Team collaboration is important to employee engagement because working with others in a meaningful way helps employees to feel good about what they do.
Employees are more likely to engage with their work when they have a strong bond with their colleagues and feel that they are a part of something important.
3 Ways to Support Team Collaboration
- Make it Easy
The ease in which members are able to collaborate together will affect the success of the effort. There are a number of tools out there that make team collaboration easy and accessible to all team members. You can choose to use a digital tool that allows employees to connect virtually or set up space in the office that meets the team’s needs, (privacy, quiet, necessary technology set up). Digital collaboration tools are great for teams with remote employees and are also helpful for circumstances where certain team members can’t be in the office, (sick day, vacation, traveling for work purposes etc.). Read: 8 Best Apps for Team Collaboration by Mashable.com
- Make it Worthwhile
Team collaboration is more likely to be successful when the employees are excited about the opportunity.
When putting together the team, take into consideration each employee’s skills and expertise:
- Consider whether they will be able to use their knowledge in a way that can be seen as a positive contribution to the group so they can feel that their work is valued.
- Emphasize how this team collaboration will help employees learn and develop their skills for the future.
- Recognize and reward employees for their group contributions.
- Make it Conflict-Free
Team collaboration is only effective when there is mutual respect and social cohesion among group members. It’s important that you have a policy and strategy for conflict resolution in place for both interpersonal conflicts and group conflicts. Having a plan ahead of time will make this easier when conflicts inevitably arise. Make sure everyone understands what to do in the event of an interpersonal or group conflict so that a resolution can be achieved as efficiently as possible.
For example, if an interpersonal conflict arises, the individuals involved agree to bring this matter to the manager and not to discuss the conflict within the confines of the group. For group conflicts, everyone is given the opportunity to present their point of view or opinion to a third, impartial party, who will be in charge of deciding on a resolution.
It’s also a good idea to build social cohesion within the group using teambuilding activities. Teambuilding activities will help the group learn to work together as well as help in developing trust, respect and friendship.
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