Why Companies Must Establish a Strategy for Collaboration
Hi! My name is Arnold and I’m an HR professional.
Knowledge and service work has become more global, more cross-functional, and less structured. This has caused many companies to turn to technology to foster collaboration and connect employees and teams but implementing a technology solution without an underlying strategy will not deliver the results business leaders want.
Most organizations understand the need to collaborate, but most are not aware of how to best facilitate that teamwork, causing many companies to lack a thorough understanding of how teams work together. Let’s take a look at a few reasons why it’s essential for your organization to establish a strategy for collaboration.
People
A frequent challenge to creating a truly collaborative workforce is the distribution of workload. When a company supports collaborative work, employees can lean on their colleagues with known expertise or a track record of success. When the distribution of collaborative work is lopsided though, significant pressure is added to employees who are known to be knowledgeable, capable, and willing to help.
Workloads
To encourage effective teamwork, it’s essential that your organization provides tools that enable employees to work together. The best way to guarantee that your company is providing the best tools available to help employees collaborate is to identify what the work itself looks like. When you can answer what types of projects require teamwork, which departments or individuals originate projects or team activities, and what expectations employees have about deadlines and projects, you’ll then be able to ensure that all employees are equipped with the proper tools they need to seamlessly collaborate.
Tools
Oftentimes, when employees are frustrated with the tools they’re provided by their organization, they turn to use their own tools, without the knowledge or approval of the IT department. While this can sometimes cause minor IT issues, most of the time these employees figure out ways to make customer experiences better. This is why it is critical to offer employees the tools they prefer to help them perform their job functions more effectively.
True workplace collaboration is about sharing content, expertise, and network connections to support the overall goals of the organization. When your organization has a thorough understanding of employees, the workloads they face, and the tools available to them, you’ll be able to establish an effective strategy for collaboration.
If you want to learn more about why companies must establish a strategy for collaboration, click the link below for more information.
