The word “collaboration” is thrown around a lot these days. What do organizations mean when they tell their leaders to use a collaborative leadership style?

When it comes down to it, we all want to be collaborative, but sometimes it’s just plain hard. It’s a skill that is very rarely taught. In school, teachers frequently assign group projects, but students often aren’t given guidance on how to work collaboratively. In fact, one or two people usually end up doing all of the work.

Collaboration is something people learn on the job in a hit-or-miss fashion. Some are naturals at it, but for many, genuine collaboration requires you to make an effort to leave your ego at the door. Being collaborative means getting outside of yourself — not just listening to other ideas, but really hearing them. Furthermore, collaboration only happens within certain environments. This means that some cultures foster it while others simply don’t. It isn’t something you can just direct, but something that must be modeled.

Despite these challenges, the word “collaborative” continues to be used all over the place: collaborative leadership, collaborative tools, collaborative learning, collaborative brainstorming … the list goes on. But the question really is: What do these applications look like in organizations?

Here are a few ways for your organization to truly embrace collaboration:

Asking for Input and Ideas from Team Members

Lead by example. By reaching out to your team to get their input on the things you’re working on (establishing new office policies, deciding the theme for the holiday party, putting together a proposal, etc.), you show that you not only value their opinion but that you don’t expect any one person to have all of the answers all of the time. If you are collaborating, chances are your team will too.

Assigning Teams to Get Work Done

When staffing project work, assign two people to one role instead of one and divvy up the workload. For example, one person could handle project management tasks while another develops materials. In this manner, collaboration comes easily because both are responsible for the success of the project.

Brainstorming and Vetting Current Issues and/or New Ideas

When you’re stumped on a task (or you want to float a new idea), organize a meeting with people who have different perspectives from you. Explain your issue, why it’s important, what your goal is, and then ask for help brainstorming ideas. You’ll be surprised by how many out-of-the-box ideas you unearth.

Forming Learning Communities

Create learning communities within your organization using social networking tools. Start a discussion forum to seek others’ thoughts on how to solve an issue. Write a blog with a peer and then post it for the rest of your community to read. Use microblogging to keep in touch with each other as a group. Take a video of yourself performing a task in a different way and post it for your community to comment on. The list could go on, but you get the idea: Engage with your peers. Learn from them. Don’t be afraid to seek advice. It’s true—two heads are better than one.

Sharing Information

People like information. They want to be in the know, but oftentimes leaders leave their teams in the dark. How can collaboration take place without the sharing of information? It can’t! Being collaborative means letting go of the reigns and bringing everyone into the know. Only when this happens can people truly collaborate on the information shared.