Two minds are always better than one, three are better than two, four are better than three, and so forth. Collaboration within the workplace is your ticket to innovation, as you have brilliant people working together and joining their ideas to create something great. At Technalink, we encourage collaboration on all projects, and we try to create the most encouraging atmosphere for collaboration possible. How can you work on fostering collaboration in your workplace? There are a few simple ways.
Keeping your goals clear is a great way to set a foundation for collaboration. When a team or group knows just what is supposed to lie at the end of the tunnel, they have something to work towards, and something they can all put their minds together to figure out. If you wish to foster better collaboration within your workplace, try clearly communicating the goal before you assign any project to a particular team.
If you’re trying to foster collaboration more organically, rather than encouraging better collaboration between assigned team members, you may find the answer in your office atmosphere. The physical atmosphere combined with the emotional atmosphere you create work together to either set the stage for collaboration or to make it quite unnatural. If your office doesn’t adopt a “can do” or encouraging atmosphere, you’re going to have a lot of trouble making collaboration a natural thing, as employees won’t feel open enough to extend themselves to one another. One great way to foster a better collaborative atmosphere is to adopt an open office plan and to encourage ideas to be shared without putting down those which may not work as well as others.
Lastly, you’ll want to take the time to communicate and get to know each other on a personal level. Collaborating with someone who feels like a stranger is much more difficult than working alongside a friend, and this is why open communication within the workplace is so important. Taking special time to get to know one another using team building activities or social events can really impact how comfortable your office is at collaborating. While team building and fun activities may seem like it could be “wasting business time”, it’s actually setting you up to better meet your goals and to get the most out of the talent you have through collaboration and innovation.
Collaboration is important if you wish to break barriers and progress in any industry. By fostering a more collaborative environment, communicating, and setting clear goals, you could be well on your way to a more collaborative and inspiring environment today.
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