We say all the time that workplace collaboration is critical to organizational success.
The last few years have seen a surge in the number of people discussing workplace collaboration and teamwork. Because when done right, collaboration in the workspace can improve how your team works and help solve problems. This allows organizations to run more efficiently, improve communication, and increase organizational success.
Here are the main positive effects of team collaboration.:
Problem Solving
Have you ever faced a crisis in the workplace and didn’t have anyone to call on for help? This can be prevented if you make team collaboration a priority. When team members come together, they bring a variety of knowledge, perspectives, and experiences that can be applied to problem-solving.
The essence of this type of collaboration is valuing each other’s ideas and building on them. Any company can take advantage of collaboration, especially when facing problems involving team members with different personalities and from different backgrounds and departments.
Bringing teammates with different perspectives can significantly impact the collaborative process. According to a McKinsey study, teams with members from diverse backgrounds in terms of age, gender, and ethnicity exhibit more creativity and perform better by up to 35% compared to their more homogenous competitors.
Sparks Individual Growth
Allowing team members to explore their personal growth is one of the benefits of collaboration in the workspace. For one, when there is team collaboration, work is divided between team members, and they can spend more time growing their skills.
But that’s not all; when individuals work as a team, they are constantly involved in each other’s work, allowing them to discover new concepts from their colleagues with different levels of experience.
Also, working as a team allows individuals to understand their strengths and address their weaknesses, ultimately making them better team members.
Eases Burnout
Team collaboration is an excellent remedy for easing workload burnout which is a key challenge in the workplace. Research carried out by Gallup revealed that 23 percent of the 7,500 full-time employees interviewed were often experiencing burnout.
Team collaboration helps to ease this challenge by allowing team members to provide emotional support to each other as they can relate to their colleagues’ workload and understand the stress of completing tasks better than the management.
Supports Risk Taking
Individuals working as a team are more likely to take risks since they are not afraid of failure. When you work as a team, you know that you have the support of other team members and a place to fall back on in case of failure.
Interestingly, smaller teams have a greater sense of security than larger teams which are more likely to argue more, preventing them from coming up with big ideas.
Adaptability
Team collaboration often leads to the development of adaptive teams. If a team works together, they understand that they are working towards a common goal which can help them prepare for any situation.
When situations arise in the workspace, adaptable teams can adjust their sails by finding new ways of maneuvering through challenging situations.
Enhances Open Communication
Among the benefits of team collaboration is improved communication in the workspace. Companies can incorporate many collaborative tools available on the internet to enhance team collaboration.
When team members know how to collaborate, they are comfortable sharing ideas while adding new processes to the table. With this level of participation, team members can communicate clearly, bringing forth new ideas for team improvement.
Enhances Employee Satisfaction
Team collaboration creates a positive environment where every employee feels valued and heard. Employees look forward to coming to work daily, making them more responsible and less likely to leave the company.
Links Remote Teams
Today’s workforce is more fragmented than ever. Some companies have multiple locations across the globe. COVID-19 has also facilitated the adoption of remote work by most companies. Yet, some companies still combine remote and physical working.
Encouraging collaboration helps distant teams come together and work towards achieving the set organizational goals because everyone is properly informed and engaged.
Final Thoughts
Workplace collaboration benefits not only your team but also the entire organization. First, establish goals to keep everyone on track and ensure they focus on the tasks. Second, be flexible because working with diverse team members means working with different personalities. Instead of forcing team members to work in a certain way, accept their differences and embrace creativity while working around those variations.
The advantages of collaboration are hard to overstate because creating a workspace culture that encourages team collaboration can get everyone on the same page. Working in unison with others can promote flexibility among team members, boost employee productivity and enhance employee satisfaction.
