METHOD: SHARED WORK

The Shared Work model puts getting to work back at the center of our collaborations. Tuesday developed this simple model after years of working with folks who had passion and commitment for making change in their systems and organizations, but struggled to figure out how to work together over time.​

THE MODEL

Often the differences between collaborators — different perspectives, backgrounds, ideologies and aspirations — becomes the focus of meetings rather than getting work done together. Shared Work offers a way for us to think about taking the next step together to begin to move forward on those issues and challenges we care about in our organizations, communities, and systems.

In groups that have been successful in working together over time, there seem to be five key stances the group is able to adopt in relation to their work together.

1. Relationship as Resolution — At times the issues we are working on together are so complex, so deep seated, and so full of history, that a resolution of the issue is impossible in the moment. That doesn’t meant that we stop working on the issues, but it does mean that sometimes our ability and willingness to stay in relationship is the resolution. As we are in relationship with each other, we can figure out how to work with the issue, what our next step should be, and how we’d like to move to more resolution. (Read more about this stance here.)


2. Inquiry as Answer — When we are working with challenges we don’t know how to solve, we can be tempted to rely on answers we’ve tried in the past or best practices we’ve heard from other places. We’re tempted to try harder with what we already know how to do. This stance asks the group to identify the questions or inquiries we should be in together to move toward new solutions. It begins from a place of “not knowing” — a risk for people who have expertise and passion for an issue! — and a commitment to work from that place together.  


3. Seek Multiplicity — When we invite others into collaboration, we often do so from a representative mindset: Who/what constituency does this person represent? Representation is important, but it only gives us a partial understanding of those we are working with. Seeking multiplicity as a stance encourages us to invite the whole person into the collaboration with their multiple roles, identities, and perspectives. Allowing the fullness of each person we’re working with leads us to better, more robust solutions.


4. All Levels, All the Time — When working collaboratively, we should be aware of the different levels that are present in our work: personal, interpersonal, organizational, systemic, and structural. Each of these plays out in all of our interactions, and while our collaborative work may focus on a particular level, it is important to understand that each level impacts and informs the other. We can make strategic choices on where we will intervene, but we need to understand that all levels are operating on the issue at all times. 


5. Power Matters — Considering power in our collaborations is key. We cannot ignore how power plays out in our relationships, our understanding of the issue, and the action we take. Understanding different types of power — not painting “power” with a broad brush! — as well as making strategic choices in our action related to power, can ensure that our shared work is successful.

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Want to learn more about Shared Work?  

Shared Work — Teach Video
In this video teach by Tuesday, she demonstrates the first part of the Shared Work model in Madison, Wisconsin. The audience was a small group of community folks, including nonprofit leaders, activists, students, community members, foundations, educators, police officers, and government representatives working to make their neighborhoods better.   

Shared Work not Shared Aspiration or Analysis
In this blog post about Shared Work Tuesday explains how sharing work keeps us from getting stuck in our entrenched ways of working and allows us to keep moving forward.

Other great blog posts about Shared Work: 

• ​Shared Work is Enough — a post by Tim Merry challenging the idea of shared purpose as the driver for change.
• Protopia:  Our Shared Work — a post by Josh Cubista on the AoH Beyond the Basics blog bringing in the idea of Protopia to shared work.