If you’ve ever been part of an organization, on-site or remotely, you’re probably aware of the importance of team collaboration for a successful business.
In fact, teams that work collaboratively can be up to 21% more profitable!
But many people confuse team collaboration with teamwork.
Therefore, in this article, we will eliminate this confusion and give you a clear insight into what team collaboration is, how it is different from teamwork, and what strategies you can use to incorporate it into your business.
So, here goes!
What is Team Collaboration, and Why Does it Matter?
How is Team Collaboration Different from Teamwork?
How to Incorporate Team Collaboration in Your Workplace?
Collaborative Leadership & Team Collaboration Skills
Powerful Team Collaboration Strategies that Work Immensely
What is Team Collaboration, and Why Does it Matter?
Team collaboration is simply the act of individuals having similar or different skill sets, brainstorming, and working together to achieve a common set of goals inside a company.
But is that it?
Is team collaboration all about goals?
I think not!
So, what’s it about?
In addition to reducing the total time needed to perform a task, team collaboration is also about cooperation, creative thinking, critical reasoning, and equitable involvement.
No wonder 75% of employers rate teamwork and collaboration as important factors for the growth of an organization!
But, how does it differ from teamwork? Let’s explore!
How is Team Collaboration Different from Teamwork?
Although the two terms are usually used interchangeably, there are key differences between the two.
In team collaboration, the group’s focus is to share their expertise and efficiently work with one another. Like a brainstorming session, where each member gets to share their ideas, like and agree on a common aim.
On the other hand, teamwork involves team members being assigned sub-tasks. They work independently, like soccer players performing their individual parts in an effort to win a game.
Now that the difference is sorted let’s look at how you can blend team collaboration in your workplace.
How to Incorporate Team Collaboration in Your Workplace?
To incorporate team collaboration in your workplace, you need:
- 1. Collaborative Leadership & Team Collaboration Skills
- 2. Team Collaboration Strategies
Collaborative Leadership & Team Collaboration Skills
Collaboration is not possible without solid leadership and team collaboration skills.
In fact, 75% of employees think good teamwork and leadership skills are crucial to the success of their projects.
However, collaboration skills cannot be achieved instantly. Getting to know your teammates and forming a good working relationship requires time and effort. More significantly, you need to learn how to work with others.
And for that you need 3 things:
- Good Communication Skills
Good communication skills may turntables even in the worst of situations. For example, When employees work in a team, you have to welcome all of their ideas. However, if you disagree with their shared thoughts, you first respectfully let them know your opinion instead of outrightly rejecting their plan.
With good communication skills, managers can understand their team better and eventually use the team to their strengths. It’s all about working tactfully.
- Emotional Intelligence
Can your team detect or regulate their own emotions? Can you swiftly recognize how everyone else is feeling at any particular point?
If not, you can make it possible with emotional intelligence by understanding, empathizing, and managing your and your team's emotions for better communication and conflict diffusion.
Of course, it will only happen when you know your team members, which takes us back to point number 1 - good communication skills.
- Diversity
Diversity calls for the company to push aside individual differences, ethnic or demographic, and enable an inclusive environment that focuses on helping employees reach their maximum potential and put their best effort towards a project.
It helps the company in improving their problem-solving skills and bring more innovation into their services and products.
As diversity focuses on bringing individuals from diverse backgrounds into a team, the company views the problems with different lenses.
After all these skills, you have to be strategic to handle the team collaboration that allows companies to spike productivity.
So let’s dive straight into the team collaboration strategies that surely do help you.
5 Powerful Team Collaboration Strategies that Work Immensely
If you are struggling with team collaboration, here are some team collaboration strategies that give instantaneous results:
Team Collaboration Strategies |
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| 1 | Set team objectives and goals | |
| 2 | Initiate communication | |
| 3 | Acknowledge cross-team efforts | |
| 4 | Encourage open and honest feedback | |
| 5 | Make use of collaborative tools | |
1. Set Team Objectives and Goals
Did you know that only 5.9% of companies communicate goals daily? This is not a very impressive number!
You must ensure that everyone on your team is aware of the objectives. If an employee is questioned regarding their goals, they should be able to answer at once, without delay. This shows that they are clear on what they have to do.
Why is it important?
Because it helps your teammates stay focused and productive while removing any silos in the team.
Not only this but possessing strong leadership skills and defined objectives will support developing a dominant team with the right cooperation management style for achieving all deadlines.
In addition to communicating daily goals, weekly scrums to summarise the goals is also a useful approach.
2. Initiate Communication for Team Collaboration
Research shows that 63 percent of all American employees leave their jobs because they can't execute their tasks correctly due to inadequate communication.
On the other hand, organizations with effective communication are 4.5x more likely to retain their best employees.
So, get to know the team members with whom you have to collaborate in teamwork. The more you indulge in them, the more you can get comfortable in the workplace.
Ask them to share ideas, give feedback on your opinion, put the suggestion on the table, and enjoy their presence.
Communicate regularly, not just work-related communication, but you can initiate some icebreaker questions. It may be where your residential area is, what type of food you love, or any preferable topic you want to take part in. If a newbie joins you, you can conduct an introductory session for your whole team, and make sure to ask for tea or coffee.
These steps may not seem much, but they’re quite integral in creating a comfortable workplace environment.
3. Acknowledge Cross-Team Efforts
Employees are more willing to admire their workstation, coworkers, and profession if they feel valued and acknowledged.
The next step in increasing team collaboration is to showcase the capabilities of each team member.
If you lack appreciation for your team members, they are more likely to leave.
54% of employees say a strong sense of community, like great coworkers, celebrating milestones, a common mission, kept them at a company longer than was in their best interest.
When individuals from various departments strive to attain a similar objective, it is known as cross-team collaboration. In team efforts, cross-collaboration is an excellent approach to make work relations better. Acknowledging effort in a cross-functional team represents the whole organization’s efforts.
4. Encourage Open and Honest Feedback
You must establish a collaborative atmosphere where individuals feel free to share their thoughts and opinions with others. Take the initiative of avoiding criticism and focusing instead on providing helpful feedback.
Using a collaborative leadership style will undoubtedly assist you in forming a team that supports a collaborative atmosphere. It's all about establishing excellent communication and teamwork with your team.
5. Make Use of Collaborative Tools
And obviously, teamwork and collaboration is not possible without innovative, collaborative tools!
Around 80 percent of businesses use social collaboration tools to boost their business processes.
Not only do collaborative tools help automate everyday tasks, but they also aid in carrying out processes quicker and more conveniently.
More than hundreds of tools are available to help you in team collaboration and polish your collaborative skills on the go. Some provide task management solutions, while others are excellent for meetings and sharing files.
However, to save you the trouble, we have listed down some collaboration software to help you get started:
Collaboration Software |
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| 1 | Wondershare Document Cloud | |
| 2 | Flowdock | |
| 3 | GoToMeeting | |
| 4 | Slack | |
| 5 | WebEx | |
Bottom Line
Team collaboration has become crucial nowadays to effectively carry out business tasks. 86% of the people believe that lack of communication leads to workplace failures.
But, by following the team collaboration strategies that we have narrowed down, we’re sure you can build a strong team that will take your business to the next level.
So, what’s it going to be for you?
A successful company with a strong team or a place where employees are secretly looking for a job elsewhere?
The choice is yours!