Have you ever felt like the collaboration on your team was lackluster? Or that team members weren’t pulling their weight? If so, you aren’t alone. A study by Bersin and Associates found that only 20 percent of employees are highly collaborative and productive. Team members need to work together as efficiently as possible in any department or company. Collaboration is the act of bringing together different views, ideas, and resources to create something new and more significant than the sum of its parts.
Collaborative teams are essential for success in almost any business or organization because they enable people to work together more effectively. Working effectively with a group requires clear communication, strong listening skills, open minds, and trust. That might sound like a lot to manage at once, but it’s not impossible. Here are five ways that you can improve your team collaboration and make your project shine:
Communicate clearly
Communication is the backbone of every successful collaborative effort, yet it’s something that many teams struggle with. The problem is that many teams use communication practices that don’t work well in the modern workplace, such as meetings that last too long and involve too many people.
If your team is having trouble communicating clearly, you can do a few things to improve your situation. Here are a few tips: The easiest way to improve communication on your team is to implement an effective collaboration tool. There are plenty of options, such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Hangouts. The next step is to ensure that everyone on the team knows how to use the collaboration tool and has the information they need to do their jobs. This includes everything from using the tool to where team members should store their work.
Automation is vital
The right program can help you see your project clearly while automating the tasks that take up too much of your time. Many people think that project management is all about managing people and their egos – which it is to some extent. But it’s also about making sure that everyone is working together effectively towards a common goal. If you’re still using paper-based systems to manage your team, upgrading to digital systems is time. Whether it’s having a central location for work and ideas to be logged for everyone to access in real-time, such as Slack, or data analytics for easier access or literature review, everyone can be kept informed of all the details when required.
Create a supportive network
You and your team members need to create a supportive network no matter what industry you work in. This can be as simple as encouraging team members to take breaks together and eat lunch as a group every now and again. It also includes creating opportunities for team members to socialize outside of work. Creating a supportive network is especially important during stressful times, such as when a project is due or a problematic customer issue to deal with. When everyone on the team knows that they have each other’s backs, it can make difficult situations more manageable.
Work with employees’ strengths
All employees have strengths, but not all of them are used regularly or acknowledged. If you want to improve your team collaboration, it’s essential to ensure that everyone’s strengths are in use. This will help prevent team members from becoming too stressed or burnt out. You can also utilize your team members’ strengths to solve problems and reach goals more quickly. Knowing what your team members are good at can help you create tasks and projects that are easier for everyone to complete. It can also help you recognize and appreciate your team members’ efforts more frequently. This can help to build trust and camaraderie among your team members.