Six Ways to Build Collaborative Teams

Why is Team Collaboration Important?

First, what do we mean by this? Simply put, the collaboration definition is working together. This is usually a given in the workplace, but putting it at the forefront of work has the following benefits:

·  It allows teams to solve problems more effectively by breaking down barriers between employees.

·  It focuses on the concept of knowledge sharing, again because people know to turn to each other.

·  Collaborative teamwork can improve employee happiness by sharing responsibilities and burdens.

·  Importantly, all this can lead to a firmer and well-established company culture.

Overall, collaborative teamwork involves things employees are probably already doing. However, it puts collaboration in the spotlight and makes it explicit that working together is the goal.

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6 Ways to Build Collaborative Teams

While the following suggestions are different ways to build collaborative teams, they can be used together depending on the people involved and the overall goals.

Here are 6 ways to foster collaboration skills in employees to create more effective teams.

1. Set Expectations

Few things are more important than setting expectations. In short, expectations are management’s way of communicating their goals with their teams. So, they’re arguably collaboration skills for people on the higher levels of teams.

Rather than telling team members, they should be inspired to achieve the same goals. Doing it this way helps with motivation, too, because employees will see the goals as their own decisions.

Setting off with this kind of structure will lead to the benefits mentioned above, specifically knowledge sharing and problem solving.

Another way of thinking of this is to lead from the top down. Set an example by communicating your expectations and joining in with collaborative sessions. Be visible with your collaborations so team members have a good act to follow.

2. Focus on Member’s Strengths

Every team member will have strengths. These could be problem-solving, written or verbal communication, motivation, or something else. When building a team, focus on member’s positive collaboration skills.

Importantly, don’t focus on weaknesses, as this can create an air of negativity and judgment. What’s more, it’s likely someone else in the team will have strengths to compensate for these weaknesses, so there’s no real need to mention them.

The goal with focusing on strengths is, again, motivation. Alongside this, it helps create a non-judgmental atmosphere where everyone can feel free to share their ideas.

3. Encourage Innovation

Similarly, creating ideas-sharing spaces encourages innovation. If team members feel they can speak freely, you’re more likely to end up with good (and successful) ideas.

Of course, there are different ways of achieving this that depend on your collaboration skills. For example, you could host round-table meetings where people throw everything out.

Alternatively, you could have a group chat specifically for ideas that’s separate from your main communication channel.

4. Use Collaborative Tools

Considering how much of our work is online, using collaborative tools is a must. Look for a collaborative app that meets your needs, whatever these may be. Common functions include multiple messaging channels, incorporation of other communication streams, and clear, simple usability.

A collaborative app such as Textr is ideal for collaborative teamwork. It has all the functions a team needs to work on projects remotely.

After all, few of us spend as much time in the office, and we’ve discovered that collaboration is possible even when we’re apart. In these situations, collaborative tools come into their own.

5. Build Team Relationships After Work

Building relationships between team members outside of the workspace is helpful, but must be approached carefully. After all, colleagues can maintain professional and successful relationships at work without socializing after work.

However, promoting social spaces and relationships will help build collaborative teams. Importantly, don’t force members into social events, as it’s unreasonable to tell someone what to do with their free time.

There are different ways to solve this. First, you could give everyone an afternoon off work and book space in a bar. Pay them as normal, and then when the working day ends, they’re free to do as they please.

Second, you could arrange an event outside of work but offer to pay for it. After all, the plan could backfire if you not only tell people to get together after work but also expect them to pay for it.

6. Reward Collaboration

This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s definitely worth mentioning. If team members collaborate successfully, you must reward them for it. How you do this is up to you. It could be time off work, a financial reward, or anything else that draws attention to their positive work.

Appropriate rewards encourage future collaboration between team members and feed into the idea of a non-judgmental atmosphere.

However, you must still balance this against constructive criticism. Don’t tell someone their ideas are bad, but consider ways to redirect their future efforts.

One solution is to foster peer-to-peer discussions. After all, managing a large team takes a lot of work and rewarding and encouraging everyone would be time-consuming.

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Use Textr to Build Collaborative Teams

The Textr app has everything your team needs to collaborate more successfully. You can bring your whole team on board into a shared space, making communication easier than ever.

Then, you can assign people one or multiple numbers, or assign multiple users to one number. Whichever you choose, your team will have numerous ways to communicate through the app.

Combine this with group messaging – both within your team and with customers – and you’ve got an ideal space for fostering collaboration skills. Finally, Textr offers contact sharing, making everything super streamlined.

You can also use Textr’s Send SMS Online tool to instantly send messages to numbers via the Internet. Try it out today!      

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