Building high-performing organizations and teams requires a collaborative culture. In an environment where many of us are still working from home, collaboration enhances the way we solve problems, leading to greater innovation, more efficient procedures, and better communication. A collaborative culture also benefits the company by increasing productivity and providing better products or services. In fact, collaboration that works produces better business results.

In her book Smart Collaboration, author Heidi Gardner, a Harvard Business school professor, says, “For a firm, the financial benefits of multidisciplinary collaboration are unambiguous. Simply put, the more disciplines that are involved in a client engagement, the greater the annual average revenue the client generates.”

So how else can a collaborative culture contribute to a company?

 

A collaborative culture brings people and organizations closer together

If there are certain teams in the business that seldom connect with one another and that departments and teams function alone, it is recommended to develop a mixed-skills team. For example, a user experience designer, a content writer, a developer, and a product designer may work together on a common project for a set period of time.

 

A collaborative culture helps people learn from each other

Working in a collaborative culture with individuals who have diverse skill sets and experiences is one of the finest advantages of learning from others. Collaborating with team members or even separate teams should be seen as a chance to learn.

 

This means collecting opinions and views from coworkers, exchanging information, learning how they approach their portion of the project, and having a better knowledge of how they work. Learning from colleagues isn’t just a benefit of teamwork; it’s also the initial step in establishing a workplace culture of learning and growth.

 

A collaborative culture assists in problem-solving

When many don’t know how to move forward on a certain project or timeline, the best recourse is to work with teams to address the challenges at hand. With various skills, knowledge, and expertise, coming up with potential solutions becomes easier. The more people work on a certain project, the more they can easily spot the problem and how to go about solving it.

 

A collaborative culture boosts morale across organizations and sectors

As relationships between departments and teams are formed, people will naturally trust one another more, improving the overall tone of the company. When there is trust and a collaborative culture, there is a boost in morale.

Plus, the higher the company’s morale, the more probable employees will feel comfortable working with colleagues from various areas.

 

A collaborative culture opens up new channels for communication

Working with new individuals from diverse areas inside the business also opens up doors that have already been closed.  A collaborative culture should be used to develop links between departments whenever feasible since finding new methods to engage and exchange information is vital to a company’s success.

 

A collaborative culture leads to higher retention rates

Workers value a collaborative culture because it lays the foundation for a more open, connected, and engaged workplace. After all, they want to work with individuals who they can trust, who understand and appreciate various points of view, and who work well with others, especially those from different backgrounds and areas of expertise.

 

A collaborative culture makes more efficient workers

When the task is demanding, the company needs all the support that it can get. This is when teamwork comes into play, which facilitates the creation of novel solutions to challenging problems, the division of a massive workload, and the understanding of the broader picture.

Collaboration will eventually become the norm in a company that prioritizes it as a core value, resulting in a more enjoyable and productive workplace.

 

A collaborative culture is vital these days, especially when everyone seems to be working from home. Not only does it strengthen the organization, but brings value to the employees as well. So if you want to find how to implement collaboration in your company, check out Dale Carnegie of Singapore’s professional training courses on collaboration. Find out the specific skills development solutions you and your team need by partnership with us today.