Keep groups an appropriate size
Depending on the scope of your projects, try to optimize team sizes. For a larger
project that might take several months and involves a variety of tasks, you need a
larger group. For a small task, such as coming up with a plan to recognize team
member birthdays each month, you may only need two or three people. You want
to provide a variety of perspectives and enough work for each team member to
contribute significantly.
Define team member roles
For large projects, consider defining each team member's role to help define the
group and avoid competition. Or you can provide the roles and allow the team to
assign them. In either case, each team member has a better idea of their
responsibilities, and you know how best to hold each member accountable based
on their role in the group.
Promote creativity
One benefit of collaboration is the innovation that can result from differing
viewpoints coming together. Encourage employees to think creatively and offer
nontraditional ideas. This can help motivate employees to come up with more
efficient, effective solutions and propel your company forward.
Read more: 10 Team-Building Training Exercises
Assign projects that need critical thinking
When problems do not have an easily defined answer, collaborative efforts can
help develop unique and varied strategies to address them. When your business
encounters an issue that requires critical thinking and analysis, ask several team
members to work together to develop strategies. Approaching the problem from
multiple perspectives can help uncover relevant background information,
introduce new components and develop multifaceted solutions.
Organize the process
When you implement collaboration among team members, it's important to
explain exactly what that looks like. Employees can better understand and
participate if you discuss your expectations and the details of the process. For
instance, you might set aside time each week for groups to meet or lead a
workshop on group projects to make sure everyone feels comfortable with the
dynamics.
Use diminishing involvement
Consider using a diminishing involvement strategy in which you play an active role
in group projects at the onset of the assignment. Then as the project progresses,
you begin to ease away from your leadership role, allowing the team members to
manage their roles on their own.
Foster diversity and inclusion
Diverse perspectives can help generate new ideas and innovative approaches.
Make sure your groups are diverse and inclusive. Review company policies for fair
treatment in the workplace to make sure all employees adhere to your
organization's standards when interacting with others.
Share information and resources
To help facilitate effective collaboration, share any information that your
employees might find helpful. You can create a list of resources, contacts and
important reminders to help teams navigate their planning and organization
stages.
Incorporate technology
Technology can enhance collaboration among colleagues by:
Connecting people in different locations
Providing collaborative document creation, storage and
management solutions
Tracking project duties and status
Offering messaging services between groups
Creating ways to share ideas and feedback with clients or other
employees
Enhancing presentations products
Facilitate open communication
Encourage employees to speak openly and directly with you and their peers.
Create an environment that values honesty, constructive feedback and open
communication. This can help your team avoid misunderstandings and deal with
issues as they arise, rather than letting them become larger problems. Reiterate
the importance of respecting other people's opinions and being professional, even
when managing a disagreement.
Reward successful collaboration
Recognize employees who work well with others and successfully complete
projects as a team. Rewarding the types of behavior that the company prioritizes
can help increase employee motivation and engagement. You can congratulate
employees through:
A department-wide or company-wide email acknowledging their
success
A sign or banner in the office
A gift card
An afternoon of PTO
A catered lunch celebration
Ask for feedback
Employees can be more likely to engage in activities that they help develop. Ask
your team members to share their preferences about working with their peers
with questions like:
Do you prefer to work in small (2-5 people) or large (6+ people)
groups?
Do you like having set project directions or would you rather create
your own plan?
Do you prefer being a team leader or team member?
What type of leadership style do you prefer?