Collaborate + Compromise = Collabromise

A long time ago, I had the good fortune to work with a group of actor’s to create an original piece of theatre for a fringe theatre festival. Our primary motivations were to have fun working together to create an original, entertaining play.

All of us had some experience with producing independent theatre and knew how the stresses of collective creation could negatively impact personal and professional relationships. As a kind of preemptive strike against the potential damage to our own relationships, we had a long, frank discussion about all of our bad collaborative experiences so we could make plans to avoid the same problems. It was a healthy sharing of experience and stories of collaborations gone wrong.

During this very long conversation, the word “compromise” came up and the discussion turned into an argument about the meaning of that word. The argument got heated as we each had our own understanding about the meaning of the words compromise and collaboration. None of us thought to get out a dictionary. I think we were too busy enjoying the debate. I know I was.

I argued that the phrase “compromise my integrity”, which we agreed was a bad thing, has been abbreviated over time to the single word “compromise”, This has skewed the meaning of that word towards the idea of losing something or giving up something valuable. I also argued that the best meaning of the word compromise is an exchange that results in a gain. I believe to compromise is to exchange one thing for something better and greater. Compromise is the foundation for the “win-win” scenario. Compromise is the key element of any healthy relationship; marriage, family friendship, business...

Someone else argued that I had just described collaboration and that good collaboration shouldn’t require anyone to compromise because compromise is always a bad thing. So, I repeated my argument that compromise is a good thing and is the foundation of collaboration.

And so it went, round and round. It is not. It is so. Is not. Is so. Not. So. No. Yes. No! Yes! Shut up! You shut up! Who’s gonna make me? And not a dictionary in sight.

Finally, for the sake of peace, the level headed member of the group, Stephanie Wolfe, a smart lady and talented actor, made an excellent suggestion.

Stephanie suggested we find a new word that described the ideal working environment and relationship we were trying to create so we could get back to work. Ever the diplomat, Stephanie ingeniously combined the words collaborate and compromise and coined the brand new word, “collabromise".

I thought that was an excellent compromise!

Col lab ro mise: [kuh-lab- ruh-mahyz]

–verb (used without object), -rat⋅ed, -rat⋅ing.

1. to work, one with another in an ideal collaboration; cooperate, through mutual concessions; and agreement reached by adjustment of conflicting or opposing claims principles, etc., by reciprocal modification of demands.