These days, teamwork and collaboration are seen as important things in the world of business. And it’s not very hard to see why. When different people with different skills come together, it’s easier to achieve positive results. That’s because everyone is offering their own knowledge and expertise. Here’s how to improve teamwork and collaboration in your office.
Create the Space For It
If you want your employees to work collaboratively with one another, you need to give them the space to allow that to happen. This is not too difficult, but it might mean you have to rearrange the office a little. Rather than having workspaces that are shut off from everyone else, you need an open space. There could be one or two areas of the office with large tables that people can get around and work together at. People won’t be able to work properly with one another unless they are given this kind of space. It’s a change that will give you real results in the long-term though.
Allow People to Collaborate on the Go
People don’t just want to be allowed to collaborate in the office though. When you have a busy workforce that has flexible hours, working on the go becomes common. This is especially the case for people who have to move around and visit clients as part of their jobs. Technology and good software can make collaborating and sharing things on the go much easier though. For example, Google Workspace has been built with this problem in mind. It allows people in different locations to work together on a project, so take advantage of that kind of thing. You should also think about providing employees with work phones to allow them to do this.
Assign Group Tasks
The work you assign will have a big impact on whether or not people can work collaboratively in the office. If you don’t offer them the right kind of work, then it’s not surprising that they don’t work in this way. But if you start assigning tasks and projects that encourage collaboration, this will help them a lot. Start slowly at first while you introduce the idea of working collaboratively on projects. For people who have never worked in that way before in the office, the challenge can be new and daunting. Easing them in will allow them to get to grips with it.
Consider Team Building Exercises
If you suspect that there is a little disharmony in the team, you could hold team building exercises. This will help to heal rifts and bring the group closer together. In many modern workplaces, it’s not uncommon for employees to not know the people they work alongside. The exercises should simply aim to show people that they can work together. It could be as simple as encouraging people to get to know one another and talk to each other. Communication is a huge part of workplace collaboration, so this shouldn’t be underestimated. Alternatively, you could hire a professional team building company to help you out.