The title of the 2017 book “Collaborating with the Enemy: How to Work with People You Don’t Agree with or Like or Trust,” by Adam Kahane, is sure to catch your curiosity.
Printed by the independent, mission-driven publishing company Berrett-Koehler, the book delivers on delving into the topic.
Kahane, a director of Reos Partners — which describes itself as “an international social enterprise that helps people move forward together on their most important and intractable issues” — argues that traditional collaboration, which relies on harmony, consensus and a clear, shared plan, is often impossible to achieve in complex, polarized situations.
Instead, he proposes something called “stretch collaboration,” a framework for working with people you may not agree with, like, or even trust.
This skill is certainly necessary to acquire and maintain in our increasingly globalized world.
