5 ways to encourage collaboration

1) Communicate expectations

Make it clear that collaboration is the minimum standard in your team. While an individual’s workload is enough to create an system of isolation at work, if collaboration is made a core value and integrated into everyone’s workflow, then employees are less likely to view it as a deterrence to their individual jobs.

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2) Set team goals

Individual success is never a bad thing, but only rewarding a single person success may deter the idea of collaboration. Ideally you want to get the team to focus on goals and keep individual efforts aligned while rewarding both individuals and the team for meeting desired outcomes.

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3) Foster the right atmosphere

Make it known that your team is filled with diverse and unique perspectives. Allow team members to question and brainstorm in a non-judgmental framework reinforcing that all ideas are valued.

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4) Establish cohesion

Include every person on the team in as many large decisions as possible. To increase participation in any collaborative effort, those involved need to feel as though they have the ability to drive change on a large scale. Being able to weigh in on something potentially out of their expertise is just another way to show all opinions are valued.

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5) Leverage individual strengths

Position each team member for success by assigning tasks that play to their respective strengths. Defining the team’s goals and each of the members respective roles ensures accountability. With everyone working toward achieving the same thing with the knowledge of who is doing what to help them get there, the accountability is built in. A truly collaborative team manages itself.

Randall Smith

Randall Smith

Randall Smith is the co-founder of CUInsight.com, the host of The CUInsight Experience podcast, and a bit of a wanderlust. As one of the co-founders of CUInsight he looks ... Web: www.CUInsight.com Details