Team Collaboration: 5 Ways to Build Collaborative Teams

Team collaboration is a form of joint problem-solving that invites a group of people to share ideas to reach team goals effectively. Collaboration strategies can lead to healthier work environments in which team members feel valued and encouraged to do their best and uplift their entire team. Effective collaboration is a valued part of company culture and can bring in-person and remote teams together. Stakeholders will have an investment in collaboration efforts, which can realize and push company goals.

Cross-functional or cross-team collaboration brings people from different departments together—such as sales teams, operations, customer support, and marketing teams—to unite different perspectives and accomplish a shared team project or cross-functional project. Effective cross-functional teams require strong communication channels and project management software.

Collaborative work is beneficial to an organization for several reasons. Consider the following benefits of cross-team collaboration and team collaboration:

1. 1. Boost productivity: Building team collaboration skills streamlines workflows and team communication, improving productivity and overall team performance.
2. 2. Improve workplace culture: Information and file sharing also encourages a collaborative culture, one not defined by inter-workplace turf wars and inhibitive competition.
3. 3. Increase employee retention: Implementing teamwork and teambuilding activities for various initiatives increases employee engagement, leading to more satisfied employees and greater retention rates. Over time, this can save the company time and resources on training new teams and hires.

Collaborative environments promote success. See how you can better break down silos and bring peers together with these tips for improving cross-team collaboration:

1. 1. Bring people together on video calls. Remote work can make employees feel separated from each other. Occasional team meetings via video conferencing can make communication easier. Sometimes, sharing ideas face-to-face, even virtually across time zones, is quicker than sending emails back and forth. This will also make team members feel seen and heard, especially if they are not seeing one another habitually in a physical workspace.
2. 2. Define KPIs. Clear key performance indicators help define metrics for success. Outlining KPIs is especially helpful in cross-team collaboration, so different departments’ teams all have the same units to illuminate success in the bigger picture.
   
3. 3. Invest in collaboration software. Collaboration tools may vary from team to team. Communication apps allow real-time messaging to improve communication, and project management tools can help streamline file sharing and knowledge sharing.
4. 4. Lead by example. Team leaders can foster successful collaboration by showing humility and curiosity. Decision-making can be a collaborative team process, not just the leader’s process. These managers can improve their team’s success by asking questions and encouraging participation from all team members regardless of experience, background, or perspective.
5. 5. Schedule brainstorming sessions. Brainstorming is a vital part of effective team collaboration. Successful teams meet regularly to have low-stakes collaboration sessions to combine different skill sets and test new ideas.

MasterClass at Work is the learning platform to help unlock the full potential of your employees and inspire a learning lifestyle in everyone. From negotiation to mindfulness to baking—these are just a few things your teams can explore.