The most successful work environments are places where teams understand the importance of healthy communication and employees feel seen, heard, and safe to share their thoughts. This is where the importance of team culture comes in.
Team culture encompasses the values, beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes shared by a team; it’s how people work together toward a common goal and treat one another. A strong work culture increases productivity and morale and keeps employees engaged.
In today’s digital work environment, having the right tools to communicate and foster your team culture is one thing, but using them effectively is another. Whether you work on-site or remotely, and in a small team or a large organization, this article is your go-to resource for improving collaboration at work.
How to Collaborate Effectively at Work
70% of employees say digital technology improved their collaboration, and 83% rely on using technology for collaboration. With these statistics in mind, let’s look at how you can use technology to collaborate effectively at work.
#1. You Can and Should Overcommunicate
Don’t be afraid to overcommunicate, especially if your organization is working remotely. You won’t want to assume something is understood and inadvertently delay your project.
Set clear expectations and responsibilities, keep information easily accessible to everyone, and be transparent. This ensures team members understand where the organization is headed and feel confident of their place in it.
#2. Make the Most of Meetings
When was the last time you sat through a meeting and thought this could have been an email? You can use technology to cut down on meetings by messaging your team members or giving feedback in a shared document. Still, meetings are important, so make the most of them!
A daily check-in meeting gives everyone the chance the share updates and their progress on their workflow, current projects, and new initiatives. Managers get regular insight into projects, employees get timely feedback, and organizations can identify any potential roadblocks early on.
#3. Have Autonomy in the Workplace
No one likes being micromanaged. It can lead to damaged leadership trust, stifled creative thinking, and unneeded performance pressure.
Workplace autonomy gives employees the freedom to work in a way that suits them. This can include the:
- ability to independently make decisions,
- ability to independently solve problems,
- control they have over their tasks,
- order in which they do their tasks, and
- pace at which they work.
A workforce that’s trusted to get the job done and allowed to approach tasks in their own way is more likely to be engaged.
#4. Be Open to Ideas
It is through considering different perspectives that innovation often emerges. To promote true collaboration, all team members should:
- avoid criticism that isn’t constructive,
- be open to new ideas and perspectives,
- respect each other’s opinions,
- coordinate their efforts and resources,
- take responsibility for their own actions and,
- be held accountable for their part in the project.
#5. Have Transparency at Every Level
Transparency in the workplace is open communication between leadership and employees at work.
Leadership commits to openly sharing information, which can include expectations, feedback, mistakes, setbacks, key business metrics, and the reasoning behind a big decision.
In return, employees commit to asking questions and openly sharing information. This can include asking for clarification, asking for help, proposing new ideas, and providing immediate updates when a project hits an unexpected hurdle or goes off-track.
Workplace transparency builds trust, increasing job satisfaction among employees and making them feel empowered.
#6. Use Collaboration Tools
Collaboration tools can help you put the above steps into action. When selecting a collaboration tool, you’ll want a user-friendly interface and features that align with the needs of your team.
Key features like calendar integration, file sharing, real-time messaging, task management, and video conferencing enable smooth teamwork regardless of where colleagues are located.
Common collaboration tools include Asana, Google Meet and Google Drive, Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams, Slack, Webex by Cisco, and Zoom.
Talk With the Experts at CC3 Solutions
To keep up with today’s business needs, you need a modern way to handle your communication.
At CC3 Solutions, we specialize in meeting the mobile device needs of businesses. Our experts will tailor each solution to your needs, ensuring you get the features you want without hidden fees.
Contact us today to get started!