Collaboration is everyone's business

How to encourage synergies within teams?

Many companies have understood the importance of teamwork and the synergy needed between employees. They have taken many initiatives to facilitate exchanges and cooperation, such as

• Platforms or tools that encourage sharing;
• More frequent meetings
• Team building operations;
• Workspaces that encourage easier communication.

Certainly, these types of initiatives will help reduce silo work and improve communication, but they will never be as effective as focusing on the development of employee skills and attitudes.

Because true collaboration begins within the individual, not within the organization. It starts with an individual intention, which then implies a certain number of skills and know-how.

How to foster individual motivation?

The surrounding environment will certainly be a determining factor in motivating each employee, and this environment is obviously made up of the work environment and conditions, but also of the behaviors and attitudes of the management team and co-workers.

It is then necessary to understand and question the reasons that could incite an employee not to collaborate in order to better provide him with what he needs.

What the company must provide (among other things):

• An environment where everyone can express themselves without the risk of being judged;
• Meetings dedicated to exchanges and feedback;
• A management style that encourages creativity and flexibility
• An open-mindedness and honesty in exchanges;
• ...

What each individual must integrate (among others) :

• The importance of teamwork;
• The understanding of his or her role and contribution to the collective success;
• The need to adjust certain behaviors and attitudes;
• That each employee has a role to play in the team
• That sharing is essential;
• ...

Even if the company puts in place the necessary elements for collaboration and that each employee understands the importance of this collaboration, this is only part of the solution.

The other essential part is to ensure that each employee develops a number of skills and attitudes that are conducive to good collaboration.

What are the ingredients for collaboration?

Here are some examples that promote good collaboration within a team :

• A positive attitude;
• Trust;
• Confidence that things can be improved
• Openness to criticism and dialogue
• Tolerance;
• Respect;
• Patience;
• Flexibility;
• Ppenness to change;
• Effective and positive communication
• Curiosity;
• Responsibility;
• Initiative;
• Striving for mutual success.

Collaboration is everyone's business within a team. It requires a subtle mix of behavioral and mental strategies for each individual to maintain and develop their skills.

Everyone can and should do things that may not seem necessary in individual work, but are important to the team's success. An approach that can be summarized by a simple adage: I help and I get involved in the team (and therefore I contribute to the results), because I know that my colleagues are there for me as much as I am there for them.

Awareness and change is (often) necessary for teams to reach the desired level of collaboration. Training, support, and even coaching can greatly contribute to this.

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