Original article:

 https://www.proofhub.com/articles/importance-team-collaboration-workplace

The basic mantra of today’s business is “we have to collaborate”. Collaboration in the workplace is a sign of an effective team as it harnesses the best out of two or more individuals together. Efficiency is an essential part of a team and an important aspect of the workplace. Workplace collaboration will keep everyone safe from the extra load of work as the work gets distributed evenly.

When you have team collaboration you will always see positive results as the biggest fears of checking whether the teams are able to perform together will be eliminated. Working in teams makes employees more responsible and it also raises their motivation level.

Why Should Teams Collaborate?

Collaboration generates a circle of knowledge and lets each team member to understand their role. There are smart owners who look for encouraging their staff always to work with each other. There are several other reasons. Let’s see:

1. Learn from each other

Team members working in collaboration with each other will always have an opportunity to learn from each other’s successes and failures. They will have an organizational approach towards learning things. The company will not deviate from its goals whether long term or short term as the tasks will be assigned to those who will be able to reach the set targets.

2. Better Problem Solving

Workplace collaboration means bringing varied talents together, making a pool of different skills and knowledge. When more competent and experienced people are brought together, teams will undergo a better problem-solving approach.

3. You will know the Bigger Picture

Different people working in collaboration with a team from different backgrounds will give you more chances to grasp the differences that they have. They will definitely complement each other in various areas and you can use it for your business. If the result goes against your expectations, you will still have the fruits of having a partnership that will still let you achieve a great deal.

4. Break down barriers

Successful companies always put their team members in collaboration. Team members of the single department are not just in collaboration but it extends across all departments in an organization. As everybody will contribute towards certain goals in a company it will provide a great feedback loop that can be used for projects. Everyone in the team will be able to express their opinion to better deliver the company goals.

5. Online Collaboration Tools

The power of social media can not compete with other ways of bringing teams together. There are many cloud-based collaboration tools that can bring teams together. Online tools are making it easier for coworkers to connect and collaborate and remain in sync with each other.

A few other important aspects that collaboration brings to the table include:

• Brainstorming- Collaboration allows team members to come together on a common platform and a common goal by brainstorming to provide various solutions.
• Equal Partaking- Collaboration gives team members equal opportunities to participate and communicate their ideas.

6. Better Participation 

When working on projects together, each team member should show equal participation. Each member of a team should provide better input, brainstorm unique ideas and find solutions to the various project problems from time to time. Effective team collaboration makes all this extremely easy. Plus, it solves all the obstacles that may stand in the way of achieving the final project goal.

7. Faster Production 

“Individual commitment to a group effort–that is what makes a teamwork, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” – Vince Lombardi

The point is—when an uninitiated group of individuals comes together to work on a common goal, it takes longer to start and complete. However, the whole scenario changes when a well-coordinated and collaborative group of individuals work together. The whole process speeds up and the final outcome is much better than what everyone else expected from the team.

So, how are you connecting with your team? Is it difficult to connect with your team? It is not that challenging to bring workplace collaboration and to make sure that everyone gets the latest updates. Here are a few tips for stronger team collaboration:

Tips for improving team collaboration

1. Evaluate why it isn’t working

Figure out the problem first. Find out why is your current collaboration strategy failing. Is it about trust, chemistry, competitiveness or something else—just evaluate the current situation and build a strategy for the future accordingly. If you don’t have a clue about where to start, here’s what you can do: survey team members and ask them for their opinions and perceptions. After that, step back and observe the team in action as their leader, come to your own conclusion, and craft your strategy.

2. Aggregate and adapt

A collaborative project manager will bring ideas to the table by collecting ideas, suggestions, and goals of their teams. This helps project managers to aggregate skill sets of the whole team. A collaboration will bring successful results by remaining adaptive and flexible.

3. Listen first

When working in a team different ideas needs to collaborate into workable solutions and that depends on effective collaboration. Finding the root of any new suggestion will require attentive listening to everyone before coming to an outcome. The active collaboration includes providing feedback to have a discussion in real time. It also involves quick response to team members who want to be heard and valued.

4. Use To-Do Apps

Working and solving an exercise in collaboration with others can be done in a better way with the help of project management tools. A team collaboration tool will provide you with so many options for everyone to do manage tasks their own way.

5. Be transparent

The most effective collaborators are not much worried about the titles and roles. They are more focused on finding the solutions regardless of who is finding it. Also, the effective collaborators share information across the board that increases a sense of workplace community.

6. Energize

An energized, motivated team is the strongest asset of a project. An effective collaborator team will make sure that everyone works smart and hard. It will bring energy into a conversation by helping team members feel valued. The teams should be always appreciated for a job well done. Team collaboration will also talk about issues that will bring team motivations about what need’s to be done.

7. Team building activities

Teams can collaborate in a better way if they are involved in team-building activities. Team building activities will bring a positive impact on office culture as it will improve communication, motivate employees, increase productivity, and help employees to get to know each other better.

8. Give credit where needed 

Another key trait of effective collaboration in the workplace is constant recognition and appreciation. And we’re not just talking about annual appraisals or weekly performance emails. As a manager or someone with authority, you can make appreciation an integral part of your team’s everyday interaction. If someone is doing a good job or if someone has delivered their assigned task before the desired due date, just recognize and appreciate them and their work via team meetings and group discussions.

9. Keep an open mind 

Keeping an open mind is not just about encouraging everyone in the team to come up with innovative ideas. There’s something more important—listening to others’ ideas. Create a collaborative work environment where employees keep an open mind about sharing and listening to each other’s ideas, suggestions, criticisms, and concerns. This, in turn, will ensure quicker problem-solving, better teamwork, enhanced trust, and most importantly greater team productivity.

10. Revitalize and infuse inspiration from time to time 

Most managers make the mistake of believing that their staff is working optimally. To be an effective and collaborative manager, it is important that you ensure to infuse inspiration and vigor into the workspace and your team from time to time. Also, when it comes to offering criticism, do it in a kind way—try to critique the mistakes rather than the employee. Of course, there will be issues (big and small) that will need to be addressed, but all of that can be done in a way that encourages and motivates the team, not the opposite.

Conclusion

Growing companies need to understand the value of collaboration to look for ways to encourage it within their teams. Bring a collaborative spirit amongst your teams and turn your workforce productive.

Original article: https://www.proofhub.com/articles/importance-team-collaboration-workplace