Robert Brand

3/3/2013
BUS/475 INTEGRATED BUSINESS TOPICS

Lateral and Horizontal Collaboration

To lead to succeed. This statement reflexes the real value of vertical

collaboration. Vertical collaboration when there is a relationship based in the
superior power of one of the components is absolutely necessary, because
being a boss is no longer needed. Instead of this, a leader, someone who you
can trust on and ask for help when trying to achieve your objectives as an
employee or worker in any company, is the new normal.

Despite the fact that a superior is a person that should order you commands,
is also true that certain level of collaboration can be achieved, through
training, advising, influences in other superiors and even working shoulder to
shoulder, leaders are the representation of motivation, teaching and guiding
every subordinate in order to achieve the proposed objectives for the team,
and maybe beyond.

Lateral collaboration is a more common term; it is specified to team-work, and

shoulder-to-shoulder co-workers. This type of collaboration is often used in
teams, with colleagues, and with people directly involved in any work, where
there is a need of working together in order to achieve immediate results.

An example of lateral collaboration is when in a company there is an

assignation to increase sell levels in the next month, and the sales team is in
charge of it. In order to complete quota, every salesman will provide his/her
better effort. In an industrial workshop, theres a limit time to deliver some
machinery that is being fixed, only repair team can work together in different
assignment in order to complete the whole work.

Vertical collaboration is much harder to show, because this type of

collaboration cant be directly seen in daily basis. This type of collaboration is
more related to communication, but at the moment that an employee needs
direct training over a specific work or area, a superior would became a trainer
or instructor.

Action Plan

An action plan based in lateral and vertical collaboration should have the
following elements:

A permanent training program. This program will not only will be used
to specific skill in specific areas, but it will use experience that was
achieved by leaders in order to improve those skill in every employee.
Actual Leaders will train skilled people those will be future leaders too.

New channels of communication. Even when there are established

communication channels between employees, leaders and executives,
direct communication between every hierarchy level must be
guaranteed. For this purpose, an open communication policy will be
issued, through any possible channel.

Teams will guarantee assignment accomplish, through a direct

commitment of every co-worker in helping pals at any specific skill
area, when is possible. Even when every employee has her/his own
functions, it will be possible to use a crossed-skills policy, which will
assure work accomplishment.

Promotions will only reflect the team achievements, every time that
each member of the team will recognize the leadership of a specific
member of the team.

References:

Ostrich, Dan. August 8, 2007. Vertical collaboration. Retrieved from

http://www.unfoldingleadership.com/blog/?p=140