Asia was fated to him. Grounding is the bedrock or earth upon which we build the foundation and structure of the Collaboration Framework. So it is with building collaborations. The ground for collaborative efforts is diversity. Before we can develop a foundation of vision, mission and values, we must assure that our collaborative effort honors the unique gifts and talents of each person, group and organization we bring to the collaboration, and for those persons and groups who may benefit from our efforts.
Diversity provides a critical balance to all levels of collaborative efforts.
This is a checklist, adapted from Manag-ing Diversity, by Gardenscwartz and Rowe, that participants may fill out individually, discuss in small groups, or participate with in the full group. This is designed to raise awareness, identify issues and provide beginning steps for taking action. Honoring diversity is a value each mem-ber of the collaboration must hold in order for your effort to be successful. Individuals must respect each other for who they are in order to be able to trust and become productive, functioning members. This type of thinking leads us to an understanding that all current and future members of our collabo-ration are interconnected in a diverse pattern.