In this series of three articles, we will explore:
- How and why collaboration has become a hot topic
- Ways industry and government seek to avoid pain and pursue gain through collaboration
- The benefits sought and boundaries that restrict us
Collaboration means working together—nothing more, nothing less. It is not just a trendy term; it’s a deliberate way of achieving more by combining strengths, aligning on shared goals, and solving problems together. It sounds simple, but bringing collaboration to life is not easy.
Collaborating (communicating clearly and committing genuinely) might sound a bit academic, or fluffy. What really makes change real are the underlying processes—things like shared (agreed upon) goals, practical tools like workshops for engaging others, and mechanisms to track progress and adapt when needed. That is where true collaboration happens, and that is what delivers long-term value. You could say that you already embed some of these processes within your team, so what makes this different? Think of it like a water distribution system—while your pipes and infrastructure may be in place, doing collaboration on purpose – using a system is like upgrading to a smart network. It ensures every connection, pressure point, and flow is optimised, monitored, and aligned to deliver seamless collaboration and efficiency.
This emphasis on collaboration isn’t just a trend—it’s gaining significant traction in public discourse. Whether it’s in water management, infrastructure development, or broader industry challenges, collaboration is being highlighted as a critical factor for success. Maybe it’s because I have confirmation bias (I am, after all, a collaborative business relationship consultant), or anchoring bias (the company I work for is accredited to ISO 44001), but it seems that collaboration is being recognised now more than ever.
Conferences and workshops
Collaboration has become so critical to innovation and progress that it’s no longer just a topic in broader conferences like Software and Sustainability, New Hydrogen, or the Australian Motor Industry. It now takes centre stage at dedicated events, focusing on strategies, tools, and case studies that showcase collaboration as the key to solving complex challenges and driving meaningful outcomes.
2023/24 examples included:
- The Collaborate Innovate conference hosted by the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC)
- The Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) conference
- Cracking the Collaboration Code – The Rhetoric and Reality of Effective Teaming (Chris Deeble, DepSec for the Capability and Sustainment Group (CASG) spoke in Canberra on Collaborating with Defence).
- International Project Management Day. Collaborative working was central to the 2023 ICCOM & AIPM panel principles of best practice project management.
Government
In Federal government, across 2023/24 there was a strong adoption of the concept of collaboration in policy, framework and business planning. For example:
- The Department of Finance adopted collaborative principles when creating special investment vehicles and maximising policy outcomes for public good.
- Prime Minister & Cabinet (followed by Education, DISR and DCCEEW) released their 2024/25 corporate plan recognising the need for better Commonwealth-State relations, interdepartmental cooperation and partnering (collaborating) with the community.
- Industry, Innovation and Science Australia (ISSA) studied the value of collaboration to drive better innovation, capacity and capability development in industry and the creation of national competitive advantage.
Industry adoption
- The Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities noted the global move toward collaborative contracting, procurement and industry collaboration in order to drive value for money outcomes. The Committee findings included the adoption more broadly of collaborative contracting to replace traditional master-servant (and fraught) arrangements.
- The Civil Contractors Federation (CCF) moved to establish an industry consultative forum to enable collaboration across water, road, rail and energy as a way of doing business. [I]
Not a new conversation
It should be noted that this interest and the surrounding conversations are hardly new. As early as 2004 the “Connecting Government” report recommended that ‘The APS should be striving to create a “culture of collaboration” that aids the sharing of research, experience and expertise in addressing intractable problems.’ [ii]
In 2010 the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) undertook a whole of government review on effective cross-agency collaboration. They were seeking to understand how effective MOUs and collaboration frameworks were, and how many departments had adopted such. At that stage, 21 of 195 agencies (11%) had, though the outcomes or benefits had not been measured. [iii]
There has been some adoption of collaborative contracts that aim to promote more open, cooperative and efficient relationships with the client and the supply chain. They have been used here in Australia on:
- Main Roads Western Australia (MRWA) Mitchell Highway upgrade (2015)
- Square Kilometre Array (SKA) observatory (2017)
- CSIRO and Fourier Space (2018/19)
- Sydney Water through their Partnering for Success (P4S) program (2020).
Through this series, you’ll gain insights into how collaboration takes on different forms depending on the industry or role. It’s a whole-of-organisation approach that often takes time to get off the ground, even before the process of embedding collaboration begins. At Providence, we are here to support not just in embedding collaboration but also in guiding those critical early conversations to set the foundation for success. We have seen it pay off for clients again and again in the short and long term.
Next up
We will examine the ways industry and government seek to avoid the pain of traditional contracting and pursue the benefits obtained through collaboration. As a bit of homework or something to think about on your way home from work, what are the pain points in your line of work? What are the barriers for change? What can you achieve through better processes?
At the end of 2023 we published a three-part series on the psychology of collaboration:
- Part 1: Bringing Collaboration to Life
- Part 2: The Problem with a Process View of Working Together
- Part 3: A Whole Brain Approach to Collaboration
[i] Civil Contractors Federation (CCF), Submission 53.1, p. 1. to the ITC public hearings, APH.
[ii] Management Advisory Committee (MAC) 4, Connecting Government—Whole of Government Responses to Australia’s Priority Challenges, 2004.
[iii] https://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance-audit/effective-cross-agency-agreements.
Written by Dr Robert Holmes, Senior Director, Consulting at Providence Consulting Group
