As they say, „teamwork makes the dream work„. Here’s the key to workplace collaboration. But why is it so important and how do you emphasize the importance of collaboration in the workplace?
What is collaboration at work?
Workplace collaboration is about people working together. This can mean individual employees working together or with their managers or supervisors to achieve team goals. Or it can mean people of different categories, from different parts of the organization, working together to achieve a wider outcome for the organization.
Why is collaboration at work important?
Collaboration is a key element in providing customers with better products and services and improving business performance.
To be successful, individuals in a business or organization need to be able to work together as a team (whether remotely or in the office). When people collaborate successfully, they are able to achieve better results and create a greater impact than they could by working alone.
Collaboration doesn’t necessarily mean less effort, but the quality of work – ideas, solutions, execution – tends to be better. Collaboration at work is therefore essential for better results.
Here are 6 rules for effective collaboration :
1. Accountability is essential in a collaborative workplace. While no one wants to feel like they’re doing all the work alone (remember group projects in school?), people also don’t want to feel like their quality work has gone unnoticed. Accountability helps provide clarity and sets the stage for recognition.
2. The most important benefits of collaboration are creativity and innovation – but they don’t come without trust. Creating an environment where people feel psychologically safe is a prerequisite for successful collaboration. Without trust, people will not share their ideas or feel comfortable taking risks.
3. There are two ways to solve problems. Some people treat problems as an inconvenience and work as if they are being put up against a wall. Some teams, however, treat problems as opportunities for development.
4. Going into any project with a positive and optimistic outlook will make a huge difference in the kinds of ideas you come up with and the experience of succeeding.
5. Collaboration flourishes in a fast-paced environment. People quickly lose enthusiasm for projects that stretch on forever with no end date in sight. Fast completion of projects spurs people to come up with new ideas and better ways to execute them by involving them in the work at hand.
6. Finally (or maybe first?), you need to make sure the issue is important or complex enough to benefit from collaboration. Designing a product launch campaign? It’s worth a collaboration. Writing an email? Probably not. Nothing kills the passion of working together faster than making every task a group task. If there are secondary reasons – such as onboarding a new team member or reinvigorating your approach on a major contract – make those goals clear to everyone involved.
Conclusion
This is more than just burden sharing. Collaboration is a productive way of bringing people together to achieve something they couldn’t achieve on their own. Collaboration draws on a range of skills, resources, expertise and perspectives to achieve better results and greater impact. Collaboration can stimulate creativity and innovation and lead to more informed and thoughtful decision-making. Collaborative workplaces tend to be more efficient, have a higher retention rate and are often more profitable.
Humans are social creatures and we are designed to work together. The secret to innovation and creativity is collaboration at work. Prioritizing spaces and opportunities for people to feel safe, empowered and valued will generate ripples of success and excitement throughout your organization.
