Cooperation is about getting different individuals (persons or organizations) to work together because they have complementary expertise, responsibility and authority. Cause-centred approach principles lead to choices that ensure the appropriate specialization and professionalism needed to underpin competence. More
Specialization is intrinsically cause-centred, being built around a distinctive occupation, discipline or business activity with associated orthodox knowledge, theories, paradigms and ideals. Cause-centredness, by its nature, differentiatesindividualist choices in accord with distinct areas of expertise. Professionals identify strongly with their own expertise, just as successful firms view their distinctive competencies as intrinsic to their mission.
Does L3-Expertise imply a Participant focus or a Shared-Endeavour focus or both? In this case, choices related to specialization appear in two distinct forms.
The participant focus is on the expertise and up-to-date knowledge available to the endeavour through the professionalism provided by each participant in accord with their own particular competence (L3P ).
The shared endeavour focus is on establishing suitable minimum standards for any aspect of the project, which can be upheld and championed by all (L3S).
These two cause-centred Centres are linked because:
Professional experts originate and validate standards of work or performance.
Proclaimed standards validate the expertise of persons and organizations..
So we label the Channel (L3P↔L3S): Validation.
Experts thrive in an environment whose standards support their convictions and aspirations and will walk away rather than be compromised by poor standards that might reflect badly on them. So the Participant Centre dominates the Shared endeavour Centre and is placed on the right.
Influences on Cooperation
Choices flowing from expertise and standards can influence and will be affected by choices sustaining prosperity (at L1) and choices ensuring strength and power (at L2).
Possession of strength and the capacity to influence situations (if not control them entirely) places an obligation on individuals to use that power wisely. Such use is dependent on the convictions of the individuals wielding the power. Convictions similarly place an obligation on an individual to put whatever power he can mobilize into their service. We therefore label the Channel L3P ↔ L2B: Obligation.
The exercise of power in a joint endeavour requires justification by an effort to maintain or improve standards. Conversely, championing standards (always a disruption to accepted mediocre custom and practice) must be justified by a sufficient source of power in the system, or it is ridiculed and the standards are ignored. We therefore label the Channel L3S ↔ L2B: Justification.
Focus & Improvement: L3 ↔ L1
Professionalism can be harnessed to focus work, just as the need to earn or profit focuses professional input. Focus may be difficult because it usually entails sacrifice and risk (both cause-centred qualities). We label the Channel L3P ↔ L1B: Focus.
Championing of standards within an endeavour is intrinsic to improvement, while prospering by participants tends to support improvements via higher standards. Weaknesses in the fundamentals and cost-cutting generally cause a fall in quality. We therefore label the Channel L3S ↔ L1B: Improvement.
Limitation
The problem that now arises in any joint effort is how to coordinate the inputs and activities of the varied experts &/or pressures and desires of diverse participants to achieve a common goal outside the realm or outside the control of any particular one.
Joint work by independent individuals to produce a practical result for the group is the pre-occupation of community-centred thinking, and this is where we find the emphasis on consensus to ensure cooperation.