When you’re trying to merge teams together, collaborative working is key. However, many businesses find they need to go back to the grassroots of collaboration in order to get the blend just right for their individual businesses.
So much more than just a mindset, here are a few collaboration basics that act as a framework for success.
- Individual strengths create successful teams
When you start looking at staff to select for a new collaborative team, it’s always a good idea to start by pairing up individuals with particular skill sets as these strengths can combine to create a powerful and effective team.
Combine creative thinkers with natural organisers and effective leaders with trustworthy doers and you’ll have a solid foundation for collaborative success.
- Set realistic goals
No collaboration is going to succeed if you don’t have a clearly defined set of goals and objectives. Setting these goals might be easy enough, but given that this might be a collaboration trial run between teams and individuals that have never worked together before, its best to ensure that any objectives you set are realistic and achievable within a set timescale.
Use the SMART method to create your goals and ask for regular updates on progress so that you can reassess if needed.
- Collaboration enhancers
Giving teams the tools to collaborate easily is a cornerstone of running a successful project.
Clould-based technology has been a real boost to businesses in recent years with multiple benefits for both office-based and remote teams. Some team members will naturally feel more affinity for a tool than others. You can nurture communication and collaboration by proactively requesting recommendations your team might have when it comes to preferred platforms and technologies.
Working environments matter too, so if you are able to provide an area that can accommodate workstations for several people and a large table for briefings and discussions, do it!
- Create a sense of community
Nobody who has been tasked with working in a group wants to feel like an outsider, so it is up to you to foster a culture of community in your business that flows into collaborative workgroups.
Giving your teams a 360-degree perspective on the reasons why you are asking them to work on such projects and the overall benefit to the business is a good starting point that shows the value of each individual employee. Reinforce this sense of ownership and community wherever possible.
- Celebrate success
There’s nothing quite like public recognition for a job well done for improving team morale and improving performance, so when a collaborative group meets or exceed its goals, celebrate that success.
These success stories don’t just enhance the confidence of the collaborative workgroup in question, they can also inspire others to contribute towards future collaborations.
Do you have a preferred way to work collaboratively? Check back often for my suggestions and more on this topic in future posts.
