(Reprinted from "To Do, Doing, Done! A Creative Approach to Managing Projects and Effectively Finishing What Matters Most" by G. Lynne Snead and Joyce Wycoff published by Simon and Schuster, January, 1996)

The following evaluation will help you determine how well your organization supports collaboration. Rate your organization from 1 to 5 on the following questions.
1 = terrible/never
2 = poor/seldom
3 = average/generally
4 = good/often
5 = excellent/always

____ 1. We stimulate communication by providing conference rooms, whiteboards, bulletin boards, open work areas.
____ 2. We share information widely through group meetings, newsletters, e-mail, closed circuit TV, financial and performance reports.
____ 3. We have a high level of trust and respect for each other.
____ 4. We encourage people to collaborate on projects and allow them to identify potential projects even when it takes time away from "normal" duties.
____ 5. We have a compensation policy that rewards collaborative efforts as well as individual efforts.
____ 6. Our organization's values, vision and objectives are clearly understood by all and we encourage groups and individuals to clarify their own values and vision.
____ 7. Rewards and risks are shared equitably by everyone in the organization.
____ 8. We have computer-enhanced collaboration tools and groupware in place and everyone in the organization has access to these tools.
____ 9. We encourage informal interaction across departments and functions and have an "open access" policy for everyone in the organization.
____10. Most of the time, most of our people feel pride in their work and frequently talk about work being "fun."
_____ Total

Scores:

50 Congratulations! Check your perceptions with the first 5 people you meet. If they rate these questions the same way you do, call us ... we would like to hear your story!

45-49 Yours is a rare organization. Some how you've managed to do what everyone else is talking about doing. Keep up the good work!

40-44 You're on the right track but you need to open your lines of communications. Ask people (all people) what would make their work life better? What tools do they need? What information do they need? Do they understand the work processes and how they fit into the whole?

39 or less Organize a collaboration group to discuss ways to stimulate collaboration ... before it's too late.

G. Lynne Snead, vice-president with FranklinCovey can be reached at lynne.snead@franklincovey.com