Almost all of us have been asked the question “Are you a team player?” question in a job interview. Have you ever wondered why a business is so keen on hiring team players and collaborative people? Teamwork and collaboration are pillars that uphold a smooth workflow in any organization. Without them, it’s not easy for any venture to succeed. In fact, 75% of employees think teamwork and collaboration are important in the workplace.
In today’s article, we’re exploring five reasons why teamwork and collaboration are essential in the workplace and strategies you can use to enhance them at yours!
1. Promotes problem-solving and innovation
If you create an atmosphere of collaboration and teamwork, it is easier to develop innovative solutions to problems. It’s because different team members will offer multiple perspectives, giving you a comprehensive understanding of the problem and how best to solve it. Brainstorming sessions will generate creative ideas and help you innovate better.
2. Drives constructive feedback
People want to improve, and useful, constructive feedback is the key to this improvement. If you coach your teams on the best practices of providing clear, concise, and actionable feedback, they will be able to point out problems and share solutions to fix them. A good working relationship is what keeps the workflow smooth.
3. Increases employee satisfaction
Replacing a highly-talented employee will cost a company, on average, anywhere between 90-200% of that person’s annual salary. So, how can fostering teamwork and collaboration help companies reduce employee turnover? Employees value appreciation, support, and empathy from their employers and team members. Creating a culture that embodies is how you increase employee satisfaction.
4. Increases productivity
If you promote teamwork and collaboration within your team, chances are, they will be much more open to seeking help when they’re stuck. Asking for help and receiving it will help team members complete tasks faster and easier, improving overall productivity. It also helps reduce the burden on a single team member.
Online collaboration tools and digital workspaces like Brutask and ruttl can increase productivity by up to 30%. For instance, if your team shares their daily & weekly tasks on a to-do list app like Brutask, it is easier to see if someone’s struggling or needs additional help. These apps make it easy for small teams to stay on the same page, timebox tasks, and share concerns over regular standups. We’ve tried it for ourselves at Brucira and found that it improves work quality and boosts employee productivity.
5. Connects remote and distributed teams
Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the world, several companies have switched to remote working. Distributed and remote teams can face additional connection challenges if you don’t encourage collaboration and teamwork. When it comes to onboarding new team members, a collaborative mindset will enable them to ask for help, support, and mentorship when needed.
How can you improve teamwork and collaboration?
There are many more reasons to create a culture that values teamwork and collaboration in your workplace. If you’re not sure where to start or how to improve, we’ve got you covered with the strategies below:
1. Leverage collaboration tools
83% of employees rely on technology for collaboration, and the number will only go higher as remote work becomes the norm across the globe. When you factor in that visual collaboration tools are preferred by 60% of Gen X and millennial employees, it’s important to leverage them to improve your work culture.
Communication tools like Slack and Notion, productivity tools like Brutask and Trello, and collaboration tools like ruttl and Google apps can improve how your team completes tasks. For instance, teams using ruttl to review and design websites can work faster and better since they can make edits and leave comments on live websites. Tools that allow you to add team members, managers, and stakeholders for review can speed up the project timeline.
2. Encourage communication and offer support
It’s not enough to hire team players if they don’t like they’re a part of the team. Boost communication through feedback, regular standups to align the team, and brainstorming sessions to stimulate creativity. Employees also respond well to professional development, so offering incentives that tie into collaborative behaviour and teamwork is a great idea to encourage teams to collaborate.
One of the activities at Brucira to promote teamwork and collaboration is Skillful Saturdays. Two Saturdays in a month, we share our personal and professional goals for the day and develop our skills in something new. The team supports each other and cheers when the day’s results are shared. This simple activity has led to increased productivity during workdays and happier employees. We also pair our daily to-do lists on Brutask with regular standups where the managers ask if there’s anything they can do to support the team.
3. Inspire through example
Employees spend 50% more time engaged in collaborative work than they did before. They look up to the founders, managers, and leaders to build a culture that fosters and reinforces a culture of teamwork and collaboration. Removing internal politics, hierarchical issues and creating an open and honest workspace boosts employees’ collaborative mindset.
Founders and leaders need to be open when asking for help and inputs from their teams. Being receptive towards asking for help and different perspectives when tackling a problem is a great way to inspire through example.
Teamwork and collaboration are what help a company, especially startups, succeed. Promoting collaborative behaviour and cooperation through formal workshops on interpersonal skills and communication is a great strategy.
Remember, teamwork and collaboration don’t happen overnight. Build a culture of communication, support, and growth that shuns hierarchies and silos to increase employee happiness, improve retention rates, and enhance productivity in your workplace.
Check out Brutask, a simple task management app for small teams. Add daily tasks, prioritize and timebox them. Managers and admins can see tasks and stay updated without excessive following up on progress updates.
ruttl, our newest product, is a visual feedback and collaboration tool for web design projects. Make live edits, tag team members on comments, and make pixel-perfect websites with ruttl.
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