by Hailey Cooperrider
The Collaborative Consonance framework helps you understand the fundamental aspects that make collaboration work, and identify which aspect needs the most attention.
The consonance framework can be summarised as:
Shared Understanding enables Shared Vision which guides Active Contribution to a Shared Plan and Shared Outcomes
Each of the aspects of this framework prompts questions that are valuable for diagnosing a particular collaboration.
Shared understanding:
- Do participants have common and agreed definitions for critical important ideas and concepts?
- Do participants have a shared mental model of the system they are trying to influence - it's key components and how they fit together?
Shared vision
- Do participants have a shared vision of the future, where their conceptualisation of the desired future is not in conflict?
- Do participants share common values?
Shared Outcome
- Do participants trust that benefit and reward are fairly distribtued?
Shared Plan
- Do participants agree on the next actions to be taken?
- Do participants have a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities going forward?
Active contribution should follow if understanding, vision, outcome and plan are all shared and agreed.
When they are not shared, dissonance occurs:
Dissonance occurs when misunderstandings lead to competing visions, divergent plans and one-sided outcomes. It is characterised by endless discussion and disagreement, and misaligned uncoordinated action.
