{"id":6540,"date":"2019-12-18T12:22:20","date_gmt":"2019-12-18T18:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-neta-site.pantheonsite.io\/?p=6540"},"modified":"2019-12-18T12:23:06","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T18:23:06","slug":"lessons-from-googleei-swe19-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/netasite.org\/?p=6540","title":{"rendered":"Lessons from #GoogleEI #SWE19: Collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Lynne Herr<\/span><\/p>\n

Collaboration is foundational to everything Google does, and the Innovator Academy is no exception.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/i>In order to keep their competitive edge, [Google] didn\u2019t need to just have the best analytic tools or the top talent in the world. They needed to be the world\u2019s best collaborators. And it paid off.<\/i>\u201d – (source<\/a>) Paul Berkovic, former Googler and Co-founder and CMO at ScribblePost<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Collaboration in the Innovator Program<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\"\"After many years of experience pursuing grant applications, scholarships and awards, I know that most educators who choose to pursue highly competitive programs are much more likely to treat the application process as a secret mission rather than a collaborative effort.\u00a0 When we know that only a small fraction of applicants will be chosen as \u201cwinners\u201d, it\u2019s scary to let people know you decided to go for it. We might not be chosen!<\/span><\/p>\n

But even the Google Innovator application process challenges you to rethink collaboration and failure.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before submitting your application, you are encouraged to share your ideas and draft with fellow Innovators and applicants.\u00a0 My application was reviewed by six different Innovators, multiple colleagues who have no experience with the Innovator program and my intended audience.\u00a0 I was so invested in my first draft, but feedback showed my message wasn\u2019t clear and I needed to let go of words and ideas that meant a lot to me to get to the core of the problem. The application process is about identifying, refining and clearly articulating your core problem, NOT<\/i> about solving it or even hinting at solutions.\u00a0 That comes much later – well into your work as an Innovator.<\/span><\/p>\n

After selection, Innovators are grouped into teams of 6, each with a formal coach who is a current \"\"Innovator.\u00a0 Each newly selected Innovator is paired with another new Innovator from their team so serve as an Affinity Buddy and the first task to to work with your Affinity Buddy on pre-academy collaborative tasks.\u00a0 At the conclusion of the 3-day Academy, each new Innovator begins a formal \u201cMentor Match\u201d process to be paired with a volunteer who has expertise and interest in your project and has been through the Innovator program.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the larger program collaborations, Google\u2019s inclusive meeting guidelines were shared on each team table during the Academy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n