When I applied for my Postgraduate course in September, I was excited to learn that during the second semester, all students are involved in the Collaboration Unit. In the past, during my Undergraduate studies, that was the most exciting project I have been part of. The things had learned from this experience are that working on my own does not suit, and I far prefer working on projects in a team where I can make group decisions and draw from a pool of skillsets, the way I did in the past. However, having that said, there were excellent and disappointing moments starting from the very beginning of the Unit. Initially, I applied for two projects – YOOX Net-A-Porter and Donovan, as I felt they suited me the most, so I was extremely disappointed when I was not chosen to participate in both of them. Being a true believer that things happen for a reason, I tried to see the positive side and look for students who were still seeking people to join their projects.
The great thing was that the University sent regular emails with all updates about collaboration groups formed by students. The fact that the University enables students to work even more closely by bringing together knowledge and encourage people from different disciplines and courses to push forward and form groups are incredible. This way, I found a group formed by a student from MA Fashion Journalism with an outside partner, that two of my other classmates were joining. While reading the project brief and idea, I realised it is something I am passionate about and discussed the possibility of joining, and that is, in short, how I became one of seven team members of Jess Fitz project.
The first stage included initial meetings, where we had a chance to get to know Jess Fitz – a singer who was seeking creative people who can help to promote her brand over social media. It was very relaxed and kept in an amicable but professional manner. I always felt that the size of a group might affect group members’ sense of personal responsibility for contributing their intentions to accomplish the group’s goal. But having everything well planned, listed and organised helped to push each of us and develop great ideas, we were all on the same page in terms of style and goals which is often very unusual when it comes to the group including so many people. I guess that was the most crucial factor why our collaboration went very smoothly in the period over three months.
I will attempt to use the framework of the Johari Window to illustrate aspects of my reflections and experience working with my collaborating team.
The object of the Johari Window is to enhance the size of the Open area by sharing discoveries, observation, and working collectively. Affluent Open Areas are based on proper communications, non-judgmental feedback, and team unity. In my opinion, each student complimented the group entirely, and our outside partner was very proactive and seemed genuinely interested to get to know us. We also formed an incredible team in terms of a combination of personalities with a broad range of talents. We developed an initial idea based on discussions and abilities that each of us has. It felt very reasonable and enjoyable to work together as it felt I got along with everyone on a personal level; it felt very natural to be around each other. The brainstorming and sharing ideas was a smooth process; nobody felt judged; we had several meetings, and almost every day conversations over the phone, as we always kept in touch.
Amongst ‘Blind’ areas, I have become aware of how important it is to invoke an approach in making even the banalest decisions about writing group learning plans, signing contracts, and having all essential documents in place. These comprehensive documents take time to write, but I believe we have all learned from it and realised it has to be done promptly. Especially at the very beginning, I felt that not everything was in place and going as apparent as I imagined. It took as a while to put a contract in place and decide on what exactly our final outcome will look like. However, as soon as we created an action plan, agreed on important deadlines, and gave each other timeframe to complete the project, we knew we were working towards a common goal. Everyone could focus on the area they felt the most confident in.
The intention should be to expand the Open Area horizontally into the Blind Spot by seeking and listening to all team members’ feedback, so they know and understand themselves better. Team members can encourage other members to expand their Open Area (and lessen their Blind Spot) by offering various, constructive feedback.
I feel that at the beginning, we were not actively responding to our ideas or giving individual assessments. That has changed drastically in March after the Coronavirus outbreak, as that second stage of the project was crucial to see if we all can adjust to incredibly challenging circumstances and change the initial idea. The events were unexpected, to say the least, something I never imagined to happen but also something that I do not mind in the way it turned out to be. We were able to stay connected and speak over the phone and have arranged video chat calls and kept updating each other. I felt that with five students from the team, it had worked well, but two others did not seem to be involved at this point, and it appeared they lost their motivation. Maybe due to the situation and circumstances, despite it made the others work even harder and did not bring the rest of the group down.
That is when we had to feedback without being able to meet all together in person, and having everyone in different parts of the world, it was crucial to evaluate consistently.
‘Hidden’ area (Fig. 1) aspects may include some things that I have chosen not to expose to my team members about myself. I still sometimes feel slightly uncomfortable in sharing my ideas and doubts with the immediate team. I wish I pushed these boundaries and work harder at articulating my abiding fears regarding the project in the first stage when I was concern about whether we will meet deadlines with such an ambitious project. Nonetheless, I felt like I became much more open and vocal while we had to make a quick decision in the final stages. I guess the pressure and stress made me work even more effectively. As the Open Area can be expanded into the Unknown if the individual discloses relevant and appropriate information and feelings to their team members, the team should be non-judgmental and accepting of this relevant information, which was never a case with the seven of us, no matter how stressed we were there was always mutual respect and politeness in the way we spoke or written to each other.
Some of the factors included in the Unknown area may be: how our supervisor supported us, what help we received from University. When it came to our supervisor, he always asked us questions where he looked for reliable answers, which is a great way to reflect on your project and think expansively what to do next. The supervisor meeting was a way for our periodically repeated reflection and discussions. During the collaboration, process reflection is the best moment for an open debate on exploring knowledge and skill acquisition, group planning, and building relationships among group members and to push team goals.
In conclusion, there are four central aspects of my experience I have identified from the Collaborative Unit. I feel like I had successfully expanded my Open Areas and had an outstanding experience working within my group even during the Coronavirus outbreak when everything was uncertain and stressful. Looking back at Creative Framework Attributes that were introduced at ‘What is Collaborative Unit’ and the ‘Launch and Briefing for Collaborative Unit I feel I managed to develop these attributes throughout the Unit, especially self-efficacy. I gained confidence in my abilities and how the rest of the group and I responded to a challenging situation when we had to change the project plan makes me overly appreciative. I feel the resilience and the willingness to adapt and remain motivated, overcoming difficulties, and dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty is something I have learned for life, especially in the context of the global pandemic.
We collaborated on all aspects, sharing, and valuing each others’ opinions to produce an outcome, that not only combined everyone’s skills by applying specific methods.
Uncertainty of the Coronavirus situation turned out quickly to fade away when most of us became invested in our new idea; it became a coherent collaboration. Communication was also a big part of our project. We did not necessarily meet face to face since March but instead had continual conversations over the phone to talk about any skepticism or solutions. Accommodating new perspectives and being introduced to new ways of working helped me push my boundaries and execute the project with skills that I did not previously possess.