Closing the Execution Gap: How Great Leaders and Their Companies Get Results

The Bottom Line

Organizations are complex structures with many interdependencies. We must rely on others to help get things done and meet our objectives, and that means cooperation and collaboration are often the key to our success. While there is evidence that human beings base our actions on self-interest in an effort to maximize personal benefit, ample evidence also supports the proposition that our natural inclination is toward cooperation. The challenge you face in the workplace is to ensure the conditions that create and sustain cooperation and collaboration are in place.

Cooperation and collaboration are facilitated by clear communication, shared goals, and clearly defined roles. These conditions help encourage and motivate people ...