ABSTRACT
From the perspective of expansive learning theory (ELT), horizontal expansion refers to the process of working on a shared problem with a group of people who see things differently. Interdisciplinary work creates tensions, which force everyone to reconsider their routine ways of working. It pushes people towards finding new ways of thinking and doing. While it is relatively simple to describe collaboration between people with complementary expertise, it is much more difficult to facilitate this in practice. Organizations of different types have particular cultural practices, and even companies who may be pursuing similar technological developments do not necessarily find it easy to collaborate. From this perspective, collaboration concerns the time and effort people put into developing positive working relationships.
