Collaboration is a business buzzword of the moment. Still, it carries significant weight as we navigate global unrest and polarity, constant changes in hybrid working and AI, and the sheer volume of communication we are bombarded with. In organisations, we increasingly need to collaborate more effectively, both internally – within and between departments – and externally with stakeholders.
While poor, tick-box collaboration is largely a time-waster, well-thought-out collaborative solutions where colleagues work together towards a specific goal can rejuvenate a workplace and improve work relationships. It allows employees to feel comfortable and heard, and can have a profoundly positive impact on creativity and productivity.
How to better collaborate, particularly through training
1. Have a framework or a map
- Start with the end in mind and then look at the journey you’re taking to get there.
- Share expectations at the beginning.
- Recognise storms and challenges as they arise.
- Define clear roles and responsibilities of the workload to ensure everyone is on the same page.
By prioritising transparency, clarity and openness, there is less room for misunderstandings that can lead to strained team atmospheres and a communication breakdown.
2. Set up checkpoints
When you reach a milestone in the project, have a debriefing session. Here, you can identify any unresolved tensions and highlight areas in which the team excelled or needs to pivot.
3. Establish who, if anyone, is in charge
Get in pairs and hold a pen together to create a drawing of a specific object agreed.
Then ask yourselves:
- Did someone take charge and the other follow, or did you create it equally?
- Who owns the drawing?
- Did you divide up roles equally?
- Did you appreciate and respect each other’s individual traits and skills?
- Did you make assumptions about what the task was or talk it through?
4. Rotate roles
Encourage teams to step outside their comfort zone and share knowledge from the outset.
Team members should teach each other skills and share updates to enhance their collective expertise. Use different approaches, such as reverse mentoring or integrating different teams and allowing colleagues to observe one another’s work. Doing so will help foster empathy and respect, leading to valuable insights and ideas while promoting accountability.
5. Recognise that conflict or tension is an essential part of collaboration
If you don’t do this, you risk having a poor alliance. Practise good collaboration by keeping discussions constructive and solution-focused, and considering both viewpoints with intention.
The threat response is much more easily activated than the reward response, so the goal in any interaction should be to minimise the threat response and maximise positive engagement.
6. Ensure safe space
Ensure everyone feels comfortable enough to contribute, as innovative ideas are what fuel future success.
Avoid activities that have groupthink at their heart. Focus on individuals’ needs and interests rather than sticking to rigid viewpoints and positions.
Someone who feels threatened or undermined is less likely to be able to solve complex problems and more likely to feel stressed and make mistakes. Ensure no one is being alienated or is in fear of being shot down.
7. Have a level IT playing field
Online collaboration tools, planning software, and management platforms are found to increase productivity by around 30%. Resources that show workflow, deadlines, accountability and important upcoming meetings should be shared so no one is left in the dark.
Be aware of the danger of creating cliques and parallel conversations that exclude those who are reluctant or less frequent users or contributors.
8. Diversity drives
Ensure the workplace is a diverse environment where everyone feels comfortable enough to contribute and to be heard. Understand your team’s communication preferences and support those who don’t feel as confident. Don’t stick to rigid viewpoints and positions.
9. Assess and summarise your experience for future collaborations
Embrace feedback and encourage reflection. Creating an environment where feedback is valued and not taken critically can be crucial in improving and promoting future collaborations. Use the four C’s of collaboration:
- Connection – did you feel more or less connected to the other person?
- Consideration – did you feel respected and treated with courtesy?
- Control – did you feel that you had adequate control over events and/or the environment and sufficient certainty as to what might happen next, or were you micromanaged?
- Care – did you feel that the other person was genuinely listening to and understanding your needs and concerns, and cared about them?
10. Celebrate the small wins
Establish clear goals for your team to achieve – and have micro-celebrations and acts of positive reinforcement to help boost morale as they work towards these goals.
When a person feels appreciated, they are more willing to undertake difficult tasks and take risks, think deeply about issues, strive to develop new solutions, and perform better overall.
Focusing on the positives also provides a balance and reassurance to team members that they are on track. This ensures that everyone can focus on the importance of collaboration and hone their skills in teamwork and communication, thereby excelling further in future projects.
