Collaboration is mentioned regularly in our work, but rarely defined. Meetings are scheduled to encourage “collaboration,†but attendees may be unclear of the purpose or end goal. This presentation will illustrate how collaboration is not a one-time event, but instead, a developmental process that involves multiple agencies working together in business, health, social services, and education partnerships (Johnson et al., 2003). Each agency participates within its own system and at its own pace, yet it continually develops toward the goal of providing better services in collaboration with others (Kleinhammer-Tramill & Rosenkoetter, 1994; Timmons, Cohen, & Fesko, 2004). To put it simply, "collaboration is a way of thinking and relating, a philosophy, a paradigm shift, an attitude change. It requires a set of behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, and values. The result is a sense of shared ownership, shared responsibility, and shared success" (Bishop, Wolf, & Arango, 1993). This session will share five clear strategies for collaboration.
