How to improve Collaboration: Enhancing Teamwork
After spending almost two decades implementing transformative initiatives within organizations, I have accumulated valuable insights into the essence of effective collaboration.
In this article, I will share the fruits of my experience, and they come down to six simple techniques and skills that can be learned and trained in order to transform how individuals work together.
Rather than perceiving collaboration solely as an abstract value to be nurtured, these techniques view it as a skill that needs to be developed and cultivated on all levels in the organization.
By instilling the right mindset and providing targeted training programs, organizations can create a culture of collaboration characterized by mutual respect, openness to new ideas, and an acute awareness of how individual actions impact team dynamics and outcomes.
Drawing on examples from my work in and with companies, I will introduce specific tools and exercises designed to foster effective and fruitful collaborations.
Operationalizing our Perspectives on Collaboration
While most organizations claim to prioritize collaboration, their strategies often fall short of achieving meaningful results. Numerous leaders I have worked with express frustration, confessing that their efforts to foster collaboration have yielded meager outcomes.
The problem lies in the narrow manner in which collaboration is typically approached: as a value to be nurtured rather than a skill to be taught.
Common approaches such as open offices or proclaiming collaboration as a corporate objective create superficial opportunities for collaboration but fail to address the psychological aspects that underpin successful teamwork.
To unlock the true potential of collaboration, leaders must encourage a shift in mindset—one that emphasizes respect for colleagues, a willingness to experiment with new ideas, and an understanding of how individual actions influence the collective mission.
These attitudes, although uncommon, hold the key to overcoming the prevalent self-centered mentality that hampers collaboration.
Decoding the path to effective collaboration
By studying and working with organizations that have improved and sustained their collaborations, I have identified six skills and techniques that empower both leaders and employees to engage in fruitful collaborations, overcome psychological barriers, and establish a deep and consistent connection with one another.
These techniques guide individuals in discovering the optimal balance between active listening, empathetic engagement, constructive feedback, flexible leadership, effective communication, and win-win interactions.
Each skill and technique contributes to the overall fabric of collaboration, intertwining with others to create a seamless and powerful framework for success.
1. Cultivating the Art of Listening
In the corporate world, self-presentation often takes precedence, leading individuals to focus more on voicing their opinions than truly listening to others. The pervasive tendency to prepare a response instead of genuinely absorbing what others are saying stifles collaboration.
By cultivating active listening skills, individuals can transcend their egos and create a conducive environment for understanding and teamwork.
To enhance listening capabilities, organizations can implement the following practices.
Pose more open, expansive and real questions instead of making statements
Organizations can encourage the adoption of open-ended "what" and "how" questions, promoting deeper information sharing, self-reflection, and a sense of being heard.
Prioritize listening
Emphasizing the importance of attentiveness and respect, organizations can train individuals to shift their focus from self-centered thoughts (preparing one’s own answer) to an outward orientation that truly seeks understanding and fosters effective communication.
Engage in self-checks
By reflecting on personal experiences and discussing instances of failed listening, individuals gain self-awareness and uncover common trends. This process contributes to a heightened understanding of the impact of attentive listening on collaboration.
Being comfortable with silence
Cultivating an environment where silence is seen as an opportunity for attentiveness rather than awkwardness allows quieter voices to be heard and minimizes dominance in discussions.
2. Harnessing the Power of Empathy
Conflict often arises from a failure to empathize with colleagues' perspectives. By cultivating a receptive attitude toward differing views, individuals can engage in more constructive conversations and truly understand one another. I use the following techniques to practice empathy and again it is about making it tangible for people, giving them something that they can do and train:
Expand others' thinking by asking questions
Exercises such as "coaching from the inside out" can be implemented. Participants present a challenge to their collaborators, who then ask questions aimed at helping the presenter think differently about the problem, e.g. by adding new perspectives or thinking about their own part in creating the challenge. This approach encourages constructive dialogue without judgment, allowing for creative solutions and a sense of being heard.
Attend to the unspoken
Organizations can sensitize and train individuals to pay attention not only to what is said but also to what is left unsaid.
By probing deeper and understanding the underlying emotions and perspectives of others, individuals can foster empathy and create a safe space for collaboration.
3. Constructive Feedback as a Catalyst for Growth
Effective collaboration requires the ability to give and receive feedback in a constructive and influential manner. Organizations can build a feedback culture by implementing the following methods.
Openly discuss feedback aversion
By acknowledging the common aversion to feedback and openly discussing the challenges associated with giving and receiving it, organizations create an environment where feedback is seen as valuable rather than threatening. Calling feedback ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ is most contra productive. Feedback should be constructive at all times to harness its developmental power. Only then will people seek more of it and subsequently learn and develop.
Make feedback direct, specific, and applicable
I always emphasize the importance of providing feedback that is clear, focused on specific behaviors, and highlights the impact on individuals and the team. This approach ensures that feedback is actionable and facilitates growth. It also takes unnecessary emotions of blame or anger out of it.
Foster feedback on feedback
Giving and receiving feedback is a fine skill that needs a lot of practice and development. Encouraging individuals to provide input on the quality of feedback received allows for continuous improvement. By refining feedback delivery, individuals can enhance their ability to communicate effectively and drive collaborative efforts.
4. Balancing Leadership and Followership
While much attention is given to effective leadership, the skill of followership is often overlooked. In partner dance, we say “the strongest lead comes from the follower because he/she decides if and how to follow or not, or her/his skills and capacity determines how s/he can follow”.
Successful collaborators possess the ability to seamlessly transition between leading and following, adapting to the needs of the situation. Organizations can nurture this flexibility through the following techniques:
Increase self-awareness
Prompting individuals to reflect on their self-perceptions through simple exercises like, e.g., rating their own ability to make effective decisions, working well with others, and their honesty towards self and others, often makes them recognize their inflated sense of abilities. In this way, organizations promote humility and heightened self-awareness that enables individuals not to always seek control (lead) but to navigate between leading and following more effectively.
Cultivate delegation skills
Delegation is not solely the responsibility of leaders but a critical skill for all collaborators, especially when cross-functional teams and multiple experts work together. Training on delegation entails empowering individuals to trust their colleagues, share responsibilities, and focus on long-term skill development rather than only short-term results.
5. Communicating with Clarity and Tangibility
Effective communication is a cornerstone of successful collaboration. Too often, individuals communicate indirectly and abstractly, diminishing the impact of their words. To enhance clarity and understanding, organizations can implement the following practices:
Role-play delivering clear and intentional messages
Organizations can facilitate role-playing activities where individuals practice delivering messages with clarity and purpose. Through feedback and reflection, participants can refine their communication skills and ensure that their messages are understood by others.
Emphasize the concrete
Psychological research shows that communication is more powerful when it is concrete and vivid. By encouraging individuals to provide specific examples and tangible images, we enhance the impact and truthfulness of their messages.
6. Fostering Win-Win Interactions
Collaboration thrives when individuals engage in win-win interactions, seeking outcomes that benefit all parties involved. We can facilitate this mindset through the following strategies.
Encourage transparency and exploration
By creating an environment where individuals openly express their interests and actively explore the interests of others, teams enable the discovery of mutually beneficial solutions. This transparency allows for effective negotiation and creates opportunities for collective success.
Develop negotiation skills
In my programs we hone negotiation techniques, emphasizing the importance of asking questions, active listening, and finding common ground. These skills empower individuals to devise win-win solutions and maximize value for all stakeholders.
Conclusion
Both leaders and followers must ask themselves a fundamental question: What have I done today to encourage collaboration?
By consistently demonstrating active listening, embracing feedback, and treating others with respect, leaders can inspire lasting collaboration throughout their teams.
Instilling such a culture of collaboration thus ensures that employees develop the necessary skills and mindsets for effective teamwork to become ingrained in their daily work lives.
In conclusion, sustained collaboration is not simply a goal to strive for; it is a skill that can be cultivated through targeted training, facilitation, and a shift in mindset.
By embracing the six transformative techniques outlined in this article—listening, empathy, feedback, leadership and followership, clarity in communication, and win-win interactions—organizations can harness the power of collaboration and achieve remarkable results.
As leaders and employees adopt these techniques and integrate them into their professional lives, they will witness the transformational impact of true collaboration—an environment where ideas thrive, teams excel, and success becomes a way of life.