Collaboration is a top initiative in many organizations across the country. Especially in a marketplace where the landscape is constantly changing, and there are more disruptions than ever before; collaboration is necessary in order to be a top-performing business. Here are a few pest practices that highly collaborative organizations have implemented.
Build trust among employees.
Trust is the most important key to effective collaboration. Building trust means creating an environment where everyone can openly express their concerns, fears, and disagreements. In other words, in order to be collaborative, you have to create an environment where people are able to be vulnerable without fearing rejection, aggression, or retaliation. In an office where vulnerability is threatened, people feel disrespected, see their contributions aren’t being recognized, and stop contributing.
Form diverse teams.
Teams are often built of similar individuals who have a lot in common. However, in order to be truly collaborative, you have to be willing to challenge the status quo. How can a team produce great work together if everyone thinks in a similar manner? Smart organizations encourage collaboration among employees who don’t typically work together. They form teams consisting of individuals with different backgrounds and talents. Doing so generates more diverse ideas and problem-solving approaches. You have to learn to embrace the individuality of each team member.
Design creative workspaces.
Mundane color schemes and rows of cubicles are damaging to collaboration. Cubicles foster a lack of constant human interaction that hinders innovative thinking and the ability to bounce ideas off one another. Highly collaborative organizations design their office to have less private workspaces and more central meeting locations. This helps break up the daily routine and encourages more consistent collaboration, which inspires more innovation. Designated play areas for brainstorming sessions that have a table tennis or foosball table are commonly found in highly collaborative organizations such as Google or Amazon.
Have leaders that learn to get out of the way.
Successful organizations have leaders that empower and support employees and then get out of their way. Micromanaging hinders collaboration. You hired employees to do a job, so you need to trust that they will do it well. Give employees the space they need to do their job. You role as a leader is to provide them with the resources they need to do so.
Know how to adapt and evolve.
Collaboration is perpetual. As new tools and technologies emerge, highly collaborative organizations are able to adapt and evolve as things change. Keeping a pulse on what’s going on in the industry at any given time, will allow you to innovate more effectively.
Fostering collaboration in the workplace begins with hiring the right people for the job. If you’re looking for top employees or contractors to fill your open positions, let the experienced recruiters at BOS Staffing help. For more than 35 years we have helped clients throughout Northeast Georgia and nationwide secure top talent. Contact us today to talk about staffing solutions for your organization.
