Collaboration: More Than Just a Skill to Learn

Many, if not all, organisations are having problems on how they could help their employees collaborate with each other despite their own individual tasks and responsibilities. These organisations may be too focused on the outcome that they desire, which is forming a collaborative team, and are forcing employees to act according to what the organisation wants instead of focusing on the needs of their people.

 Start at the very top. Executives play a great role in creating a collaborative team because they serve as role models for other employees. What executives could do is promote collaboration by being physically present, which means having interactions, either formally or informally, with other employees. In informal interactions, they can appreciate even the small achievements that an employee earns. These interactions can also turn into a form of informal coaching by sharing ideas with them or answering some of their queries especially when they are having trouble with their tasks. This promotes open communication among employees, not being discouraged to share their own challenges, and asking help from colleagues to better their performances.

 Having events like team buildings to promote teamwork and collaboration is not new in organisations. These events can become very costly and sometimes produce not so great results. So instead of having these events once a year or quarterly, where employees get together for just a short span of time, you could promote regular get-togethers inside the office. You can allot a special time, even if it’s just an hour, and a special place for them to casually talk with each other and develop their bonds without the pressure of work or unhealthy competition. This “holy hour” or “special time” may be insignificant for a day but when done regularly will have a significant effect on your organisation. Employees become familiar with one another, develop a harmonious environment, and become more socially inclined.

 By being socially inclined through constant social interactions, employees may develop a lot of new skills for themselves such as being a good listener, being more appreciative, and being better at handling people. You may also need help from someone outside the organisation, like coaches or mentors; they can also help address the very core of the problem as they are very knowledgeable and have had vigorous trainings to help with these sorts of problems.   

There are many activities that can be integrated in your organisation for your team to develop a greater sense of collaboration. You just have to dig deeper to uncover what it is that your people need. Never give up and always look out for ideas that can help your organisation make collaboration a standard and not just a skill to be learned.

At People Builders we have a team of expert trainers and coaches who can help you and your team in strengthening your team’s Collaboration. Contact us today for a quick chat to see how we can partner with you to train and coach you and your team.