How to collaborate effectively? Key tips for flexible teams
August 22, 2024
September 3, 2024
How employees work together has changed drastically over the last couple of years. While team meetings and brainstorming sessions used to be conducted in person in the office, they can now be done digitally and even asynchronously. Many organizations wonder how to collaborate effectively with a flexible workforce in this new work setup.
How do we ensure communication flows? How do you create alignment and get the most out of everybody’s skill sets? Which are the most valuable effective collaboration strategies you can implement to make collective work a smooth and growing experience for all team members?
As experts in hybrid and modern work practices, we share examples of effective collaboration that align with today’s ways of working and produce thriving outcomes. Are you ready to help your staff get to a new level of collaboration and professional growth?
Why is creating effective collaboration in the workplace so important?
While fostering autonomy is essential to empowering workers and helping them grow, working collectively also plays a key part in developing more competencies and thriving professionally. Collaboration enables team members to learn from each other and expose themselves to new skills, ideas, and visions. This gathering of knowledge and motivation promotes greater project realization and better outcomes. From a company perspective, effective collaboration takes your business to a higher level by:
- bringing talents together;
- enhancing innovation;
- boosting motivation and employee satisfaction;
- getting greater results.
How do we collaborate effectively in a modern work setup?
Removing geographical and time barriers
Over the last couple of years, employees have had to relearn how to collaborate. Flexible work has forced companies to find solutions that enable them to work together effectively, regardless of time and location. The first step in promoting effective collaboration between team members and departments is removing geographical and time barriers. The physical distance between your staff shouldn’t impact their work. Therefore, creating policies and procedures to minimize the issues related to not being in the same room and working at the same time is crucial.
Important note: going back to a full-office model is not the solution and would be counterproductive as it doesn’t match employees’ needs for flexibility and autonomy.
💜 Discover how deskbird helps you design the best hybrid work policy for your workforce!
Equipping employees with modern collaboration tools and technologies
Digital tools and technology play a key role in removing the geographical and time barriers that flexible work arrangements create. A few digital solutions have become pivotal to keeping collective communication and projects smooth and effective. Here are a couple of collaboration tools and technologies that successful flexible teams use:
- digital scheduling system, like deskbird or Google Calendar;
- workspace booking software like deskbird;
- online communication solutions like Slack;
- videoconferencing systems like Zoom or Microsoft Teams;
- project management tools like Notion, or Asana;
- cloud-based documents and file-sharing platforms like Google Drive.
Scheduling collaborative tasks and meetings as soon as possible
Planning beforehand is key in effective collaboration! While last-minute meetings can occur, scheduling team tasks and gatherings early should be a priority when possible. It gives your coworkers time to organize their calendars and prepare ahead. When your colleagues know the next meeting, they can start getting ready for it. This proactive approach boosts the chances of a smooth and productive session. So, don’t wait. Add those collaborative events to your shared schedule ASAP and watch your team’s efficiency take off!
Booking meeting spaces ahead
Getting the right collaborative space is crucial. When your staff decides to hit the office for face-to-face work sessions, you must ensure they can book the perfect spots. Reserving meeting rooms in advance is a game-changer. It enables your team membersto know exactly what tools they’ll have at their fingertips so that they can prepare accordingly and effectively. Don’t let a lack of space or equipment affect your team’s work. Book early and collaborate better when meeting on-site.
Encouraging regular, clear, and transparent communication
Communication is the backbone of effective collaboration, especially in a flexible work environment. Conversations and updates must flow in every direction: board members to managers and employees, workers to leaders, managers to team and board members, employees to employees, etc.
The choice of communication tools is crucial in this regard. All your staff needs to be comfortable and properly use them. Asking them about their preferences and creating a clear communication policy is a great idea to keep everyone on the same page and avoid misunderstandings and conflicts.
👋 Learn more about Gen Z’s communication preferences!
Enabling asynchronous collaboration
Hey there, flexible work champions! Let’s talk about the power of asynchronous collaboration. It’s a game-changer, mainly when your employees are scattered across different locations and time zones. Take Sam, for instance. Instead of being bombarded with Slack pings all day, she can focus on deep work and catch up on team updates when they suit her best. This way, Sam remains informed without constant interruptions. It’s all about finding the balance between being connected and maintaining productivity. Async keeps everyone in the loop without the notification frenzy. It’s like giving your staff superpowers to collaborate smarter, not harder. So, forget the always-on mentality and watch your team thrive in their rhythms.
Facilitating access to information and data
Another pivotal aspect of collaborating effectively is to increase your team’s productivity by unlocking the power of easy access to data. Using centralized project management tools gives your workforce the keys to smoother collaboration, more effective work, and greater transparency. These fantastic platforms keep all relevant documents in one place, so no one’s left scrambling for that crucial file or update. It’s like having a virtual HQ where everyone’s on the same page, 24/7. It’s time to say goodbye to information bottlenecks and hello to seamless teamwork. If you haven’t done it, your employees will thank you for this game-changing move!
Setting goals and making decisions collectively
There is sometimes a considerable gap between what can be achieved in theory and practice. Unreachable targets and impossible deadlines are drawing back engagement, motivation, and collaboration. “97% of employees believe that lack of alignment within a team impacts the outcome of a task or project” 1. For these reasons, setting goals and making decisions together is a pivotal rule for successful collaboration. It ensures that they are achievable, keeps your staff motivated and aligned, and makes them feel included and valued.
Creating a flexible, diverse, and employee-centric office layout
Being willing to boost processes and systems to improve teamwork is great, but have you considered the role of your physical workplace in helping your staff collaborate effectively? The office layout has a massive impact on collaboration and productivity. Therefore, providing employees with a workplace setup that meets their needs is fundamental to fostering cooperation on-site.
👉 Learn more about the impact of the office layout on productivity and collaboration!
Encouraging knowledge and skills sharing practices
Diversity is one of the strongest pillars of any successful company. If you’ve managed to create a diverse workforce, this is a powerful asset you should use to promote effective collaboration. Give your workers the chance to learn from each other and grow together. This can be done by combining hard and soft skills. By offering a mix of spaces, from cozy huddle rooms to buzzing collaboration areas, you’re giving your team members the freedom to work their way!
Creating an incredible sense of belonging and community in the workplace
also plays a crucial role in group collaboration. When employees feel included, valued, and connected, they are more eager to be engaged and innovative. Team bonding activities and social events, online and offline, are your best allies here. These get-togethers help your staff click, get to know each other better, spark stronger teamwork, and initiate fresh ideas. So, make that team spirit flow, whether virtual trivia nights or office pizza parties.
Being open-minded and fostering a culture of trust
Collaboration is about gathering the best skills and ideas for the most successful outcome, right? This can only be fulfilled if employees feel fully open regarding their opinions and ideas. Building trust in the workplace is, therefore, a pivotal aspect to include in your collaboration strategy plan. People must be comfortable sharing their thoughts and speaking up when they believe there might be a more effective way to achieve this or that.
Getting feedback flowing
Feedback is a keystone to constantly improving collaboration within an organization when done in a balanced and constructive way. It allows everyone to share what they think works and what doesn’t. Within a team, it enables employees to be open with their managers and colleagues about actions that they believe could boost their overall collaboration process. Undoubtedly, encouraging feedback sharing (formally and informally) is a pivotal part of all great collaboration strategies.
💡 Check out our customers’ reviews to discover what our users think about the deskbird app!
How does deskbird help you implement these effective collaboration strategies?
Booking the collective spaces your team needs to collaborate effectively
Thanks to the deskbird app and its intuitive interface, users can quickly reserve meeting rooms, co-working areas, or other shared spaces. This ensures that your teams have the right environment to work together efficiently. Our user-friendly tool also provides real-time availability and seamless planning, which helps reduce scheduling conflicts and optimize your workspace usage. With deskbird, your staff can book their favorite collective space in advance and start to prepare their meetings accordingly.
Organizing and sharing weekly schedules to facilitate hybrid collaboration
The deskbird app allows employees to organize and share their weekly planning with the rest of the team. This facilitates hybrid collaboration as it enables coworkers to easily share their weekly schedules, letting all of them know who’s where and when. No more guessing games or calendar confusion! Whether someone is at the office or working from home, it’s clear for everyone. This transparency enhances coordination and flexibility by ensuring hybrid work environments boost collaboration rather than hinder it.
Scheduling social events to get everyone together and boost the sense of community
Lastly, our “office events” feature makes organizing and publicizing events effortless. By scheduling and announcing events through the deskbird app, you can encourage participation and ensure everyone is informed. This feature fosters a sense of community by bringing employees together for team-building activities, workshops, or social gatherings. Ultimately, officially promoting your corporate events helps strengthen workplace connection, which is key when looking for ways to boost effective collaboration.
How to collaborate effectively is a dynamic process that differs from one company to another, and even from team to team within the same organization. All the insights and recommendations mentioned in this article are here to guide you. Collecting your employees’ feedback is a great help in understanding which direction your strategies for more effective collaboration should go. Listening to your coworkers, testing new approaches, and trying to create a strong team bonding and community feeling among your staff are vital actions to reach your goal.
Request a free demo of the deskbird app to discover our user-friendly solution and core features to improve your hybrid workplace experience!
1 Key Collaboration Statistics: Impact on Employee Performance and Business Success, Worldmetrics.org.
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