Collaboration is the Future – Here’s How to Tap Into It

In today's fast-paced and digital way of working, collaboration has become a sought-after skill in the workplace. Based on insights from ComputerWeekly, IT professionals deem unified communications as a service (UCaaS) and other collaboration technologies as essential tools for driving employee productivity and workflow optimization. A recent survey evaluating how various functional areas at work have shifted over the years revealed that 25% of technology decision-makers deemed collaboration and communications key focus areas. Today, the functions of collaboration technologies and tools in the workplace focus on fostering team collaboration (chat, messaging, and content sharing). Other key features include video conferencing, screen sharing, contact center-as-a-service, and hybrid or virtual event management. With so many collaborative tools available, organizations and their leaders must know how to use them best to achieve optimal results in the workplace. In this post, we'll look at how leaders can tap into collaboration to navigate the future of work better:

Pooling resources

Resource pooling involves compiling and sharing resources across various projects, departments, and teams within an organization. Organizations can use a centralized pool of resources to boost efficiency, productivity, and collaboration, as team members can access these resources as needed. Pooling resources helps minimize waste and redundancy, preventing project duplication or underutilization. At the same time, a unified pool of resources encourages cross-functional collaboration and sharing of best practices and can help develop creativity and innovation over time. Studocu exemplifies this concept of resource pooling by facilitating over 25 million users globally. Using the platform, learners everywhere can upload and share various study materials and resources across different topics, subjects, and courses. The same idea can be implemented in the workplace by allowing interdepartmental file and resource sharing to promote transparency and keep everyone in the loop.

Managing conflict

A key element of collaboration technologies today is that they facilitate real-time and instant communications between teams and departments. While open and constant contact is crucial in physical and virtual workplaces, it's also important to acknowledge that these means of communicating can also breed conflict between team members and colleagues. We highlighted the importance of encouraging open communication among team members in "Steps to Manage Conflict Between Team Members" — as well as fostering a work environment where constructive feedback is welcome — even virtually. In the case of the instant messaging platform Slack, leaders can help facilitate conflict management by creating dedicated channels for discussions on specific projects and topics. This keeps conversations organized at all times and can prevent conflicts over unrelated discussions. Similarly, leaders can help mediate disputes by participating directly in conversations.

Promoting deep work

Finally, it can be easy for employees and team members to get distracted or overwhelmed amidst all the collaboration tools and tech available. Thanks to the Internet, workplaces are almost always connected, and team members may feel overwhelmed by real-time notifications on these apps and platforms. We've previously discussed this in a post titled "Multitasking: Is it Good, and Can You Actually Master It?" and while juggling multiple tasks can make members feel more productive, it can also lead to decreased productivity and efficiency in the long run. Too much multitasking in this digital age can easily lead to fatigue, stress, and, worst of all — burnout. To avoid this, leaders should be able to set clear expectations and encourage work-life balance for team members. On project management platforms such as Trello, for example, leaders can guide teams to use the platform's labeling and tagging features to prioritize tasks. By doing so, team members aren't pressured to complete everything simultaneously. You can also use the platform's comment feature to provide feedback and acknowledge team members who consistently engage in deep work. If you’re looking for a daily dose of inspiration or need a little extra push to achieve your dreams, Motivational Lines is here to help.