Hoarding information a collaboration killer
Some years ago, when I was speaking to a group of executives about change leadership, the topic of collaboration came up. On a whim I asked, “How many of you are totally comfortable sharing information with others in your organization?”
I was astonished when out of an audience of about 200, only three hands went up. Clearly, if the people responsible for managing, creating, and promoting collaboration were uncomfortable doing it themselves, we were looking at a big problem – a human problem. And that’s the element that always interests me, because understanding people is at the heart of all successful leadership strategies.
With collaboration, for example, there are two basic instincts that are automatically triggered under different circumstances: hoarding and sharing. The instinct to hoard can be traced back to early humans hoarding vital supplies, like food, out of fear of not having enough. The more food they put away, the safer they felt. In an evolutionary sense, those who hoarded food and other basic necessities, were better off, healthier, and produced more offspring.
This emotional attachment to our possessions has been hard-wired into our brains to help us survive. And, still today, whenever we feel threatened, fearful, distrustful or insecure, the “hoarding gene” kicks into high gear, urging us to hold on tightly to whatever we possess – including knowledge.