Build collaborative teams • 3 min read
A survey undertaken by software company Atlassian, showed that when honest feedback, mutual respect, and openness were encouraged across teams in a range industries, team members were 80 percent more likely to report higher emotional well-being.
Introduction
Collaboration is essential for your organisation’s success. While many employees may possess the skills to excel individually, effective teamwork often determines whether projects succeed or falter.
This article explores how fostering collaborative practices within your workforce—by aligning everyone toward a shared goal—can drive exceptional results.
Unite teams for greater impact
A common misconception in organisations is that assembling a team of talented individuals guarantees success. However, research consistently shows that collaboration within companies, especially in remote or hybrid work environments, is on the decline.
This decline is often attributed to the ‘mutual knowledge problem’, where team members operate with incomplete or inconsistent information. These gaps can lead to confusion, misunderstandings, and inefficiencies.
To overcome this, organisations must prioritise collaboration by promoting:
Knowledge and resource sharing.
Flexible delegation of tasks.
Supporting one another in meeting deadlines and achieving goals.
When employees work cohesively, leveraging one another’s strengths, your organisation is better positioned to reach its objectives.
Identify and overcome barriers
What prevents effective collaboration in many organisations?
One challenge is that leadership’s vision of collaboration is sometimes too narrow. Leaders may support teamwork but fail to recognise its potential as a tool for teaching, learning, and innovation.
Instead, leaders should focus on fostering:
A culture that respects and values colleagues’ contributions.
A willingness to experiment with others’ ideas.
An environment that encourages active listening and open exploration of different perspectives.
Your organisation can achieve this by:
Enable transparent knowledge sharing
To lead your workforce effectively, it is essential to prioritise instant and equitable access to critical information. Transparent sharing of knowledge—including both successes and failures—enables employees to learn from one another and align efforts toward common goals.
When sharing information, ensure that your team understands:
Why the information matters.
How it can help them achieve better outcomes.
Leaders who take the time to outline the purpose and relevance of shared knowledge empower employees to act with greater confidence and efficiency.
Establish clear collaboration practices
For collaboration to thrive, your organisation must establish clear protocols for knowledge sharing. Consider implementing the following framework:
Define what knowledge is being shared.
Clarify why it is important.
Identify who is responsible for sharing and receiving it.
Specify how and when it should be shared.
Ease of access to information is also critical. To encourage knowledge sharing, ensure that your systems are:
User-friendly: Reduce the need for complex training by implementing intuitive tools.
Searchable: Use advanced search engines to help employees find relevant information quickly.
Organised: Enable tagging and categorisation of documents for efficient retrieval.
By removing barriers to accessing and sharing knowledge, you create a culture where collaboration becomes second nature.
Key takeaways
Research shows that collaboration is critical to achieving organisational goals, no matter how talented individual team members are.
A decline in collaboration often stems from the ‘mutual knowledge problem’, where incomplete or inconsistent information leads to misunderstandings and inefficiency.
Leaders must create an environment where employees are encouraged to share their expertise and insights, enabling collective growth and innovation.
Think big, act small
Begin by implementing a simple, user-friendly system that encourages employees to share their knowledge, experiences, and ideas.
Empowering your workforce to collaborate effectively helps them align toward shared goals, break down silos, and achieve greater success for your organisation.
Content sources
Forbes, 2022, Thor Olof Philogène, ‘Why Creating a Culture of Collaboration Is Critical to Business Success In The Age Of Remote Work And How To Achieve It’
Forbes, 2020, Brian Tait, ‘10 Ways to Enhance Team Collaboration’
Harvard Business Review, 2007, Lynda Gratton and Tamara J. Erickson, ‘Eight Ways to Build Collaborative Teams’
Harvard Business Review, 2019, Francesca Gino, ‘Cracking the Code of Sustained’
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