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
Many of us can struggle to work collaboratively without issues popping up along the way. However, effective collaboration can often make or break the success of a project.
In this post, we’ll take a look at how by working in collaborative ways — all driving towards the same goal — we can achieve amazing results.
Strength in numbers
It’s a mistake often made across companies — when we think that just because we have a smart and talented bunch of people, it’s in the bag.
However, consistent research has shown that with an increasingly remote-working culture, collaboration across companies is in decline. This is often attributed to the ‘mutual knowledge problem’, where teams struggle to operate from the same information — leading to confusion, misunderstandings, and assumptions.
For companies to successfully meet goals, collaboration must, therefore, be prioritised by promoting knowledge and task sharing. This means flexibly delegating workloads, helping one another complete jobs and meet deadlines, and sharing resources.
Obstacles to collaboration
So, what are the barriers to collaboration?
Well, sometimes a leader’s vision of collaboration can be quite narrow, i.e., they may value collaboration but fail to see the bigger picture of how it can be harnessed for teaching and learning.
Leaders could instead focus on promoting:
A widespread respect for colleagues’ contributions.
An openness to experiment with others’ ideas.
A focus on encouraging people to listen and explore others’ ideas.
As leaders, we can do this by:
Democratising knowledge
To effectively lead your team, instant access to key information should be paramount. It’s always recommended to give examples, including successful experiences and failures. To share this knowledge most effectively, it’s important to outline to team members why this information is vital and how it can help them to achieve their outcomes.
Sharing knowledge effectively
We can do this by establishing:
The type of knowledge that’s being shared.
Why it’s being shared.
Who’s sharing/receiving it.
How it’s being shared.
When it’s being shared.
As well as this, ease of access is essential for encouraging team members to both share and look for information. Possible measures include having:
Easy-to-use systems that reduce the need for elaborate training programs.
An advanced search engine for ease of finding relevant information.
A user friendly way to upload documents, with the ability to tag them so they can be quickly found.
Key takeaways
For companies to successfully reach their goals, consistent research shows that no matter how talented your team members are individually, collaboration is key for successful outcomes.
A decline in collaborative approaches often stems from a ‘mutual knowledge problem’ — where a lack of cohesive knowledge causes misunderstandings, potential tensions, and overall inefficiency.
Knowledge is power, so leaders need to focus on how team members can learn from others instead of being introspective, distrustful, and solitary. We can do this by helping team members access information with ease.
Think big. act small
Try to establish a clear and easy to use system that will encourage all team members to share their expertise, experiences, key research and insights.
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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