The companies that stand the test of time are the ones that continuously adapt and innovate to changing economic and technological changes. That innovation requires an effective collaboration process amongst the workforce.
Here are five top tips to help improve workforce collaboration in your business.
1. An Effective Meeting System
With many businesses moving to a flexible working model, it’s becoming more and more essential to have a meeting system that can adapt seamlessly to different work patterns. There’s nothing worse than missing important meetings or not having a room booked because of a problem with your technology.
Getting a white label booking system for small business is a great way to ensure that you can schedule meetings with clients and colleagues alike, in-person and online, with minimal effort, ensuring that important engagements reach the right people’s calendars.
2. Collaborative Spaces
Our ability to collaborate and innovate as teams is impacted considerably by the architecture of our environment, and the workplace needs of employees are changing. This is because of the effect that the design of a space has on our psychology.
Isolating individuals into private offices increases the barrier to conversations and discourages group activity. Contrariwise, not giving individuals enough personal space may make them feel claustrophobic and unproductive – so it’s a careful balance to strike.
Create a dynamic space for your workforce: allowing individual employees the personal space to work independently while also making it easy to get into groups and work together.
3. Carve Out Time for Group Bonding Activities
You wouldn’t want to discuss a business proposal with the stranger sitting next to you on the train. By the same token, employees tend to avoid seeking opportunities for group work or collaboration when they don’t have strong relationships with their colleagues.
That’s why it’s essential to carve out time for group bonding activities at your workplace. The greater the strength of working relationships between colleagues, the more confident they will feel about discussing new ideas and business proposals with one another.
Whether it’s a group away day, a fun escape room activity, or just a trip to a bar, make sure all your employees have the time and space to get to know each other.
4. Organize Sessions on Ideating and Collaborating
Most of the time, a new idea for a business opportunity doesn’t arise spontaneously. Instead, it’s the result of a well-thought-out collaborative process with input from multiple people.
When you put colleagues together in a group, don’t simply expect them to be able to flesh out the perfect business proposal. While they may have the right environment, colleagues also need the right tools to work together.
That’s why it’s crucial to organize sessions on ideating – on brainstorming business ideas together – so that colleagues know how to assess an idea, evaluate its advantages and identify what’s needed to develop it into a full-blown business proposal.
Read More: Managing Workforce: 7 Business Tips to Know
5. Incentivize Collaboration
These days, the barrier to getting seed money to develop a business is lower than it ever has been. If they come up with an idea for a business, employees will weigh up whether to go at it alone.
That’s why it’s vital to offer colleagues the necessary incentives so that they can see the fruits of their collaborative activity. A system of rewards, bonuses, and even equity will give employees the sense that they have a stake in their ideas.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, collaboration is an organic process, and you don’t want to make it feel forced. Build a collaborative environment that gently nudges people towards working together without being interventionist.
