Collaborates are defined as two or more people or organizations working together to realise shared goals, (this is more than the intersection of common goals seen in co-operative ventures, but a deep, collective, determination to reach an identical objective) by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus.  In particular, teams that work collaboratively can obtain greater resources, recognition and reward when facing competition for finite resources.

Structured methods of collaboration encourage introspection of behavior and communication.^[5] These methods specifically aim to increase the success of teams as they engage in collaborative problem solving.                              Wikipedia, Nov. 2010