What is collaboration?

We have all heard this word before in a variety of different contexts and situations but what does collaboration really mean? It means different things to different people. To some, it means sharing the workload. To others, it may mean being in the same workspace for a period of time. Some may even conceptualize it as the ability to pool resources and strengths to work towards a common goal or vision through positive communication and constructive relationships. While many talk about collaboration in the world of business and health care, few understand its true complexity or the tools necessary to make it happen. Even existing literature that explore this concept are unsure how to define it but do offer many examples of the end result of collaboration. What do you think collaboration is? What does it mean to you? How do you think it fits into nursing practice? Below is an interesting article that give some ideas as to how to put collaboration into practice. If you have any thoughts about this article, please feel free to submit your feedback.
http://www.nursingworld.org/ojin/topic26/tpc26_1.htm