Effective collaboration is the secret behind every successful organization or team. When people work together, they can share knowledge, ideas, and resources to create something better than they could have achieved. There is shared knowledge and experience, which makes the team much stronger.
However, it isn’t always as easy as it sounds because collaboration can become nearly impossible when different personalities clash!
What is Collaboration?
Definition
Collaboration is generally defined as people working together. However, there is more to it because collaboration is a process. So, it should be people following a collaborative process. Within the process, there are many steps:
- Identifying a problem
- Gathering available information
- Generation of ideas
- Evaluation of all ideas
- Acting
- Getting feedback
Types of Collaboration
Depending on your purpose, collaboration can take many forms. Suppose you must work with a marketing agency to find ways to market your upcoming product. That would be called external marketing.
Next, what if you were working with your peers for the same information? That would be called internal marketing. Other types of collaboration include cross-functional, interdepartmental, and inter-organizational collaboration. Each type will have a different goal and require a unique approach.
Collaboration or Cooperation?
In a private and a business setting, you will hear collaboration and cooperation used together a lot. Some use it interchangeably, but they don’t mean the same thing. Teams can cooperate even if they have different goals and aim to achieve different things from a project but are willing to work together for mutual advantage.
Within the collaboration, however, teams work together for a shared goal. Due to this, it’s far more complex and requires more communication and comprehension.
5 Tips to Enable Collaboration
Establish Clear Goals
Setting clear goals is essential for collaboration to be successful. Team members must realize that there is a shared outcome and know what it is and why it’s important. They must also be aware of the expectations and the established timeline for the project. Once everyone knows what they are expected of, communication comes easily.
Communicative Culture
Within your company, there must be an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feedback. If they have any ideas or concerns with others, there must be a safe space for them to share these ideas. This safe can be created through trust and encouragement within teams.
Embrace Diversity
Diversity is an important factor in collaboration. Teams that incorporate people from different lifestyles, backgrounds, and experiences create a culture of open communication. Each brings unique ideas and makes a more informed problem-solving decision.
Delegate Tasks
Collaboration would require everyone to play a part rather than a leader doing most of the work and the rest waiting for results. A leader, however, might assign roles according to a team member’s specialty so that they are aware of what is expected of them.
With specific task delegation, it is also less likely that employees end up working on the same thing, and there is a duplication of efforts and hence a wastage of resources.
Collaborative Tools
With technological advancements incoming, collaborative tools have made a difference in companywide communication. Construction collaboration software, for example, would include cloud-based software where all stakeholders can delegate tasks, result analysis, and conflict resolution.
With a centralized system, there is less confusion, and everyone is ensured to be on the same page with greater creativity.
Benefits of a Collaborative Team
Creativity
Collaboration can lead to increased creativity. When team members work together, they can bounce ideas off each other. They bring together different perspectives and can lead to a unique answer, something they wouldn’t have been able to do on their own.
Improved Decision-Making
Some people might believe that collaboration results in slower decision-making because of how many people need to be considered. However, collaboration leads to improved decision-making. They now make better decisions based on more information.
Productivity
With collaboration and the delegation of tasks, everyone is focusing on what they are good at. There is no task duplication or wastage in resource allocation; hence, the team effort is bound to be more productive.
Conclusion
Collaboration is essential within a company culture, and it is built on trust and mutual understanding, and with these factors present, employee satisfaction and productivity remain high. Your company gets great results and a great brand image!
