Collaboration skills for the workplace

What you will study

You will have opportunities to consider your own approach to collaboration, and how you might become an even more effective colleague in terms of collaboration and therefore improve your overall levels of performance. You will explore collaboration within organisations, and more widely, with particular reference to the different elements of a supply chain.

This Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course comprises four units:

Unit 1: The changing nature of work

The course begins by looking at how work is changing and the enduring importance of collaboration. You'll note the role of positive attitudes and behaviours in maximising the success of collaborative efforts, consider different forms of collaboration and be encouraged to assess which might be most effective in which particular situation. You'll see real life examples to illustrate the theory.

Unit 2: Collaboration across supply chains

In this unit you'll take a brief look at supply chains, and the problems that arise when they are disrupted. This highlights the importance of collaboration up and down the supply chain, and gives some examples of how it has been successfully deployed.

Unit 3: The importance of purpose

Collaborative approaches are much more likely to succeed if there is a strong sense of shared purpose. You'll explore how you can generate that shared excitement, as well as some other practical steps you can take to encourage collaboration. You'll also look at examples of complex collaborative projects and draw out the key learning points, and you will be asked to reflect on your own experience and to identify what went well, and what could have been better.

Unit 4: Strategies and approaches for effective collaboration

You'll continue to explore the practical steps that you can take to promote even more effective collaboration and the role of personality profiling as an additional way to help people get to know each other. You'll encounter the case study of the Crick Institute, a biomedical research centre, and reflect on ways that collaboration can be designed into institutions: from the building itself, to the organisational structure and the planning of projects. As always, you'll be encouraged to reflect on your readings and your own experience to draw out points for your own continued development.

You will learn

By studying this CPD course, you'll be able to:

• understand the value of collaboration in the workplace
• explain different forms of collaboration and when each might be most appropriate
• identify potential challenges to successful collaboration and how they might be overcome
• assess your own competence in collaborating with colleagues, both within and beyond your organisation
• identify specific skills you wish to develop.

Teaching and assessment

Assessment

There an end-of-course quiz to test your knowledge and understanding. Once completed and successfully passed you will receive a digital badge and a course completion certificate which you can download as a record of your learning.

Regulations