Collaboration and effective communication are essential in a productive, thriving workplace. There are some pitfalls many organizations face along the way, however. One is silos that tend to occur in the workplace and that block communication and positive collaboration. Another is ineffective or pointless communication, such as excessive emails, that actually hinder productivity.
It’s important for businesses to find a place somewhere in the middle for the best collaborative environment.
The following are some tools and tips to remember to improve workplace collaboration in any organization.
Group Chat Tools
Group chat tools are a great way to boost collaboration, and they’re increasingly popular and widely used in many workplaces. Group chats are scalable to organizations of any size as well. From 2018 to 2019, the use of group chat applications in the workplace went up 2.4%.
With group chat tools, there are some major collaborative benefits, including:
- Using one of these applications can cut down on unnecessary emails. You can set up group chats so they’re centered around particular topics or areas of work, and people in the workplace have a place to go where they can quickly get answers and feedback on-demand rather than going back and forth with emails.
- Group chats can serve as a repository for other types of information such as documents that may be needed quickly. Employees won’t have to go all over the place to get relevant information since it’s in one easy-to-access location.
- Most chat applications have stringent built-in security features—typically more so than email.
- Some chat tools easily integrate with other applications and software you may be already using.
Along with the option of using a group chat, there are other collaborative software platforms that can streamline communication, keep all relevant documents and information in one location and help foster smoother communication without the bombardment of constant emails.
Cross-Train Employees
Since silos are one of the inhibitors of collaboration in even small businesses, it makes sense to work on breaking down these silos if you want to encourage collaboration.
Consider cross-training employees as part of this.
This can work well for a few different reasons.
First, employees will be better able to collaborate with people outside of their team or department if they have an idea of the work they’re doing. Cross-training can create a sense of shared understanding and empathy, and help employees see things from perspectives outside of their own.
Cross-trained employees will understand the challenges other employees face, and it gives them a broader idea of how to work together as a team.
When employees are cross-trained they’re also more likely to then brainstorm and come up with innovative ways of doing things outside of their own specific job duties.
Plus, if someone is out or can’t take on a certain project, if your employees are thoroughly cross-trained they may be able to temporarily step in.
Regularly Issue and Update Company-Wide Goals
Employees have a hard time working together when they don’t know what they’re working toward. Make your organization one that’s goal-driven.
Put in place metrics to measure how well everyone is performing in terms of reaching those goals, and promote collaboration by giving employees things to work toward together.
This can drive purposeful collaboration between employees, teams, and departments.
By creating goals and objectives, you’re also giving employees a sense of context. Context can help employees see the bigger picture and understand why collaboration is important.
Set the Tone
A collaborative work environment is one where everyone should feel comfortable sharing constructive feedback and even criticism.
If you want your employees to be able to take and give helpful criticism, you as a leader have to be willing to accept it as well as giving it.
If you set the tone and show you welcome feedback and criticism, it will foster a greater sense of collaboration among your employees as well.
Too often, the leadership in a business doesn’t follow their own guidance, and they believe they are held to a different standard. This is negative in terms of not only collaboration but general corporate culture as well.
Provide Informal Ways for Employees to Communicate and Come Together
Finally, if you want a business culture that truly is built on a foundation of collaboration, encourage employees to come together even in informal ways or ways that don’t always have to do with work. For example, maybe you create open spaces within your office where employees can grab coffee and chat.
This can help promote a sense of security with one another that will also become part of work as well.
