Benefits of Collaboration in the Workplace
There are many benefits of collaboration in the workplace, as key performance indicators (KPIs) such as productivity and employee engagement can improve with synergistic teams. While it may not be the most important factor in driving success for your business, it can contribute in a meaningful way.
The modern collaborative workplace emphasizes quick, clear communication, synergistic thinking, and collective problem-solving. It focuses on the team unit within a company without neglecting the individuals that form it. In fact, there’s evidence to suggest that collaboration enhances individual work ethic and engagement.
Read on to discover how incorporating collaborative work practices in your organization could be the best thing you do this year to keep up with the competition. We’ll relay the benefits of collaborative working in this guide to pave the way for you to promote a collaborative workplace.
The impact of COVID-19 on collaboration
The world of work has changed drastically in the past few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaboration as a pillar of productivity has been shaken to its core, which has proved disastrous in several ways. The challenges of collaborative working have been highlighted within the remote work model.
Remote work has become the norm for many, which has presented unique challenges for companies. For instance, 52% of workers felt less connected to their coworkers due to the transition to remote work. This severed connection can be detrimental to collaboration, and without clear communication, productivity can break down.
What’s more, one of the most significant barriers to creating an Agile work environment, one in which adaptability to changing times comes first, is reportedly a lack of consistent processes. 46% say inconsistent practices and processes across teams present a threat to Agile work, so the lack of cross-functional principles within a company can inhibit progress and adaptation to the market.
What are the benefits of collaboration?
Greater flexibility
The future demands flexibility, as remote and hybrid work models grow in popularity and employees have the power to choose a company that provides them with the most flexible work model to suit their lifestyle.
These days, if you don’t offer software tools that promote collaboration, you might lose out on top talent as it looks elsewhere for seamless onboarding and convenient workflows.
72% of working professionals in 2021 stated their belief that the use of collaboration tools will increase in the coming years. The year prior, this figure was 75%, so the evidence is clear: collaborative tools will become an integral part of the workplace if they aren’t already.
The reasons for using collaborative tools are numerous and can include the following:
- Flexibility to adapt quickly to changing circumstances
- Less risk of human error due to task automation
- Greater productivity levels
Increased employee engagement
One of the main indicators of a healthy and productive workplace is employee engagement. Those who are engaged with their work double their odds of success over their non-engaged counterparts. This makes sense, given that many of us seek to derive purpose from our work in order to feel fulfilled, and when we find this purpose, it can drive us to produce our best work consistently.
The great news about employee engagement is that you can encourage it within your company at no extra expense. In theory, all that’s required is to instill collaboration as a core principle and establish teams that can bring together ideas from various employees. Evidence suggests that employees are 2.6 times more likely to be ‘Fully Engaged’ when working in a team. As such, fostering collaborative work could be the best thing you do to boost employee engagement.
Transparency for stakeholders
Transparency matters to stakeholders, as those invested in the success of projects you undertake want to know if deadlines and expectations will be met. It’s important to keep all stakeholders in the loop, from primary stakeholders who are most impacted by campaign outcomes to key stakeholders who can exert their own influence.
Collaboration is key to promoting a culture of transparency and raising visibility for your stakeholders. More specifically, the collaborative tools you use should promote company-wide cohesion that gives stakeholders the transparency they expect. With permission-based access to various features, you can let stakeholders in on the process, so they can take a peek behind the curtains and get valuable project updates.
Not only do collaboration tools invite stakeholders to check in on progress with easy-to-read interfaces, but they also help promote productivity among employees. For many, seeing that coworkers are actively working on tasks and getting things done can be a great motivator.
The advantages of collaboration are hard to overstate, as creating a work culture around collaborative principles can get everyone in the company on the same page. Driving towards shared goals and working in unison with others can increase company flexibility, boost employee engagement, and provide stakeholders with the transparency they expect for their investment.
