Collaboration at work has always been an integral part, becoming more relevant these days because most are now working from home. Unfortunately because of the diverse, more specialized and more dispersed workforce – coupled with various challenges in technology – some companies struggle with this aspect of work.

So, how can businesses today collaborate while negotiating the usual work structures and dynamics that obstruct efficient workplace collaboration? Here are some ways to successfully achieve collaboration at work.

 

Make a significant investment in signature connection techniques.

Companies invest much in creating and sustaining social ties throughout the firm in the whole organization, more so in this pandemic. While the manner in which they accomplish this differ greatly, there are businesses that had “signature” practices – those that are distinctive and difficult to duplicate, and suited to the needs of the company environment.

This can take the form of establishing a new structure around the company’s premises, reskilling employees who need it, or having a core value of trust and empathy.

 

Model collaboration at work.

One of the best ways for collaboration at work is for the leaders and executives to model this value themselves. As such, collaboration trickles down to the bottom of the level – employees begin to realize that for the company to be more productive and enjoyable, they also need to work on this within their workspaces.

 

Apply HR practices with a purpose. 

Aside from the executive team, the HR team also has a hand in ensuring a collaborative culture. One such example is the usage of collaborative behavior skills and support for informal community building that can boost team performance. These are tailored according to the company’s culture and business plan.

 

Establish a “gifting culture”.

Another way to ensure collaboration at work is when executives immediately begin to implement coaching and mentoring on a worker’s first day of work. Small talks and short conversations with an employee can encourage collaborative behaviour.

For instance, prior to someone’s first day at work, the leader lists down all the names that the newcomer can collaborate with. On his or her first day, the manager talks with the new employee and goes through the subjects the newcomer should talk with each individual on the list and why it’s vital to build a connection with them. It is therefore customary for the newcomer to initiate meetings with the persons on the list, even if this necessitates travelling to distant regions.

 

Assure necessary skills are in place.

Although some teams have a collaborative culture, they lack the expertise in cooperation. They are urged to collaborate, and they want to cooperate, but they lack the necessary teamwork skills.

To address this, it is very important that teams appreciate people, creatively and successfully resolve disagreements, have good program management in place, and that they are able to engage in purposeful dialogues. A company’s human resources or corporate learning department may make a significant impact in team effectiveness by educating staff in such areas.

 

Promote a sense of belonging.

While a sense of community might emerge naturally, the company can help foster it by funding group events and activities such as culinary weekends, tennis or swimming tournaments, women’s networks or even learning camps and in today’s case, virtual social gatherings with games and prizes.

Such events and activities can boost the sense of belonging of the team – and collaboration at work – and can motivate them to be more productive and effective in the workplace.

 

Build on past relationships. 

Given the importance of trust in effective cooperation, building teams that use past relationships improves a project’s chances of success. While existing teams have much stronger connections, newly-established teams must devote a large amount of time and effort to developing trusted connections.

Of course, it helps if the company’s leadership has taken additional steps to establish cross-border networks. Having this in the system can boost the chances that someone on a companywide team knows someone else and can make introductions, even if the company has more than 10,000 employees.

 

Recognize the difference between role clarity and job ambiguity.

Collaboration at work occurs when the duties of team members are understood and well-defined, and when individuals believe they can do a large percentage of their job alone. Without it, team members are more prone to confusion and misalignment than focusing on the work at hand.

Furthermore, collaboration happens when activities can somewhat be quite uncertain, or when the technique isn’t well-known. This fuels their creativity and allows them to devote more time to their work.

 

Strengthening collaboration at work in team members requires a whole lot: building relationships and trusts, developing a culture to involve the senior executives and managers, and roles and responsibilities being clearly defined. 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.