Definitions of Collaboration Abound!

From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Etymology: Late Latin collaboratus, past participle of collaborare to labor together, from Latin com- + laborare to labor

Definition: to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor

How many definitions of collaboration do we need? Isn’t the basic English language understanding of “working together for shared goals” enough? Do we need more involved, complicated or complex definitions for people to understand the meaning of collaboration? Does the effort to make the definition more “sophisticated” help our understanding, or does it help the author in gaining recognition for proposing a more sophisticated definition that may not necessarily be enlightening?

Here are some definitions of collaboration.

GoInnovate: act of working jointly; work together on a common enterprise of project

BusinessDictionary: Cooperative arrangement in which two or more parties (which may or may not have any previous relationship) work jointly towards a common goal.

Bitepipe: The interaction among two or more individuals that can encompass a variety of actions, such as communication, information sharing, coordination, cooperation, problem solving, and negotiation.

Answers.com: Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together toward an intersection of common goals - for example, an intellectual endeavor that is creative in nature-by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus.

CUNY: Collaboration is a process of participation through which people, groups, and organizations work together to achieve desired results.

We can list many more. You get the idea!

Update on 24 December 2010 by Lokesh Datta

See Related Posts:

• Collaboration = Cooperative Behavior + Assertive Behavior
• If You Can’t Pass the Ball, You Can’t play!
• Collaboration Is More than Team Building and Management
• Having Fun: Collaboration Quotes