The Flow of Collaboration, a powerful 20-minute talk by Patrick O'Neill, identifies the six competencies that spell the difference between success and failure for any work group:

• Common Purpose
• Accountability
• Trust
• Proactivity
• Dialogue
• Mutual gain

Beginning with an extraordinary conversation in a mine in Northern Manitoba, O'Neill recounts how "flow" - the effect of everyone working together toward a common goal - requires the careful stewardship of both tasks and relationships.

As well, O'Neill outlines the five conditions that sabotage enterprise and explains why the "dream team" approach so often fails.

Next, the skills and practices that lead to good team chemistry are discussed with clarity and precision. The Flow of Collaboration finishes with an entertaining and insightful story from the Chinese tradition about the power of group work.

Patrick O'Neill leads Extraordinary Conversations Inc., a management consulting firm specializing in leadership development, organizational renewal and communications. Patrick's work has taken him to global corporations and small entrepreneurial firms in North America and Europe, to the townships of South Africa, and to the peace process in the Middle East.