10 Habits Of Highly Collaborative Teams

Collaborative teams open themselves up to achieve so much in the workplace. Being able to work well with your colleagues gives you the opportunity to get through projects faster, learn one another’s skills, and enjoy your tasks as you get to know each other better. A collaborative team makes an effort to maintain transparent communications, and are proactive in tracking the progress of projects.

Why should my business focus on creating collaborative teams?

Without collaboration, teams can quickly become inefficient and unproductive, leading to poor results that can affect a company’s overall performance. Businesses in a Forbes study that have collaborative teams found that those who were primed to act collaboratively stuck at their task 64% longer than their solitary peers. 

In terms of efficiency and cost, companies really cannot afford to not be working collaboratively. There are multiple ways a team can become more collaborative. Here are ten traits of highly collaborative teams, and how your business can become a collaborative team too.

Lead by example - encourage strong leadership

Identifying a project manager or team leader at the beginning of a project is important to set the tone of how you will work together. The leader of the team will be the backbone to the project - a guide for the rest of the team throughout the process, responsible for ensuring a smooth operation and the delivery of a successful result. They can also encourage, boost morale, provide feedback, and give constructive criticism when necessary.

Establish goals early on

In order to be a collaborative team, you should all understand what is trying to be achieved, have identified common goals, and have a clear vision. And not only is it important to be clear on your goals; when everyone on the team understands the direction in which to go in, then there’s less of a chance for the project to go off track, too.

Be organised and prepared

Collaborative teams are organised and prepared for projects. Folders and documentation are on-hand and ready for instant access, meetings are set and planned in advance, and each team member is aware of what they need to be doing to contribute to the project. Utilizing collaborative tools like file sharing portals can assist you even further in your journey to becoming a collaborative team. 

Work to the strengths of individual team members

By focusing on delegating tasks based on the strengths of each individual team member, there’ll be less hierarchy and more collaboration. What’s more, according to a Gallup analysis, the people who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged at work and 8% more productive.

Be proactive in tracking progress

Collaborative teams are tuned into the tasks they have to do, and are able to track these in an easily reachable system that the whole team should be able to access. Having a great task management system makes it easier for colleagues to  prioritise and re-prioritise jobs, make room for improvement, and keep up-to-date with the tasks as the project goes on. Additionally, the use of an audit trail can assist in keeping track of progress, as they show the changes and updates that are being made by team members.

Have transparent communications

Collaborative teams have their foundations in strong communication skills. Having open, honest and frequent discussions makes it easier for collaborative teams to work together towards their common goal. And when in doubt, they aren’t afraid to ask questions. A communication and collaboration focused portal Clinked prioritises easy communication with your peers. Team members adding comments and feedback on documents, discussion boards, and handing instant messaging tools to have real-time conversations from anywhere.

Build trust between team members

Having trust between team members will mean that problems can get resolved quickly, confidence and morale can be built up, and communication is stronger; all of which can lead to better results. To show trust, team leaders and members can delegate tasks and avoid micromanaging the other members.

Making use of mobile

Improve the speed of communication between team members by encouraging them to go mobile. This way you can stay connected to each other and your tasks even when working from different locations. It’s also worth noting that flexibility can lead to happier and more productive team members.

Keep each other motivated

Collaborative teams motivate each to reach the end goal. They celebrate the wins, use their strengths to help each other, and keep spirits high as deadlines get closer. Motivation can come from encouraging creativity, strong communication with team members, and a shared vision.

Prepare to adapt and evolve

Keeping up with the latest trends can help even the most collaborative teams work even more efficiently. Make sure to follow industry developments and, if you are using a platform such as Clinked, stay on top of any new feature releases. Then be prepared to incorporate your findings into your company’s processes, as this could improve your team’s collaborative skills even further. 

Is software the solution?

If you’re looking to grow your business into a successful, collaborative team, it’s worth considering a software solution like Clinked to help you even more. With Clinked, you can share multiple files, have real-time conversations and more; all from within a secure, branded environment. You can go to our website to find out more, and you can also book a demo to discuss your unique requirements.