EN-CA
Business leaders are finding it increasingly difficult to encourage team collaboration, especially with the growing prevalence of hybrid work arrangements. With employees working in the office, at home, and on the road, getting everyone on the same page can be challenging.
Common collaboration challenges in the modern workplace include:
- Getting team members to know each other better
- Removing competition
- Enhancing communication between departments and employees
These difficulties become more complicated as companies expand to multiple locations, update work policies, and hire new talent. Improving cross-functional communication and removing departmental silos are imperative to creating collaborative environments.
Collaboration has long been a characteristic of high-performing organizations, although this has evolved over the years. Tech startups broke down cubicle walls in favor of wide-open, communal workspaces. Hybrid work means the office footprint is smaller, with desk sharing and “huddle rooms” for in-person and virtual meetings.
When collaboration breaks down, and teams don’t have the tools to work together effectively, businesses can end up as a collection of competing silos and individuals. Other factors impacting a team’s efficiency and performance include:
No Team Governance
People tend to resent being forced to work together when they aren’t given clear objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) or don’t understand everyone’s role on the team.
Lack of Transparency
When team members' work depends on others, everyone needs to feel comfortable sharing their progress, concerns, and obstacles. Without transparency, teams won’t be able to establish trust.
Competition
Turf wars discourage collaboration. Influential leaders leverage everyone’s strengths and allow them to learn from each other’s skill sets. Team members need to feel supported, not threatened, by each other.
Poor Engagement
All team members must collaborate on the process, direction, and expected outcomes. If teams don’t buy into the project, they won’t be able to identify problems or work together on solutions.
On the other hand, taking steps to improve team collaboration positively impacts the entire organization, from employee satisfaction to the bottom line. Collaboration can improve customer satisfaction ratings by 41%, and higher levels of team engagement can result in 18% higher productivity, 23% higher profitability, and 78% lower absenteeism.
4 Ways to Improve Collaboration in the Workplace
Team collaboration isn’t just a buzzword – it’s an essential strategy for improving all elements of the business. Growing companies must understand the value of encouraging collaboration within their teams. Here’s how:
1. Start with the Mission
To foster collaboration, team members need to believe in the company mission. Employees who feel part of something bigger are more inspired to collaborate. When given a clear and convincing cause to believe in, team members become more passionate about working together to achieve their goals.
Organizations with clearly defined missions and a sense of community have more engaged employees, better retention rates, stronger talent attraction, and higher productivity. This also improves time-to-market and cost-effectiveness, helping to future-proof the company.
2. Create a Values-based Environment
Strong companies promote a value-based culture driven by collaboration and professionalism. Remember, your workers are people, not cogs in a wheel. Ensure managers encourage positive interactions. Toxic workplace conditions lead to stressed, burned-out employees who are not productive collaborators.
Employees who feel supported by their company are more likely to help the company in return, improving resilience in the face of sudden disruptions. Communication and teamwork make it easier to pivot when customer preferences change, or new technologies enter the scene.
3. Foster a Culture of Innovation
The best way to help your team grow is to give them the space they need to brainstorm, create, and even challenge the status quo. That means developing an open and nonjudgmental working environment.
Show your team members you value their ideas and input, and give them the tools they need to work together and accomplish their tasks. The more connected and understood they feel, the more motivated they’ll be to perform, think outside the box, and exceed expectations.
4. Leverage Individual Strengths
Each team member brings their strengths to the table, so make sure you recognize their best skills (and put them to use!). If someone is a social maven, let them handle client interactions. If someone else is skilled with data, unleash them on spreadsheets. Employees feel empowered and perform better when they can apply their talents.
One way to identify your team members’ strengths is to have them take a personality test and then discuss the results. This is a great team-building exercise because it can help people get to know their colleagues more deeply.
Collaboration Starts with Communication
True collaboration is founded on clear and open communication. Teams need to be able to easily share ideas and connect with colleagues, whether they’re on-site, remote, or on the go.
A unified communications and collaboration (UCC) platform keeps everyone on the same page. The right technology provides a suite of tools for seamless connections, including direct messaging, file sharing, and voice conferencing—from any location, on any device.
Effective team collaboration is the foundation for any successful organization, laying the groundwork for talent, innovation, productivity, and profitability. To learn how to improve collaboration in the workplace with industry-leading UCC solutions, contact us today.
