Is collaboration a behaviour we embody, or is it a structured business discipline?

Projects thrive when collaboration is engineered, not just improvised. When people are empowered and the system has their back, the “computer says no” moments dwindle, and project teams become more innovative and productive.

Bretton (Brett) Ackroyd - Director of the Institute for Collaborative Working Australia opened our last Artful Argument, which explored collaboration as a business discipline. This requires an intentional shift, from relying on “helpful personalities,” to embedding ISO 44001‑style relationship frameworks that make saying "yes" the default - cutting claims, cortisol and cost overruns along the way.

Key take‑aways:

• Collaboration as a personal trait is great, but not everyone has it, and the variability of this trait presents a project risk.

• Major projects require cross-boundary collaboration, supported by process, contracts, and culture - not just ad-hoc goodwill.

• ISO 44001’s systematic, intentional approach to relationship management turns good intentions into enduring, high-trust relationships, which in turn supports repeatable results.

In thinking about how to put this into practice, I'm reminded of the saying saying "culture follows behaviour." Applied to project delivery, it's about leveraging opportunities to hard‑wire collaboration into everyday practice, ensuring incentives are aligned, then explicitly calling it out and celebrating it so it becomes embedded in culture.

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Thanks to Brett for his thought-provoking Opening Argument, and to our Artful Sponsors: UniPhi, NEC Contracts®, Australian Cost Engineering Society (ACES), Elysium EPL, and IPMA-Australia, and to everyone who contributed to this hashtag#ArtfulArgument.

To join us for a future Argument, apply here.