Hello and welcome back to the Skills 360 podcast. I’m your host, Tim Simmons, and today we’re going to look at how to build a collaborative workplace culture.
Business is a dog-eat-dog world, so it’s somewhat ironic that within this fiercely competitive environment, many successful companies foster a culture that is not competitive. It’s increasingly common for companies to focus on collaboration internally, over competition. In our last lesson, we talked about how this brings greater innovation, strength, and engagement.
But collaboration is easier said than done. So exactly how do we create the conditions where collaboration isn’t just tolerated but actually thrives? Like many aspects of corporate culture, it begins at the top. Leadership really needs to focus on “we” rather than “I.” They have to prioritize team over individuals, while still leveraging diversity.
Collaborative leaders also know how to demonstrate trust and transparency. The transparent leader doesn’t say “do this.” The transparent leader says, “here’s the situation, here’s the goal, here are the risks; what do you think we should do?” This leader entrusts her team not only with information and goals, but also with a stake in decision-making. In this way, both success and failure become a team experience.
Without truly shared goals, authentic collaboration simply won’t take off. And it’s not just about saying these things are important. Everyone in the organization has to witness the leaders demonstrating trust. They need to see leadership support each other, rather than undermine each other. Without this modeling, it’s ludicrous to expect collaboration to take root.
Besides trust and transparency, this also requires organizational capacity and good communication. Now, it might seem like a truism to say that good communication is important. And it’s one of those things, like trust, that we always consider to be the other person’s problem. We can all say that good communication is important, but that’s going to look different with different goals.
Remember in our last lesson I talked about giving up control? Well, when you maintain control, then good communication is about making your ideas, instructions, and orders clear. In this case, success means people do what you tell them to. But when you focus on collaboration, then good communication is about understanding others’ ideas, and doing the hard work of coming to consensus. It’s a completely different ball of wax.
And because both communication and collaboration take time, we need slack in the system. If everyone’s already overworked, then how will they suddenly find the extra time to work together? If they’re not allowed to slow down, then how can they collaborate? Remember that every approach requires us to accept trade-offs. If we want the benefits of collaboration, we need to trade some efficiency. Believe me, in most cases it’s worth it.
Of course, like any approach, collaboration needs to be supported by systems and structures. Collaborative workplaces often use cross-functional teams to solve big problems and break down siloes. They might also create communities of practice where people have the chance to explore new ideas and provide mutual support. They may have roles that are shared between departments, or people dedicated to liaising with other teams.
Collaboration thrives when people share space, either physical or virtual, and when they share information and plans. That requires the right digital tools, whether it’s communication platforms like Slack, project management tools like Asana, or CRMs like Salesforce. When information flows freely, and when work is made visible, then people can see where the synergies are.
Now, in all this talk about collaboration, I’m not suggesting every decision must be a group decision. There are some issues that are either simple, urgent, or non-negotiable. These issues don’t require a collaborative approach. And when teams are stressed or trust is low, it may be better to focus on stability first.
But if you think you’re ready for the benefits of collaboration, then think carefully about how you will make it happen. Think about the trust and transparency required. Think about open, reciprocal communication and about building organizational capacity. And create the structures and systems in which people can work together.
That’s all for today. So long. And see you again soon!
