“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” — Helen Keller
Numerous sources cite how teams that work collaboratively are able to achieve outstanding business goals. Most of the time collaboration happened in person, in physical workplaces. But now that physical work environments have shifted to a hybrid work model, and technology has advanced so readily to support this shift, what does collaboration look like? First, let’s start with the definition.
What it is
Collaboration is a way of working – bringing people together to work on a shared goal. Much of the strength of collaborating lies in the benefits it provides to both team members and those on the outside. Working together as a team provides different viewpoints, insights, specialties, and gifts that working solo can never provide, which in turn leads to stronger outcomes.
Why it is important
Effective collaboration is a huge advantage to companies, as it impacts brainstorming, information sharing, and opportunity for all. It speeds up processes and contributes to transparency. It helps employees feel more invested in the work and the goals of the company. It fosters a sense of community and increases the amount of knowledge and skill set of each participating individual through passive learning.
How do you create it?
Have clear goals.
Provide the tools necessary to facilitate thought-sharing.
Establish accountability and timelines.
Encourage social interaction among team members and celebrate the wins along the way.
which is facilitated by a platform that allows the sharing of information and ideas, and communication.
Trends
Asynchronous Collaboration
Allow workers to share ideas and thoughts on their own time, which benefits hybrid work models, but more importantly for teams that are distributed through various time zones.
Huddle Rooms
The concept of huddle rooms started several pre-pandemic years ago as companies realized that open floor plans were not the interaction drivers they were touted to be. Employees can get some privacy, do focused work, and have quick meetings in these spaces. Most are equipped with audio visual equipment so that meetings with remote team members are possible.
Remote Workers
Remote workers and distributed teams provide benefits to individuals such as not having to commute. Businesses benefit as they can tap into talent that would not be possible in a single physical location. These benefits however do create some collaboration challenges. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this, companies should ask themselves questions as they establish systems and technologies.
Smart Meeting Rooms
More tech-powered than huddle rooms, smart meeting rooms can have intelligent scheduling, 360-degree video cameras, hidden microphones throughout, interactive whiteboards, and other tools to make communications and sharing seamless and efficient. And technology that facilitates this type of collaboration contributes to increases in employee morale and a higher degree of consensus for a team.
Collaboration is not a singular tool, but instead, it is the desire and effort by humans to work with others. It’s about people working together, not the tools or technology they use. Sometimes these tools are not about collaboration at all, but rather knowledge sharing or simple conversation without the goal of achieving anything at all.
Providing spaces and ways for people to feel trusted, respected, and appreciated while working together is the key framework for successful collaboration.