Collaboration is important in the success of a workplace. As they say, two heads are better than one. But, there are many challenges to collaboration. We all have different personalities and styles of working. Some say it’s hard for them to focus when others are speaking, while some can’t work alone.
But, with the right strategies in place, you can enable collaboration no matter whom you work with. Here are five strategies that will help you achieve it.
Use Tools to Enable Collaboration
Set up different tools and technologies to enable collaboration. There are many tools you can use for this. Some of them include Skype, Slack, Trello, Basecamp, and Google Docs.
The internet is a necessary tool for collaboration, even if all members of the team are within the office. Most offices already utilize the ethernet to connect staff members to the internet. It’s important that you choose an ethernet solutions company that can offer the right setup, speed, and performance for your business. This will ease the connection between employees.
Employees don’t need to know every detail about each project for them to be able to function as a team. But, when they communicate and collaborate effectively, it ensures they are on the same page at all times. There’s no room for confusion if everyone is transparent with each other when they share deliverables or deadlines.
Create a Collaborative Environment
Having an environment of teamwork and collaboration goes a long way in creating success. At the workplace, encourage your employees not to be territorial about projects so they can easily share ideas without hesitation. They don’t have to work alone on one thing when there are others who also want to contribute their thoughts and skills.
When you encourage teamwork and collaboration, you can easily solve problems even if there’s a deadline. If your employees work in a competitive environment where only the best will get noticed, they might be hesitant to share their ideas or help others. This, in turn, slows down progress.
Encourage Participation from Everyone
In every team, it’s important to know everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. Over time, an employee may discover that he or she is better at some tasks than others. That should be OK since you’ll learn what skills each of your teammates has to offer. Employees who do not participate during discussions feel like they’re left out of the loop. As the leader of your business, encourage participation from everyone so they don’t feel like they’re just there to do what they’re told.
You should take charge of your team and lead by example, even if none of your employees are doing it right away. Always remember that you’re representing your brand outside the office, which means you need to present yourself as someone responsible enough to handle difficult situations or problems that may come up during meetings or project debriefings. Dealing with conflicts and disagreements in a mature and professional way will help your employees trust you and follow instructions.
Organizing an After-work Gathering
Some people work better in groups than alone, so you can organize informal gatherings after your office hours once or twice a week. This will give your teammates who require collaboration the opportunity to share their thoughts with the group. You don’t have to make it mandatory for everyone, but inviting them will help you form a stronger bond with them and understand their perspective towards work better.
Creating Online Groups
If your workplace doesn’t support meetings outside of working hours, then establishing online groups can be another effective strategy for enabling collaboration at work. This is even more helpful if your teammates are located in different countries.
As an employer, you should encourage some form of a conversation between your team members every day. Whether it’s over the phone or via video chat, make sure they communicate daily to get to know each other better. This will build a stronger bond between them, which will make teamwork easier.
You can even use social media to connect with new potential employees who are interested in working at your business. It’s not enough to secure their contact details; you also need to engage them in a conversation through your Twitter account or Facebook page. But make sure that this is okay with everyone. There are people who would rather not be Facebook friends with their boss and their co-workers. If that’s the case, then adding them on LinkedIn is more appropriate.
Enabling collaboration within your office can help you manage projects better and is a great way to boost morale among the team. It encourages teamwork, which is very good for business. Employ these five strategies today to improve how your workplace is managed.
