In practice, collaboration is sometimes mistaken for cooperation. Though the word "cooperation" is a common synonym found as a thesaurus entry, the idea of collaboration goes beyond mere cordial association to include the concept of teamwork and partnership; collaboration involves individuals whose work is interconnected in meaningful ways and collectively focused on common goals. Collaboration results in a change of behavior and a product that is superior to what individuals could have achieved on their own (Corrigan, 2000). Two preconditions for authentic collaboration among team members are: (1) members are intellectually and emotionally engaged in the process, and (2) members are willing to struggle with opposing ideas and work through conflict rather than avoid it.
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