Team Collaboration
How To Help Staff Connect, Encourage Ideas, And Move Work Forward
Share. Communicate. Innovate
Team collaboration is a prominent trait among today’s winning organizations. Done right, collaboration aids better decision-making, innovative thinking and improved productivity. Staff are happier, performance is boosted, and there’s less risk of error.
But many organizations have yet to figure out how to help colleagues work better together to achieve a common goal.
The good news is that there are tools and techniques that have proven to nurture a strong collaborative culture within the workplace.
Here, we shed light on the causes of poor collaboration, tips for improvement, and collaboration software that enables co-workers to share ideas and improve internal communications.
What Is Team Collaboration?
The definition of team collaboration is when two or more people work together to achieve a common goal. This is done through idea sharing, planning and executing in unison. In contrast to working on one’s own, team collaboration is regarded as a more productive way to get work done, and carries less risk.
Tackling a major project – such as a new product launch or the introduction of a new internal process – usually requires a teamwork approach. This entails bringing together a group of employees to allocate and complete tasks, within a set timeframe.
These days, with technology overcoming geographical barriers, virtual teams are popular. Companies are now appointing the best people for a project – regardless of their work location – to form part of a team and collaborate. This development has created new opportunities for businesses to innovate – but is not without its challenges.
Why Is Team Collaboration Critical In The 21st Century?
Never before has the workplace been so diverse. For the first time in history, five generations are working side-by-side. Each employee has a unique perspective. Their opinions are formed by their own personal experiences. And they have different communication styles – some prefer face-to-face, others the written word.
Such differences are a lot to manage, particularly when complex, project-based decisions must be made.
How a team interacts with each other will influence the final outcome. Communication, knowledge transfer and equal respect for each team member are essential for a high-performing team.
Younger generations joining the workforce are eager to further develop the collaborative skills they’ve learnt during education. They place place greater support on social tools for collaboration than their older colleagues (49 per cent millennials vs 31 per cent baby boomers). And considering that 46 per cent of 2020’s workforce are millennials (compared with 36 per cent six years ago), employers must act upon this growing generation’s preference for building team dynamics.
Furthermore, around 75% of employees now rate teamwork and collaboration as crucial to their performance.
Reasons For Poor Team Collaboration
It’s a common scenario when a collection of people come together to solve a problem, cross-functionally. There may be representatives in the room from IT, Sales, Product and Finance.
When collaboration fails, it’s often because these individuals partially listen to others points-of-view, but do not fully seek to understand what they were actually saying.
Each representative remains in their own paradigm rather than genuinely taking on board and seeking a solution based on other perspectives.
To counter this, effective collaboration requires recognition of diversity; that each individual has their own thought process and purpose. This requires greater understanding of the team individuals, and the concerns they may be feeling.
These could include the following:
- Skepticism about the success of the project i.e.‘doomed to fail’
- Uncertainty around who does what in the team, and where tasks and responsibilities sit
- Misinterpretation or miscommunication: wrongly assuming all staff have the same understanding
- Lack of direction, KPIs and milestones set out from the start
- Conflicting priorities: failing to appreciate an employee’s current workload before adding more
- Forcing staff to communicate in ways that may be uncomfortable for them i.e. introverted employees making team presentations
How To Improve Team Collaboration
Successful team collaboration is hard work. With so much to consider – silos, company culture, staff at different locations, leadership styles – good team collaboration doesn’t happen by accident.
Furthermore, Harvard Business Review has exposed an interesting paradox at play, based on its research into team behavior:
“Although teams that are large, virtual, diverse, and composed of highly educated specialists are increasingly crucial with challenging projects, those same four characteristics make it hard for teams to get anything done.
“To put it another way, the qualities required for success are the same qualities that undermine success. Members of complex teams are less likely to share knowledge freely, to learn from one another, to shift workloads flexibly to break up unexpected bottlenecks, to help one another complete jobs and meet deadlines, and to share resources.”
It also found that the higher the educational level of the team member, the more challenging collaboration appears for them.
But there are some best practices for building effective collaboration strategies, as follows:
Define And Repeatedly Communicate The Team’s Goals
This is the first step to bringing together a group of people. Goals should be reiterated at the start of daily huddles, referred to when key decisions are underway, and repeated across all communication channels (your intranet, for example).
Promote Open Communication Particularly When Faced With A Roadblock
This is where technology has become a game-changer. Instead of waiting for the next round-table meeting to overcome a roadblock, intranet tools such as forums, instant messaging, and shared files allow members of the same team to work through a problem collaboratively at pace.
Create Structure Within Meetings And Give Staff Time To Prepare
WIP (work-in-progress) meetings are an important part of effective project management. Ahead of each meeting, share agenda items, action lists and related reading material with all members of the team so there are no frustrating delays when teams meet.
Encourage Creativity And Free-thinking: All Ideas To Be Respected
Brainstorming sessions can be fun and fruitful. Team leaders must give advance warning though so staff can do their own research. And if you’re the manager, resist the urge to direct and jump in immediately with your ideas, as staff may feel obliged to follow.
Log Important Decisions And Their Backstory
Avoid the “he said/she said” nature of spontaneous conversations; make sure ideas are contextually documented in a central space, accessible for all, and not lost in the moment.
Invest in Collaboration Tools
Team collaboration tools have shown the way here. Employees can set up team channels where decisions can be made in real-time. Slack, the popular chat tool, has been joined by a host of other instant messaging tools, virtually eliminating the need for traditional email. Video conferencing, in the wake of Covid-19, has become the default meeting format. And forums are another effective channel for effective team collaboration.
Check For Understanding
Nodding heads does not necessarily mean agreement and understanding. Many co-workers won’t like to admit they don’t understand something. Reiterate major decisions – during and after meetings – providing clarity and an opportunity for others to ask further questions. Engage in two-way communication with all members when possible.
Create Ways For Less Outspoken Team Members To Contribute Ideas
Not everyone has public speaking skills. Shy people will not feel comfortable sharing their idea in a room full of colleagues, but may happily submit an idea via a forum or chat channel. Make it known that individual thinking is unique and valued, and that every team member should be able to communicate with equality and authority.
Share Experience, Knowledge And Resources
Use an intranet to capture treasured insights – physically and virtually with file-sharing software. This will save mistakes being repeated, and knowledge walking out the door when someone leaves. Don’t leave this to chance: embed a process for eliciting and storing this valuable intelligence as part of your regular WIP meetings. Add tags to meeting notes that can be searched for later on.
Acknowledge And Celebrate Individual And Team Success
Highlight individual qualities and the special skills that each team member brings to the table. Go big when a milestone or key task has been ticked off with a team building celebration event. This boosts morale and makes people feel valued.
Appoint Task And Relationship-Oriented Leaders
HBR research found that the most productive and innovative teams had leaders who could outline clear goals and responsibilities and easily switch to relationship-building mode i.e. smoothing out internal tensions.
Limit Group Sizes
Not always possible – particularly if you’re about to organize the next Olympics – but aim to keep teams small enough so that staff get to know (and respect) each other, and ideas exchange freely. Big teams tend to be more vulnerable to tunnel vision, or the ‘squeakiest wheel wins’.
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Collaborative teams are 5 x higher performing as they feel motivated towards a common goal
Source: i4cp
Team Collaboration Trends
Team Collaboration tools are evolving to suit the changing needs of businesses today.
Flexibility, scalability, and compatibility with existing systems increasingly matter. Because of this, enterprise players such as Cisco, Slack and Microsoft have no choice but to integrate with each other.
Some other noticeable trends in team collaboration include:
Artificial Intelligence
Machine learning tools and bots can help an entire team improve the way they collaborate by making it easier to find information instantly. They can also offer things like real-time translation and transcribing during video conferencing meetings.
Unique Experiences
As more technology vendors come to the integration and interoperability party, open-source platforms with the help of APIs are enabling employers to build their own collaboration experience, just right for their internal culture.
Love Of Video
This format’s popularity continues to rise, but so do expectations around its performance. With remote teams the new normal, businesses are relying more on video conferencing, which must be reliable, secure and consistent.
Team Collaboration Software
Creating a workplace using team collaboration software is a practical move that can really transform how you and your colleagues collaborate.
MyHub’s cloud-based intranet is designed specifically for organizations in search of an affordable and adaptable collaboration solution. It’s fully scalable, designed to support your company’s growth. And fully customizable, to meet your exact needs.
Combining a company internal newsfeed, instant messaging and secure cloud storage, MyHub is the perfect choice for your important projects-in-progress.
Whether you’re an IT pro or completely non-technical, MyHub’s cloud-hosted solution offers all the features and functionality you’ll ever need.
We’ve made it so that it’s super simple to set-up (no coding skills or IT experience required) – and is enjoyable to use!
Using simple drag-and-drop functionality, you can create a professional space for your team to start collaborating in minutes! Being cloud-hosted also means you’re future-proofing your investment: you get to benefit from our latest new features and enhancements as soon as they’re released.
Useful Team Collaboration Resources
Employee Engagement – The Ultimate Definition
Employee engagement is more than just a buzzword; it’s a critical component of organizational success. Defined as the emotional commitment an employee has towards their organization and its goals, engagement drives individuals to go above and beyond their basic job responsibilities. Engaged employees are not only more productive but also contribute to a positive workplace culture and higher retention rates.
It’s essential to distinguish employee engagement from related concepts like satisfaction and happiness. While a satisfied employee may be content with their job, they might not be emotionally invested in the company’s mission. Similarly, a happy employee enjoys their work environment but isn’t necessarily driven to contribute beyond their duties. True engagement combines satisfaction, happiness, and a deep-seated commitment to the organization’s success.
To cultivate employee engagement, organizations should focus on clear communication, recognition of achievements, opportunities for professional growth, and fostering a sense of purpose among employees. Implementing these strategies can lead to a more motivated workforce, improved performance, and a competitive edge in today’s dynamic business landscape.
Top 10 Internal Communication Examples
Effective internal communication is the backbone of a cohesive and productive organization. In the evolving landscape of remote and hybrid work environments, companies must adopt innovative communication strategies to keep teams aligned and engaged. This blog post highlights ten exemplary internal communication practices that organizations can implement to enhance collaboration and transparency.
From visible leadership through regular updates to utilizing instant messaging for agile decision-making, these examples showcase how companies like Starbucks, Netflix, and Coca-Cola have successfully fostered open communication channels. By embracing tools such as internal podcasts, employee surveys, and dedicated intranet spaces, these organizations have created environments where employees feel heard and valued.
Implementing these internal communication strategies can lead to increased employee satisfaction, reduced turnover, and improved overall performance. By learning from these real-world examples, businesses can tailor their communication approaches to meet the unique needs of their teams and drive organizational success.
Top 30 Employee Engagement Videos
Employee engagement is crucial for organizational success, directly impacting productivity, morale, and retention. In today’s hybrid and remote work environments, maintaining high levels of engagement presents unique challenges. Video content has emerged as a powerful tool to bridge communication gaps, offering a personal and authentic way to connect with employees.
Recognizing the abundance of available content, MyHub Intranet has curated a list of the top 30 employee engagement videos. These selections cover various topics, including foundational concepts, managerial strategies, and innovative approaches to boost engagement. Each video is chosen for its relevance, clarity, and potential to inspire actionable change within organizations.
Whether you’re an HR professional, team leader, or business owner, these videos serve as valuable resources to understand and implement effective engagement strategies. By leveraging visual content, organizations can foster a more connected, motivated, and productive workforce.
10 Employee Appreciation Ideas On A Budget
Employee appreciation is a powerful tool for boosting morale, increasing engagement, and reducing turnover. However, many organizations believe that meaningful recognition requires a significant financial investment. In reality, small, thoughtful gestures can have a profound impact on employee satisfaction.
Implementing budget-friendly appreciation strategies, such as personalized thank-you notes, shout-outs during team meetings, or organizing casual lunch gatherings, can make employees feel valued without straining the company’s finances. These actions not only acknowledge individual contributions but also foster a culture of recognition within the organization.
By integrating regular appreciation practices into the workplace, companies can cultivate an environment where employees feel respected and motivated. This approach leads to improved performance, higher retention rates, and a more positive organizational culture.
Stereotypes Of Millennials – What Employers Need To Know
Millennials, often defined as individuals born between 1981 and 1996, have become a significant demographic in today’s workforce. However, they are frequently subjected to stereotypes that paint them as entitled, lazy, or overly reliant on technology. These misconceptions can lead to misunderstandings and missed opportunities for employers seeking to engage and retain Millennial talent.
In reality, Millennials are characterized by their adaptability, tech-savviness, and desire for meaningful work. They value flexibility, continuous learning, and work-life balance. Contrary to the stereotype of job-hopping, many Millennials seek long-term career growth and are committed to organizations that align with their values.
For employers, it’s crucial to move beyond generational stereotypes and recognize the diverse strengths Millennials bring to the workplace. By fostering an inclusive environment that supports their professional development and well-being, organizations can harness the full potential of this dynamic generation.
Intranet Management Best Practices
Launching an intranet is a significant step toward improving internal communication and collaboration within an organization. However, the true measure of success lies in how effectively the intranet is managed post-launch. A well-maintained intranet requires a clear strategy encompassing content governance, user management, analytics, and ongoing training to remain a valuable asset.
Effective information management is at the heart of a successful intranet. This involves developing a comprehensive content strategy that outlines goals, structures content logically, and establishes clear publishing workflows. Regular content audits, version control, and the use of content calendars ensure that information remains current and relevant, thereby maintaining user trust and engagement.
User management is equally critical, involving the assignment of appropriate permissions, management of user access, and ensuring data security. Analytics play a pivotal role in measuring intranet performance, providing insights into user engagement and content effectiveness. Additionally, continuous onboarding and training programs are essential to equip employees with the necessary skills to utilize the intranet effectively, fostering a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing.