Today we will discuss Is collaboration at the workplace – the key to personal growth? Every company, be it a big firm, or a start-up requires its employees to work efficiently and as a team to reach success. We all know group studies in schools are prevalent for clear understanding of the subject. We all have seen the benefits of group studies, isn’t it? Despite the popular belief of people for not sharing their knowledge with others, it has been proven that shared knowledge always leads to the betterment of oneself and the other.  All successful organizations have thrived on leadership who have been able to build effective teams and have instilled a fervour in the employees to work together towards success. The collaboration of employees is an important attribute for any firm to reach its pinnacle. 

However, do you know what all it takes to have a collaborative spirit in team members?

With firms growing bigger and increasingly competitive, it gets more and more difficult to build an environment of togetherness. Approachability has become a grave point of concern in today’s date. Hence, firms who realize the importance of effective collaboration have also come up with ideas where teams are able to connect and collaborate on a regular basis. When physical meetings are not possible, organizations are gradually moving towards virtual collaboration set-ups, so that employees do not feel isolated, over-burdened and over-stressed. A good leader, as I described in a previous blog, is responsible to create an environment of effective communication and collaboration. However, what needs to be done in case a collaborative spirit is missing at your workplace? Ask the following questions to yourself, to check whether or not you’re working in a healthy collaborative environment:

• Can you count on your team members?

Building an environment of trust is the basis for any collaborative work environment. If there’s no trust, there’s a presence of fear and a lack of confidence. Employees cannot reach out to each other, and hence a firm is likely to move towards failure due to lack of effective communication. This further leads to stress and lack of accountability, since employees are working in the absence of passion.

• Do employees come together to solve issues?

Is everyone given a fair chance to come forward with a solution? Collaboration requires input from each member of a team. This instils growth and learning. Check at your workplace, are tasks well delegated? If various tasks are well distributed among employees, each employee gets a fair chance to show his/her skills.

• Do you connect often with the team members?

How often do you meet or connect? If you haven’t connected in a long time with your fellow team members, the team is likely to have stilled its growth. A boat with oars moving in separate direction fails to move forward! Regular meetings with both formal and informal discussions to develop communication is a must for success.

• Are your meetings well planned?

Having an agenda for every meeting is as essential as conducting them regularly. Without a proper plan, meetings are directionless, goals are not well decided, and effective collaboration cannot be exercised.

What are the advantages of having a collaborative spirit at work?

1) Culture of Continual Learning:

Working together along with others towards a common goal helps members build a culture of learning. Each member comes with his/her own expertise and knowledge. Group discussions can act as a mirror for oneself, giving an individual a chance to have multi-directional growth.  When team members share their ideas and knowledge with each other, every moment becomes an opportunity for growth and success!

2) Effective Time Management and Quick Delivery:

‘Two better than one, and a team much better than one!’ Effective delegation and distribution of work in a project is key to quick delivery of quality work. A team where each member gets a chance to put in his/her efforts efficiently and there exists no room for the blame game gets an opportunity to deliver efficient work!

3)  Employee Retention and Building Camaraderie:

Collaboration rests on helping each other grow and building an environment of trust and harmony. With each day being a learning opportunity, employees build confidence in themselves and are repeatedly encouraged to work better. Mutual trust and appreciation reduce stress, develop a sense of accountability and create a positive environment.

As Henry Ford says, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is a success.”, build a positive environment at work and move towards personal growth!

Write to you next week;

Till Then Stay Positive, Healthy and Stress-free!