Why Collaboration Has Such an Impact on Business Success

Collaboration is more than simply one of those buzzwords that has become popular in the modern business landscape. When it is acted upon instead of just discussed, collaboration is a very valuable tool. This guide is here to help businesses learn more about the value of collaboration in the workplace.

What Is Collaboration?

If you are unfamiliar with the term collaboration in a workplace context then you might be forgiven for assuming that it is just another word used to describe teamwork. In reality, teamwork and collaboration describe two very different activities.

 

Teamwork refers to the process by which individuals work for a collective goal. Usually, teamwork involves individuals working on separate tasks with their own aims. A team leader is usually present to guide these individuals and help manage the specific workloads with an awareness of the end goal.

 

Collaboration involves a lot more collective working than teamwork does. Where teamwork sees individuals working on their own set goals in the framework of a larger project, collaboration creates a deeper level of collective engagement. Collaboration involves individuals applying their skills and perspectives together to one task or problem. Briefly summed up, teamwork involves individuals working on their own tasks within the context of one end goal, whereas, collaboration sees a team work collectively towards a shared goal.

 

Why Is Collaboration so Important?

There are many reasons why collaboration can be such an effective tool for organizations. The list below outlines just a few reasons why collaboration is so important.

 

Benefits Problem-Solving

Collaboration is one of the most useful techniques for problem-solving. When a group of people come to work together for a shared goal, they are combining their knowledge, skills, expertise and perspectives. This means that you are likely to have many solutions to a problem available that you would not have without collaboration. Collaboration does not simply refer to getting an idea but the process of refining that idea too. This means that collaboration can help you to find and refine solutions to your problems.

 

Collaboration Encourages Communication

Collaboration and communication are inextricably connected. Collaboration helps employees to more effectively communicate with one another. When organizations embrace collaboration as a valuable business tool, they are putting a value on communication. Not only does collaboration foster a culture of communication but it opens up various communication channels. This helps business owners to gain invaluable insights, resolve problems quickly and creates a more positive and effective working environment.

 

Collaboration Benefits Retention Rates

Fostering a culture of collaboration creates a more open and positive working environment. Employees feel valued, heard and respected within the organization. Employees are aware that they are a valuable part of a group that is working together to achieve a common goal. Organizations that value collaboration report having higher levels of respect and trust in the workplace. All of these benefits of collaboration work to improve employee retention rates.

 

Collaboration Improves Efficiency

Collaboration can be a very useful tool for improving internal efficiency rates. Collaboration helps to get projects off the group and problems sorted quickly and effectively. Without collaboration, an individual might feel too isolated to reach out for help with their task. When projects are approached from a collaborative perspective a whole team can see the end goal and big picture and can therefore work together to achieve their common goal.

 

How to Increase Collaboration in Your Business

The list below outlines three ways in which businesses can increase collaboration in the workplace.

 

Create a Safe Space for Sharing

You will not be able to effectively increase collaboration in your business if you do not work to foster a safe space for sharing. Your employees should feel welcome to share their ideas, without being worried about how they will be perceived. You should work to communicate transparently with employees and to treat all of your staff equally and fairly. You should ensure that your responses are always fair, predictable and consistent to ensure employees feel able to work collaboratively.

 

Embrace Collaboration Software

Collaboration software is an invaluable tool that improves collaboration in the workplace. Collaboration software can be used for businesses regardless of if they use a remote model or share a working space. As Mattermost explains, to protect your organization you should only use collaboration software that has effective privacy controls.

 

Redesign your Office Space

The way that an office is designed and laid out can have a big impact on the way that people work. Just think about the traditional cubical layout; staff are isolated, essentially in little boxes, making communication extremely difficult. You should try to promote and stimulate communication with your office layout.

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
CAPTCHA
This question is for preventing automated spam submissions.