7 Ideas to Really Improve Workplace Collaboration
Workplace collaboration is really one of the most important aspects of ensuring a successful business. There are many advantages and disadvantages of being a team member and it’s true that you can’t choose who you work with, but with the following 7 tips you’ll be able to ensure that your team works better together.
1. Know your staff
Knowing your individual staff members and their strengths and weaknesses is vital in ensuring collaboration is as good as it can be. Once you know this information, you’ll be able to match certain team members together according to their skills, thus connecting people who complement each other especially well.
2. Establish clear roles and responsibilities
You can empower each member of your team by giving them responsibilities and making them feel important. When staff know what their task is and why they’ve been given it, they’ll be more likely to make an effort to get on with their co-workers.
Horizon Collaborate is a platform that gives you complete control over your business, its staff members, and aids everyone in collaborating with increased ease.
3. Ensure there is a trusting atmosphere
As a manager, it’s up to you to create a safe and trusting atmosphere. A great way to do this is to set up realistic goals that show all employees that you can manage performance in a motivating way. Setting up these small goals helps employees to understand what’s expected of them and helps to encourage trust in one another.
4. Nurture creativity
No matter your industry, make an effort to bring creativity into your company’s culture. Actively encourage employees to ask questions and try to change their ways of thinking. This will improve workplace collaboration by bringing a new perspective and creating an atmosphere where employees feel relaxed and able to say whatever’s on their mind.
5. Make the workplace as homely as possible
When employees are spending 8 hours or more in the office, it makes sense that it’s as homely as can be for them. Let your employees add things to their workplace to make it more personal and comfortable for them and encourage them to freely chat with each other.
When staff feel relaxed and comfortable in their working environment they’re more likely to make the effort to get to know each other. As we spend so much time at work, workplace friendships are crucial to sustainable long-term happiness.
6. Really listen to your employees
By listening to your employees and showing that the workplace is balanced, you’ll create a system where everyone feels comfortable listening to and talking to one another. This sends out the message that the business is committed to an equal workplace.
This has the potential to create a really positive reaction, but only if you’re consistent in your practice.
7. Lead by example
If you don’t make the effort to be an effective collaborator, it’s unlikely that your employees will. Make sure you’re always communicating and compromising, and you’ll soon see that your employees will take your lead. There’s nothing worse than a business with a clear authority chain that doesn’t attempt to listen to anyone else because they think they know best.