Collaboration Trap: Turf Protection!

Territorialism is a normal response when individuals who feel passionate about their individual organizations and/or personal mandates are expected to represent their interests in a collaborative setting or initiative. Finding the balance between being individual and collective at the same time can be challenging. 

Referring back to what we know about the brain… any threat to equity, certainty, autonomy, safety and status can cause people to disengage in positive community processes.

Territorialism or "Turf Wars" will look and feel different for everyone. As facilitators, we accept that these feelings are likely to occur, so we are as proactive as possible to reduce them.  Some of the simple yet powerful things we do to anticipate and prevent negative consequences include;

• Have visual reminders: Collective artwork, scrapbooks of accomplishments, calendars, and reflection cards which are all ways to say: “We are a team, a collaborative, and we are strong.”

• Hold “What’s on the Horizon” discussions: Provide a space for people to share what might be happening. Without these, an organization may launch something that has tremendous impact on another organization..and its too late to make adjustments so relationships suffer and we all take several steps back in collaboration efforts.

• Allow conflict to emerge: Get the elephants out from under the table. Sometimes people have to vent, talk about hard issues, and generally beat topics to death. Watch for the richness and growth in this process and the readiness to move on constructively with the work. Acknowledge common issues, concerns, and feelings of being threatened. Communication can be the biggest tool against the territory trap.

Related Blogs

Creating an Elephant Friendly Zone

Charge Your Group B.S. Meter

Turning Cantankerous into Cooperative
 

Early Years Community Developers as Linchpins

Over the past 5 years, attention and funding directed towards the early years has gone up and down and around like an awkwardly executed cartwheel. Whether we are on our feet, tail over teakettle or suspended in mid-flight, there are people passionate and committed to keep the early years momentum alive.

We call these individuals Early Years Community Developers. They are people who know that quality investments in the lives of young children have huge payoffs now and far into the future. Sometimes these people feel demoralized by the lack of value attributed to this work locally, nationally and globally. It can feel (like our hero Dr. Clyde Hertzman describes) that we are going up a down escalator.

What if Early Years Community Developers took a linchpin view in order to respond to life’s on-going cartwheels or the up and down escalator rides? Seth Godin’s describes linchpins as people that our world needs more of and who are indispensable, not cogs in a wheel and not easily replaceable. He suggests that typical linchpin contributions are to:

o Over deliver results – to be generous
o Contribute emotional labour – to be enthusiastic
o Connect more people with more ideas – to be constructive
o Find the things that motivate you to do your best work – to be remarkable.


Generosity can help us to reframe events such as funding cuts and organizational changes. As we give generously of our time, expertise and passion to communities, the value, recognition and respect for the potential of the early years will only grow.

Our enthusiasm will result in an increase in creativity, flexibility and innovation. This will be infectious within communities, among our colleagues and into the homes of families.

We can be constructive by becoming more proactive and less reactive to situations. Creating a future where children are honoured is at stake – we want to be in the drivers seat.

Being remarkable is about having our efforts add value to the early years sector – and making a bigger difference is what we are all about!



Village Raising Question:
What are your strengths that have not yet been fully contributed that would make you a linchpin?