Collaboration abilities are not new. In truth, humans have been working together to achieve goals since the dawn of time. The world's biggest architectural wonders, improvements in health and technology, and dazzling special effects that leap off the screen are all the product of teamwork.
Most work contexts necessitate some sort of teamwork among team members. Even in firms where people operate mostly on their own, there is almost certainly some cooperation to link the company with other businesses and consumers.
Every manager's ambition is to build a firm where employees and diverse teams inside the company are linked in spirit and can work together smoothly. However, building a healthy collaborative marriage will almost certainly need some effort.
What Does Successful Collaboration Look Like?
When team members work together to achieve the same goal, they are collaborating well. The teams may have quite distinct jobs and responsibilities, yet they operate effectively together as well as with other departments or teams inside the company.
Of course, excellent teamwork results in a firm that thrives and achieves new heights. Startups and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) require collaborative colleagues to survive the current COVID-19 epidemic.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills are required for effective collaboration among corporate teams and individuals, whether they operate under the same roof or online. There is a healthy flow of ideas and feedback, and teams hold themselves and others accountable for completing tasks in a cohesive manner. Isn't it obvious?
5 Key Collaboration Skills
Here are five key collaboration skills to bring teams together and knock those big goals out of the park.
1. ACTIVE LISTENING
Let's place a gold star beneath this one since excellent collaboration is unlikely without great active listening skills from all parties. Clear and deliberate communication necessitates self-awareness since employees must recognize their own preferences while also attempting to comprehend the concerns of others.
Strong active listeners are outstanding communicators both vocally and in writing. According to a 2017 corporate recruiters survey, listening abilities were second only to oral communication skills in terms of job applicant demand. Understanding how to accurately communicate ideas is vital for team cooperation, but so is listening to others' ideas and comments.
2. ORGANIZATION
Go ahead and hunt for a disorganized team that works well together and completes tasks on time. They're similar to the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot in that they can't be found since they don't exist.
While in an ideal world, everyone on your team would be meticulously organized, this is not often the case. There are methods to becoming more organized, but that is not the topic of this article, and presumably, you are already recruiting organized people.
No, what we're talking about here is team structure and creating a cohesive unit that works effectively together. And for that, we must consider delegation, or, in layman's terms, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and understands their responsibility. Automation tools may assist members of a team keep organized and focused on critical tasks.
It is the responsibility of the organization's leader to ensure that each team leader has given the individuals on their team the jobs and responsibilities for which they are most qualified. If one individual is unsure of their job, work will be slowed and difficulties will arise.
3. ENGAGEMENT
Team members who are engaged with each other and the work they are doing will result in successful cooperation. If teams aren't in at least semi-regular communication with one another, it's more likely that workers will feel distanced from any losses or successes at work.
Regular feedback and conversation should be included in creating strong engagement and hence greater collaboration abilities that connect teams. This allows employees to express their thoughts, discuss ideas, and even consider taking on additional job responsibilities.
Google, for example, purportedly permits employees to devote 20% of their time to researching new initiatives or furthering their education. While this may appear to be counterproductive at first, it results in employees who are more focused and involved in their daily tasks.
Employees that feel respected and heard are more engaged with their jobs and are more enthusiastic about collaborating.
4. TRANSPARENCY
When it comes to fostering workplace collaboration among teams, openness goes a long way. Without it, people get the impression that they are working "for" rather than "with" their supervisors, which isn't always a good thing.
Inform the members of your team on the status of any initiatives, why particular parts are vital, and any problems that may arise along the road. This enables each team member to take the appropriate measures in their separate roles in order to prevent problems and perform to the best of their abilities.
While transparency is vital at the start of a project, leaders should also maintain lines of communication open on a regular basis and avoid avoiding difficult issues. If you don't know the answers to challenging queries, be honest.
Transparency like this promotes trust in teams and leads to higher achievement. According to studies, firms that prioritize openness and building trust are more lucrative.
5. ADAPTABILITY
People will not always agree with the workplace decisions made by other team members, their supervisor, or other departments. However, being open-minded and learning to adapt and compromise can greatly boost the odds of effective team cooperation.
People have varied aspirations and opinions about how a task should be done and which components of it should be prioritized.
The creative department, for example, is unlikely to constantly be on the same page as the accounting department. Adaptability and compromise come into play here.
Obstacles will develop, and not everyone will agree on the same answer, but moving forward will almost certainly necessitate some compromise. Often, this may necessitate some dispute resolution on the part of team leaders, which is when active listening skills come in handy.
Teams that know how to compromise and adapt will be stronger because they are considerate of others and prioritize the long-term aim over their egos.
How Can Leaders Foster These Skills in Team Members?
Now that we've covered the necessary abilities for developing good team cooperation, let's look at how to achieve it. Unfortunately, merely sending out a note with the words "Hey everyone, please collaborate better" will not enough.
Creating opportunities for team members to get to know one another is a guaranteed method to set the tone for team collaboration. It doesn't take a sociology specialist to grasp that knowing who you're working with improves collaboration. A few options for this include something as basic as collecting everyone together for introductions, a business happy hour, or a more scheduled event like a company retreat.
It is critical that teams meet on a regular basis, either in person or by Skype or Zoom, to exchange updates and progress. This allows everyone to submit and receive feedback, ensuring that everyone is engaged and on the same page.
Leading by example is perhaps the most effective technique for managers and team leaders to create strong cooperation abilities. A leader that is an active listener, organized, adapts effectively to challenges, and strives for a healthy degree of openness with their employees will have a far more capable team.
