New Study: Too Much Collaboration May Be Bad - Poets&Quants

New Study: Too Much Collaboration May Be Bad

Collaboration may not be all that great for complex problem solving.

At least that’s what new research by Harvard Business School associate professor Ethan Bernstein and colleagues finds.

The study, by Berstein of Harvard Business School, Professor Jesse Shore of the Questrom School of Business at Boston University and Professor David Lazer of Northeastern University, finds that intermittent collaboration may be better for complex problem solving than “always on” collaboration.

The Study And Assumptions

In the study, the researchers examined three-person groups performing a complex problem-solving task. There were three types of variables studied: one set of groups that never interacted with each other and solved the problem in complete isolation. Another set of groups featured members who interacted constantly. A third set of groups that interacted intermittently.

The researchers assumed, based on prior research, that the isolated groups would yield the most creative thinking yet the lowest average quality of solution. They also assumed that groups that had constant collaboration would produce an opposite effect: higher average quality solution, yet less creative solutions.

Findings

Both assumptions proved to be correct. Yet, perhaps the most striking finding of the study was the third set of groups that interacted intermittently. The researchers found that this group produced the “best of both worlds” results.

Despite having interacted only intermittently, the group had just as high quality of a solution as the group that interacted constantly. They also had performed just as creatively as the isolated groups to produce the “best” solutions.

Implications

The researchers highlight a number of real world associations that relate to the study’s findings.

In many ways, the findings already mirror how organizations deal with collaboration: individuals work alone, come together to collaborate, then break off again to work alone. Yet, the researchers highlight how technology has influenced that process.

“As we replace those sorts of intermittent cycles with always-on technologies, we might be diminishing our capacity to solve problems well,” Bernstein says.

Additionally, the researchers highlight how some teamwork approaches mirror this idea of “intermittent collaboration.” For instance, hackathons often follow a similar approach, where people gather and focus on a problem for a very short amount of time.

The concept of “intermittent collaboration” also is seen in how modern offices are designed. Open offices often include group spaces in addition to individual spaces, where workers can control how much interaction time they get.

Knowing the importance of “intermittent collaboration,” the researchers argue that always-on technology and digital collaboration can be detrimental to creative problem solving. It seems, after all, you may want to put down that phone if even just for a second.

Sources: Harvard Business School, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Taking Ownership of Your Career

Getting a prestigious job post-MBA is one thing. But taking ownership of your job is another.

In an article for Forbes, Michael B. Arthur, a professor emeritus of Suffolk University, discusses different career types and how people can exercise career ownership.

Organizational Careers

Many MBAs may be familiar with the organizational career. These are the typical corporate jobs that many MBAs seek out post-graduation.

“These careers, espousing job security and promotion opportunities for everyone, are now found mainly in the public sector and education,” Arthur writes.

Organizational careers are attractive because they promote a sense of security and a clear path up the ladder. Yet, Arthur warns against some of the downsides of organizational careers.

“Employers often emphasize diversity in their recruitment and promotion efforts,” he writes. “However, the career systems tend to be relatively bureaucratic, and promotion opportunities can be limited.”

In organizational careers, Arthur argues, colleagues may expect you to adopt a collective mindset—an atmosphere that may not be so healthy towards individual growth.

“In this kind of career system, you need to stay on top of what’s happening in your organization and keep asking if it’s right for you,” he writes.

Boundaryless Careers

Boundaryless careers are the second type of career that Arthur outlines in his piece.

“These careers, anticipating persistent innovation and employment mobility, appeal to employers who resist long-term assumptions about organizational careers,” Arthur writes.

Boundaryless careers are often known for their high level of innovation. Think start-ups.

“Boundaryless careers can be ideal if you want to keep pace with a changing economy, seek new learning opportunities, or pursue self-employment,” Arthur writes.

These types of careers are becoming increasingly popular among MBA grads. Within three years of graduation, 24.4% of MBAs start their own companies, according to the Financial Times.

Taking Career Ownership

Arthur highlights how a number of organizations like to “play hardball.” Knowing your own potential and worth is crucial if you want to continue growing and progressing in your own career.

“[The company] has done its homework on which employees are ‘keepers’ and assigned them to its internal talent pool,” Arthur writes. “You need to know if you’re in that pool or not, and in either case you need to exercise your own strategy.”

Arthur says organizational workers need to ask themselves the tough question: “Is staying put a good thing for now, or is it time to move on?”

That answer, he says, is based on a number of factors.

“Your answer will be driven not only by your place in the organization, but also by where you’d like to take your career, your family situation, and the learning you are gaining,” Arthur writes.

Sources: Forbes, Financial Times

Scholarships For MBAs

Scholarships can be a critical component of making your MBA dream come true.

Ilana Kowarski, a reporter at US News, recently spoke with some MBA alumni on what types of MBA scholarships they received and tips on applying for them.

National Scholarships & Fellowships

There are a number of national scholarships and fellowships available to MBA applicants. Be sure to see if the scholarship restricts you to a certain school. Many of these scholarships cater to a specific applicant, so it’s important to see which ones you’d qualify for.

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is a “$90,000 merit-based fellowship exclusively for immigrants and children of immigrants who are pursuing graduate school in the United States,” according to the scholarship’s website.

The Military MBA is open to “any U.S. resident with an undergraduate/bachelor’s degree who has served in the military.” Applicants applying for this scholarship must apply to specific Military MBA member schools.

The Consortium is a national organization whose missions is to “enhance diversity and inclusion in global business education and leadership by striving to reduce the significant underrepresentation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans.” The Consortium offers full-tuition fellowships to participating schools, such as UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and Yale School of Management

C. Adam Callery, a Chicago-based professor and MBA alumnus of the Kenan-Flagler Business School, tells US News that he received a full-tuition scholarship from The Consortium. When it comes to applying for scholarships, Callery advises students to submit polished application materials.

“All they have is your writing,” Callery tells US News. “If you’re not answering the question properly, meaning you’re not getting to the point of the question, that’s going to hurt you. If your punctuation is poor, if your grammar is poor, if there are typos in there, they’re never going to get to the rest of the application to see that you’re a great person.”

University Scholarships

Prior to applying to a university, be sure to check out what kinds of scholarships they offer to applicants.

Ari Chasnoff, a spokesperson for Knight-Hennessy Scholars program at Stanford University, tells US News that applicants often are unaware that they may qualify for certain university scholarships. Many of these scholarships cover a large amount of tuition costs.

For instance, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program offers tuition for up to three years of graduate study at Stanford. According to its website, the scholarship “will be the world’s largest fully endowed scholars program. Of the $750 million endowment, more than 80 percent directly supports the graduate education and living expenses of the Scholars.”

If you aren’t able to receive a large scholarship, it may be possible to pool together a variety of smaller scholarships.

Monica Moody Moore, the dean of graduate admissions at Babson College in Massachusetts, tells US News that this may be a wise strategy considering small scholarships are easier to get.

Sources: US News, Stanford, The Consortium, Military MBA, Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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