Lessons from the dark side: Emotional labour and positioning in cross-sectoral collaborations

Collaboration across disciplines and stakeholders is important in handling complex societal problems. Even if collaborating is acknowledged as contributing towards societal change and innovation, emotional experiences of the collaborators during development, consolidation and completion of a given project are under explored. This article discusses the potentials and pitfalls of focusing on emotional labour that foregrounds collaboration. The study finds that rendering interpersonal dynamics visible may both be a way to gain authority in the collaboration, but it can also be used as a strategy to marginalize others. On the other hand, maintaining the invisibility of emotional labour can also be an expression of power. The obscurity of these complex dynamics makes it difficult to navigate and propose what a good collaboration can be. The paper aims to contribute from a practitioner-oriented and theoretical vantage point towards more reflexive and sustainable practice and nuanced understandings, particularly to the field of social change and innovation.