Tips for Effective Collaboration in the Workplace
Knowing how to effectively collaborate can make the experience more efficient, better quality, and overall, more enjoyable. Here’s some ways for you to have better collaboration in the workplace:
Clarity around goals and outcomes
There’s nothing worse than when working in a group and not knowing what you’re meant to be doing and what the outcome needs to be. At the start of the collaboration get clear around the goals, tasks and outcomes. Don’t forget to check in throughout the process as well, to ensure things are on track and clarity hasn’t been lost.
Different ways to contribute
There isn’t just one way to contribute to the conversation or project that you’re working on. There are different roles to be done and everyone has different skillsets. Perhaps when working on a project someone isn’t confident to voice their thoughts in front of everyone, but they may be perfectly comfortable sharing them in an email or in the group chat. Conversely, someone else may be very enthusiastic in a group discussion. Ensure from the beginning you’re creating a space(s) that everyone feels comfortable to contribute.
Empathy
It’s not uncommon to feel frustrated when working in a group. People may not complete their tasks on time or to the standard it needs to be. Communication may not be ideal, and you may not like how someone takes over. Instead of getting annoyed and angry with those people, keep in mind that everyone is different and being empathetic can get you further than getting annoyed. You may even learn something by trying to understand the other persons perspective.
Celebrate the wins
Give people credit where it’s due. It could be for big things, but also the small things. This’ll likely boost morale and keep everyone feeling encouraged and keep the momentum going.
Collaborating at work should be something we look forward to and encourage. Knowing how to work with others will help you and your team have the best outcome.
