The Importance of Team Building and Effective Collaboration

Effective collaboration is an essential part of being a productive, high-functioning team. Successful leaders understand that inspiring team members to work together is key to building a team that can overcome conflict and challenges as it works to meet deadlines.I’ve been reading about team building and collaboration this week and wanted to share these recent blog posts and articles I think you’ll find useful.  How to Develop a Team That Collaborates Effectively. Forbes: “For a team to get along, they need to know each other and develop a context for why they were picked to work together. A team can do that formally or informally, including asking each other questions, engaging during meetings, and doing some activities together outside the office environment. For example, meeting to work out, play a sport, or enjoy a meal offers an ideal time to relax and get to know each other. This goes a long way toward working well together at work because the individuals are building an understanding and respect for each other in an informal setting that is often more amenable for ‘just being yourself’.”The 3 Essentials for Inspiring Your Team to Embrace Your Goals. Entrepreneur: “I used to work at a sleepy, regional telephone company that prided itself on customer service but lacked a strong commitment to innovation. In the mid-1990s the company got a new CEO who changed all that. Even though the Internet was in its infancy, his goal was to pull that company into the 21st century by transforming the enterprise from ‘dial tone to data.’  It was clear that he wanted to make the necessary investment in infrastructure, technology and training to ensure the company was ahead of the needs of our customers. After several years of subsequent acquisitions and strategic divestitures, the company became a next-generation telecommunications organization with a national fiber-optic network, leading edge data centers and a demonstrated commitment to ongoing employee training. The CEO's transformational goal of moving from ‘dial tone to data’ was a clear, understandable rallying point that was necessary for the organization's survival. Without that clearly stated goal, the organizational transformation implemented by the employees would have stalled.”Collaboration: Why Do We Need It? And, Uh, What Is It, Anyway? Workspace Design Magazine: “We work on teams in the workplace all the time, but it’s not easy and rarely what we’d call ‘effective’. With very few exceptions, at no point in our education or careers do we have someone watching us, stopping our collective work, and saying, ‘What you did just then? That was (or wasn’t) supportive collaborative behavior.’ We still muddle through….Simply by working through definition exercises in a transparent, inclusive fashion, we can arrive at definitions of what collaboration will mean to us. And having those definitions in hand, we can design tools and processes to keep ourselves accountable. We don’t have to start completely from scratch. We have much of the shared DNA of an understanding, we just need to make it explicit.”3 Strategies to Improve Collaboration in the Workplace. AllBusiness Experts: “Creating a workplace that fosters collaboration requires effective staffing initiatives, project assignments, and an adaptable work environment. Work spaces should be reconfigured so they’re conducive to sharing information. Assignments should be created that will allow staff to construct innovative solutions through cooperative teams. Collaborative work environments foster innovation. Employees who share knowledge with coworkers end up feeling more inspired to come up with new and better ways of doing things. Energy levels increase as a greater number of people interact in open work spaces. Knowledge can be shared naturally through the flow of the day.”Are Off-Site Team-Building Events Worth the Time and Cost? Greater Baton Rouge Business Journal: “Yes, absolutely. Off-site team-building events offer a unique opportunity outside of the structured everyday business environment for employees to get to know one another on a deeper and much more personal level, build relationships, strengthen the team as a whole, and have a little (or a lot of) fun together. We view annual team-building events as a small investment with a significant reward. The off-site setting also allows for a more relaxed environment, contributing to more creative and “out of the box” thinking, allowing employees to re-energize, focus on team goal realignment, strategize on plans and goals for the year, and bond on a more personal level.”Need help with team building and encouraging collaboration at your organization? Contact us; we’re happy to assist.Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.