Thank you for Subscribing to Business Management Review Weekly Brief
I agree We use cookies on this website to enhance your user experience. By clicking any link on this page you are giving your consent for us to set cookies. More info
Thank you for Subscribing to Business Management Review Weekly Brief
By
Business Management Review | Monday, February 28, 2022
Team members can swap ideas during unplanned interactions while getting coffee or lunch or waiting for a meeting to begin in a boardroom.
FREMONT, CA: Consider the following points to encourage collaboration in your digital workplace.
1. Invest in automation for your business
Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.
If your employees were using most of their time at work dealing with administrative tasks instead of more interesting assignments, it would be very difficult for them to stay motivated. Workers who don't feel they are making a difference at work are far less likely to want to provide much to a team.
Rather, invest in software and tools that automate repeated tasks whenever possible. Taking this step releases your employees' valuable time to concentrate on more interesting tasks that matter to them and the company. To make the update in technology successful, be sure your managers are also using it. Get your managers excited about the advantages of the software (which will lead to finer collaboration), and your employees will follow suit.
2. Create overlap zones for unexpected employee interactions and opportunities for group collaboration concepts
Employees should not needfully feel they should stay at their desks for their whole workday to be productive. Team members can swap ideas during unplanned interactions while getting coffee or lunch or waiting for a meeting to begin in a boardroom.
It is likely to become extremely concentrated on a problem and too stressed to see solutions. At moments, back off and taking a break can be very beneficial. Find someone from another team or a diverse department to talk to.
Ask them about what they have been active in and share some information about what has got you stymied. It's likely that in describing the dilemma to someone else, the answer will become clear.
3. Support team members in socializing outside of work
Time appears to be in really short supply for everyone these days, and asking your team members to add something else to their schedule may seem like it will not go over well. Still, when team members can spend time together away from work, they see each other as humans, not just their job titles.
Some companies organize team-building activities or an outing for employees to enjoy. It supports "break the ice" when people come out and wonder what they will talk about other than work! This is the right way to build relationships, bring people together in a low-key manner, and permit them to get to know each other without feeling like they are participating in a corporate event.
4. Treat mistakes as a chance to learn
Inevitably, there will be some errors along the way for your team. They can become big roadblocks for your team based on how they are handled. No one responds well if they are called out and criticized harshly for making a mistake or failing to reach a target. That doesn't mean you should let mistakes or missing a goal slide as no big deal. Instead, use these situations to learn what didn't work this time and make better plans.
Evade assigning blame to anyone. Alternatively, ask questions like the following:
• Is there something the team did (or didn't do) that created the mistake to occur?
• How can we reorganize and move forward to reach our goal next time? Be specific.
• What can I do to support the team reach the goal next time?
Commonly, when a failure occurs, it is not due to one mistake. A series of events occur, and failure is the result. Spending time trying to assign blame takes away from learning how to prevent the same pitfalls next time.
5. Lead your team by example
If you are a collaborative team leader, don't fall into the trap of "Do as I say, not as I do" when interacting with your team members. You need to be cooperative with others in and outside the office.
Set apart some time regularly to spend individually with each team member. These one-on-one dialogues are a chance for each of you to get to know the other better. They also offer opportunities for your team members to request support.
More in News