It is no secret that effective collaboration is the key for high-performing teams. The problem however is, creating a cohesive team is not an easy feat. Employee A might be excellent in carrying out an individual project. However, when you team Employee A to work alongside employee B (who is also a great single player) to work together on a particular group project, it could possibly turn out that the final outcome is far from initial expectations set. This does happen more so common, due to lack of collaborative zest in a team.
There is no denying that teamwork is the most efficient method to execute bigger projects. However getting into the nitty-gritty’s of timely execution and project delivery, it’s not easy to manage employees with different personalities and diverse culture to cooperate, understand and collaborate to get the job done. Many managers are still struggling to find the right strategy to lead and drive collaborative efforts in a team.
When it comes to teamwork, it is not just about bringing in the best performers together to form a group. There are also cases wherein someone is a high-achiever when they work alone. But when made to collaborate with others, they cannot perform well. Or on the contrary, there are people who deliver mediocre work when working alone, however when involved into group efforts, they deliver outstanding performance.
Everyone has their own personality, and there are times when one personality might clash with the other. When a leader is unable to address this issue immediately, there will be a confusion among the team, and team performance will suffer. Therefore, open communication is the most important tool that can foster effective collaboration.
In order to build trust and collaborative zest, managers should learn how to be a good communicator who will bridge ideas between one employee and another. Learn from the following 5 tips to cultivate a collaborative environment at your workplace:
See: How Can Teams Evolve to Accommodate Contingent Workers?
Before assigning team on a particular project, make sure that everyone is aware of their roles and responsibilities. Setting measurable goals with a solid timeline will not only help employees stay on track, but you can also gauge their progress in team workings. Without a clear team arrangement plan, there could be confusion about each other’s accountabilities.
As stated previously, open communication is the heart to great teamwork and effective timely execution of projects. Without clear communication, misunderstandings are prone to happen. The conventional top-down communication or formal meeting is no longer enough to accommodate team’s urgency to interact with each other. World is changing fast, so you have to open up with newer and innovative methods of communication.
Nurture a culture where everyone feels free to express their ideas, give feedback to other, and receive inputs from their coworkers as well. Foster creativity within the team by encouraging them to always think outside the box. Most importantly, when someone from the team opines, suggests or questions, other members in the team should respect different perspectives and not hold judgmental framework.
Each person within the team possesses unique and distinct skills, experience, and ideas. Rather than seeing this as a great divide, leaders should leverage upon this diversity to empower and enrich the team’s perspectives.
Discover how an employee can contribute actively to the team workings by identifying their key strengths and find out the best way to accommodate them.
Establish clear ground rules of workings and make sure that everyone acknowledges it. When a conflict arises within the team or they are unable to find an agreement toward certain issues, you should appoint someone who is responsible to clear off the mess and report the problem.
Do you have other ideas on how to foster collaborative spirit in a team? Write back to us and share with the community!
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