Although leaders and managers talk a lot about collaboration, it seems to fall by the wayside in many businesses. Despite all the clichés about the virtues of teamwork, it seems that in many work settings, employees still operate in silos and only leave the comfort of their turf when there's a mandatory meeting.

Convincing people to buy into the notion of collaboration takes effort that begins with the onboarding process. Moreover, the best strategy may be to include collaboration or teamwork in the job description, not as one of the other responsibilities but as a requirement that carries weight for evaluations, promotions, and raises.

Collaboration Requires Skills

Expecting employees to collaborate on projects or be team-minded is wishful thinking when workers lack the skills to make it happen. People who work together must communicate effectively. It's easy to say something that may offend, or a coworker may hear a different message than the speaker intended. Team members who listen actively, respond respectfully, and show empathy for ideas different from their own can help foster collaboration that works.

Developing these skills takes practice. Organizational leaders must invest resources in mentoring and training to help employees master the traits necessary for collaboration.

Remote Work Brings New Collaboration Challenges

The pandemic forced employees at various levels to collaborate through online meetings. However, being present online simultaneously doesn't create meaningful collaboration. Coordinating remote work activities is challenging when individuals come to virtual meetings with different skill levels. In some circumstances, difficulty logging in and being unable to hear are challenges that delay getting sessions started, especially when internet services are marginal or overwhelmed. Helping employees navigate the challenges of remote work by providing equipment, training on nonverbal communication, and writing respectful and responsive emails can be a foundation for successful online collaboration.

Editing Documents With Ease Enhances Collaboration

When team members work with shared documents, it can be difficult to keep up with edits and other changes. Remote workers who use their personal computers may lack the technical resources to open specific files or make changes. If they don't have the right software, team members can't edit PDF files.

However, online conversion tools make it easy to convert from PDF to Word. This makes editing more manageable. Uploading documents to a PDF-to-Word conversion tool gives all team members the ability to edit. Once everyone involved makes their edits, the project manager or designee can review the document and save the final version as a PDF.

Examples of Collaboration Tools: Slack and Trello

In Slack, teams can send messages and set up channels for idea sharing or projects. Trello's list format allows members to select tasks from a "to do" list, and move them to a "doing" list. They move completed tasks to a "done" list, making it easy to track progress.

Create a Culture of Collaboration

Fostering a culture of collaboration begins with letting prospective employees know that collaborative work is an expectation. However, getting people to a place where they're comfortable working together means investing in the tools and processes that help them flourish as team members.

Your local chamber of commerce can offer guidance and tools to help you build better teams. Join today to take advantage of the resources available to help your organization.