true.
What if the unicorns and rainbows don’t always stay true? In my experience, this darker reality (for some – maybe for more than we hear or know about) is something that isn’t discussed because it just doesn’t fit within the Learning Outcomes and overall objectives we have to work towards in our courses. How would describing this possible future reality act as a motivator in the here-and-now? It’s an inconvenient truth at best, an unwanted elephant in the room that only we can see at this stage of the learning and life journey, so we ignore it because we don’t want anything negative coming between our people and being the best versions of themselves they can be at what they are doing now.
After a while, though, Suzy or Johnny realises their projects all look the same. The former challenges are now nothing more than “Business As Usual”, and all the other things they are also good at or interested in are all being done by other people. Their manager doesn’t bother asking them what other sorts of tasks or projects they would be interested in working on moving forward. When they tell the manager what other development they are planning or doing beyond their current role, the manager is politely interested – for a few moments – but misses the obvious signal that Johnny or Suzy has some passion or potential that their current role isn’t satisfying.
The rainbow has lost its shine, and the unicorns haven’t been seen for a while. Instead, they’ve been replaced by the elephant in the room that Suzy and Johnny can see clearly, but nobody is talking about – the fact that opportunities to develop in new directions aren’t happening for them. It’s like they are being restricted to what they’ve done in the past – despite taking action to manage their own professional development – because they are perceived as a safe pair of hands for the old tasks while other staff get all the opportunities to develop exciting new products and services.
Johnny or Suzy will mostly continue to perform their project tasks with the same level of competence they’ve always displayed, because that’s in the nature of who they are. What they will eventually bring less of to their work is their heart, and their pride at being part of an organisation doing great things, because they don’t see their projects as being really great as they once did. The question is whether the organisation has abandoned them, or they have abandoned the organisation.
Of course, there will always be some people who are happy to have found their niche and don’t want to extend it or exchange it for another one. The practicality of maintaining that stance for an extended period of time is arguably something that is becoming less relevant or desirable, and something I’ll address in a future blog posting.
For now, though, I ask these questions: Why can’t the unicorns and rainbows come back? Why, when Suzy or Johnny mentions further learning or training they are pursuing outside the organisation, is their manager not initiating a respectful, brave and interesting kōrero (conversation) about how they can collaborate going forward? I’m not asking these questions because I know the answers, but because we – educators and industries/individual employers – need to engage in the meaningful kōrero around how collaborative knowledge and skills:
- Can lead to development and growth opportunities for learners over time, because they aren’t achieved as instantly as flicking on a light switch – they need to be worked at and earned.
- Can lead to development and growth opportunities for organisations, through a combination of collaborating with the talent they already have and creating meaningful possibilities as they plan to bring new talent in.
Employers who don’t have the interesting and respectful kōrero with their people – whether they are tenured or contractors – about unicorns and rainbows should not be surprised when Suzy or Johnny announces they are leaving in pursuit of an opportunity not available where they are. The employer loses not only institutional memory but also organisational commitment, all because they could not see, would not discuss, or did not perceive the importance of the elephant in the room.
Johnny or Suzy might very well achieve the sort of development or advancement opportunity they want for themselves elsewhere. Somebody who wants to grow and develop in new directions isn’t something to be feared or ignored – they are a taonga (treasure) to be protected, nurtured, encouraged and supported to grow.
As educators, we need to be engaging more directly with diverse industries, whether through their training or industry associations, and not just in the context of the traditional capstone course found at the end in traditional degree programmes. If we are brave enough, we have the opportunity now to design and implement programmes that holistically integrate topics previously taught in discrete silos into a collaborative team project-based learning experience that spans multiple fields within a broad discipline.
Such an approach would provide more sustained and meaningful opportunity for learners to:
- Develop the collaborative skills employers require in a sustained context that goes beyond a sometimes-manufactured approach to demonstrate achievement of Learning Outcomes; and
- Provide learners with the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills across a broader range of fields than a more discrete subject-based teaching where each subject exists largely in isolation from the others.
I’m developing a holistic collaborative team-based qualification – as opposed to a “warmed-over” capstone project that comes at the end of a qualification – as an outcome of my work towards a Doctor of Professional Practice (Leadership) at Otago Polytechnic’s College of Work Based Learning. Part of what’s guiding me is a strong belief in the obligation that we have as educators to ensure our learners don’t have to accept the demise of unicorns and rainbows as an inevitable consequence of their professional or personal life post-graduation.
Rob Nelson Education 