The ability to work well in a team is a highly desired skill by hiring managers and employers in arguably every industry across America. According to research, over 50% of workers in America say their jobs rely on effective collaboration. The core benefit of collaboration is being able to share expertise and knowledge fast and easily. This leads to better innovations which drive higher profitability, employee engagement, and worker satisfaction. However, it takes a lot of work to boost teamwork in organizations, so you must consciously invest in making your business more collaborative. Below are some great ways to improve collaboration in your company.
Start from the top
There is nothing more demoralizing to company-wide collaboration than a top-level leader who remains cooped up in their office, separated from the entire team. Indeed, collaboration is not for only one part of the organization. Every employee should adopt it irrespective of their level or job role. Therefore, have an open-door policy to ensure that communication between the various hierarchies in your company is fluid and constant. Managers should set an example and ensure that their efforts are noticeable. Visibility is key because if staff see their managers and directors collaborating well, they will be inspired to replicate this behavior and boost productivity.
Invest in the right business technology
It pays to have the right technology to facilitate collaboration if you wish to create a completely cohesive workplace culture. This technology will help staff perform their jobs faster so they can spend more time being innovative and practicing teamwork. Cloud-based software solutions are increasingly popular, so you can invest in a cloud-based idea management platform to help your workers collaborate more and develop fresh concepts at scale. However, your staff will find it more challenging to collaborate effectively with slow internet. Luckily, there are several internet providers that you can upgrade to for better speed, so keep this in mind.
Set up team-building activities
A 2006 Harvard study discovered that heart surgeons performed better when working with a familiar team than with a new one. This study suggests that being familiar with and knowing how your team operates improves your performance over time. Consequently, set up several team-building activities to help your staff trust one another more and get along better. Weekend getaways, office trivia, and camping outings are some of the best team-building activities to consider for your employees based on their preferences. You will undoubtedly notice an improvement in teamwork and productivity once your team trusts and understands one another better.
Encourage interaction across departments
The innovation process can become too stale and routine if the same teams work together all the time. Therefore, encourage engagement between teams from different departments. The coming together of people with different perspectives, skill sets, and objectives can quickly lead to fresh and effective idea generation that can significantly benefit your company. Besides, by insisting on collaboration between staff who may not usually be in contact, you will be encouraging everyone to step outside their comfort zones and remain on their toes regarding teamwork.
Photo by fauxels
