Here is who is involved (in order of how far the network spread):

Laura North – copywriter (a previous colleague)

Emily Wilkinson (Empathi) – graphic facilitator/illustrator (introduced through a mutual friend)

Naomi Ray (Studio Pixie) – graphic designer/illustrator (met through Twitter)

Matthew Smith-Stubbs – front-end web developer (fellow member of THECUBE, co-working space for creative businesses)

Andrew Davey (MediaBandit) – web developer (responded to a call put out through the Open Coffee mailing list)

Joel Somerfield (Order) – filmmaker (was passed on by someone through the Open Coffee mailing list. But turns out he has done work for mutual contacts also).

So we all know how important it is to stay networked to stay in the loop, but if you want to build a collaborative team quickly – it’s essential.

Stay tuned for the progress of BracketLab, which will be taking place on 2^nd and 3^rd June at THECUBE.

Creative Boom London kindly wrote a fantastic review of the workshop which covers all of these points (and more) in detail.

Bracket’s session at Media Camp London 4 during Social Media Week generated lots of discussion about the best methods and tools for helping groups of creatives to get things done.  It looked at how social media could be used to support collaborative working between artists and designers etc that are used to working independently, usually have autonomy over their work, are characteristically busy, and highly skilled in generating ideas. The aim of the session was to develop solutions for how to channel that creativity into tangible outcomes and how social media can be used to support the process along the way.

The word ‘collaboration’ is often used freely without consideration for how complex it can actually be. Not only does it require a set of skills to do it effectively, but also a different mindset and culture to adapt to a new way of working.  An ‘online project hub’ can be used to provide a central point to bring everyone together, but technology should actually come last after two other factors – people and process.

People

The set of skills and awareness that is needed by the individual before starting the project. Effective collaboration requires tolerance of other working styles,  a willingness to share and a commitment to open and frequent communication with other team members.

Process

The part that should happen with the team in place, to plan how the collaborative project might work. Individuals need to identify what they are bringing and hope to get out, the team needs to look at the overall aims of the project and roles should be allocated according to key skills and personalities to ensure a good spread of what the project requires (Belbin is a good tool for profiling this). Time must also be allocated to planning, scheduling and organisation, which many online tools can help with.

Technology

Time or cost spent developing an online tool doesn’t guarantee that people will use it. It is often difficult to get people away from using e-mail to communicate in projects, because on a basic level, it works!  But social media can add much value by keeping ideas in one place (particularly when team members tend to go off in different creative directions), making this easily searchable,  providing a record of what has already been discussed/agreed and therefore reducing duplication of work and effort.

So the perfect online tool, for groups of creatives short on time is something that requires little or no training, is intuitive and is flexible to the initial needs of the type of project and as it develops. And a big challenge throughout the project is maintaining focus without killing creativity.

On first impressions, the pieces in the exhibition seem to be un-related.  There are no visual or obvious themes running throughout.  But with a little time, the connection becomes more apparent.  There is a real depth and mystique to each piece, created by knowing that there was more than one individual behind it.  You find yourself stopping to imagine the conversations, the disagreements and the laughter that put each piece together.

And for the creatives, the final product is just a small part of a larger process.  They’ve had the opportunity to think about what they can do, and how much further they can stretch their practice by getting together with someone else.  They’ve been encouraged to be critical of themselves and each other, and think outside their usual realm of what is creatively possible.

Calligraffiti: Craig Ward/Sean Freeman/Alison Carmichael

There are the collaborations which provide a solution: Fred Butler/No Days Off’s campaign for an 8-day week, BCMH/Smith & Weightman’s alternative currency, and Praline/The Model Shop’s new font based on architectural shapes.  There’s the conceptual and abstract, where you’re keen to be let in on the ‘secret’ between the collaborators, or at least part of the conversation – when did Job Wouters/Roel Wouters decide what to wear for their film about numbers and the Rainbow spray-painting machine?!

Some collaborations are more practical, where artists chose to combine their specific technical skills: the illustrative Rob Ryan/Michael Marriott chair, Sam Messenger/Bart Long’s abstract canvas in vinyl and timber, and Jim Stoten/Andy Rementer’s series of illustrations.  And then there are the collaborations where it looks like a whole lot of fun was had developing the ideas: With Associates/Anthony Dickens interactive timepiece, Chrissie MacDonald/Marie O’Connor playful figures in wood and scrap material, and Karlssonwilkier/FrankDeRose music track (this is BRILLIANT!).  Details of all 33 collaborations can be found here.

The exhibition catalogue (available for £15) includes interviews with all the creatives and looks at the collaboration processes in detail (interesting to know that the most common challenge for the collaborators was managing their time).  The exhibition runs until 23 January, and it’s an essential visit if you want clear examples of the potential of creative collaboration.

www.ifyoucould.co.uk/collaborate

A group of writers have set themselves up with the task to write and publish a book in just 24 hours using online tools to work together.  The group has been using Google Docs to write and edit the document, as well as using Skype and face-to-face conversation to communicate, and have been updating us on their progress through their twitter profile.

The 24-hour book project

The group consists of one lead writer and ten other participants, and they also opened up part of the book on Google Docs to invite contributions from the wider public.  As well as this, they’ve been gathering photos, illustrations and other snippets of media for use in the book or inspiration over on their Ning platform (Ning enables you to create your own social networks).

The final book will be available online and in hard-copy (produced by web-based print-on-demand services) and sold at £4.99 a piece, with profits going towards future collaborations.

Briefly looking at the elements that contributed to getting this project going.  The team:

1. agreed on the focus of the story (“based around a group of city centre allotments and the story will explore ideas of shared and private space and the real and imaginary barriers between a range of different city characters”)
2. identified the desired outcome (an online and printed novel)
3. gave themselves a clear deadline within which to complete the project – they have a launch party on Monday 5^th October.
4. clearly outlined the tasks that need to be completed – writing, editing, proofreading, images, publishing etc – and who will do them – lead writer, participants, professional volunteers and the public.

(Check out Bracket’s toolkit for collaborative projects to see how it matches up)

And the intellectual property?  The group have been careful to inform the public contributors that they must own any material they submit, and will retain ownership but give permission for it to be used within the project.  The book itself will be distributed under a Creative Commons license.

A great example of what online creative collaboration can achieve!

1. Getting the right mix of people is essential to turn creativity into collaborative action.  There’s little value in a group of people that have exactly the same skills – no one will learn anything new and it’s likely that the project will get stuck at a certain point.  And this goes beyond technical skills such as product design, photography, illustration etc – it’s also about the soft skills that can contribute to project development and move it forward.

Belbin’s Team Roles provides a good model for the different personalities that should be present within a group to make it work effectively:

(Note: these are simplified definitions – visit the link above for full and detailed descriptions)

• Plant – the ideas person
• Resource investigator – the entrepreneurial one
• Coordinator – the leader
• Shaper – the achiever
• Monitor Evaluator – the objective (or critical) one
• Team worker – the one that holds it together
• Implementer – the doer
• Completer Finisher- the perfectionist
• Specialist – the brains

Each role has it’s advantages and disadvantages.  ‘Plants’ and ‘resource investigators’ might be great at the start of a project when generating ideas and researching but what happens towards the end when things need to get up and running? Likewise, a team of ‘implementers’ might get things done, but might not bring the most innovative and creative results.

2. Once you’ve got the right people in place, any new team will most certainly go through the stages of team development identified by Tuckman:

• Forming – getting to know each other
• Storming – early clashes
• Norming – settling into roles, establishing ‘rules of engagement’
• Performing – getting on with it

(Again, visit the link for more detailed explanations of each stage)

Watch any episode of The Apprentice and you’ll see this in play (although perhaps they tend to get stuck at the ‘storming’ stage!).

Have these two theories in mind about the way that teams work, at the start of a project and throughout, and it will almost certainly ensure that the skills and expertise of each individual are used effectively and that the team develops well to get high quality creative ideas off the ground and through to delivery.

So far, both workshops have brought up similar themes, and the dynamics of practical collaboration seem to be getting clearer.  Some of the common themes that have come out of the workshops are:

• Ensuring a shared vision and that goals are laid out
• Identifying methods for effective team working, dynamics, and dealing with difficulties (particularly ego)
• Tools and techniques (online and offline) to encourage communication
• Is a facilitator needed and if so, what is their role?
• Ownership of ideas and intellectual property
• What makes a collaboration successful?

What seems to be clear is that some thinking needs to take place before you actually get stuck into the work.  This might be before coming up with creative ideas, brainstorming or thinking about what the final outcome might be, and will certainly be towards the beginning of any project – discussions need to take place as to how the project will be led.  Granted, we don’t want planning overkill, as spontaneity can often be magical, but finding a good balance is key.  Collaborative projects, like most things, benefit from some degree of preparation to really ensure effectiveness and productivity.

This process doesn’t always come naturally to those that are talented in generating outstanding creative ideas.  So, when initiating and engaging in collaborative projects, it’s worth considering, with reference to the above themes, what additional skills and knowledge you might need to develop in order to take it forward successfully.

Bracket has been working on a toolkit that can be used by those hoping to work collaboratively on a project with others. The initial framework is here. It is intended to be a work in progress, inviting contributions and developed as the model is tested.  There are also some suggestions from facilitators/providers of social media, gathered from Social Media Camp London 08.

The model was developed with social designers hoping to initiate collaborative projects, at System Reload London. But maybe elements can be applied to other areas, ensuring that the specific characteristics and needs of the community are considered.

Why develop a toolkit for collaborative working? We’re in a collaborative age, where to make an impact it makes more sense to work together with others. Social designers cannot address all of the important issues on their own – collective action is necessary. We can share our knowledge, experience, resources and skills to get further than we could ever do individually. And whilst there are lots of online tools out there which enable people to interact and discuss, when people need to get actual ideas off the ground, how can they do this effectively? Online tools can facilitate the process, and support communication, but all the web 2.0 in the world can’t make things happen – people do.

BarCamp have brilliant guidelines for getting their grassroots events up and running, and it’s safe to say that they have contributed to a whole global movement of ‘unconferences’ in the tech-world. Wouldn’t it be great if we were able to do the same with other ideas and projects? It would be fantastic if everyone, if they needed it, were able to use various frameworks to make a real collective difference, or respond to opportunities that are too big for them on their own.  In the same way that you can find lots of business plan templates on the web and use the one that suits your needs, how about a template for collaborative action?  One might argue that people sometimes need support to understand the elements of a business plan, and maybe this means there needs to be more support around collaborative projects, which will empower individuals to continue themselves.

Similarly, it might be difficult to organise a BarCamp unless you have attended one yourself, and really experienced it (as I did last week).  So perhaps what we need are lots of examples/case studies of collaborative projects, as well as real-life opportunities for people to get involved and experience how it really works.  The ability to project manage collaborations effectively will play a large part in getting ideas out there.  But this needs to be approached carefully, so that it remains collaborative, where everyone involved has the opportunity to contribute and co-create.

“Turning ideas into action” seems to be a hot topic at the moment. David Wilcox is developing a wiki called ‘designingcollaboration’ intended to shed some light on the process. This will be an important and relevant resource for those working in this area. Chain Reaction, an upcoming event in November 2008, also provides a toolkit for ideas. There have been some interesting collaborative initiatives, like Social Innovation Camp and RSA Networks (both of which David Wilcox evaluates on his blog) and it seems like it’s the time to assess what makes them successful/unsuccessful so that we can use the knowledge to move forward.

Hopefully the toolkit on the Bracket site can be part of the ongoing contributions.