3 Ways to Build Collaboration on Your Team

Avoid these common mistakes when trying to build collaboration on your team!

Two recent studies by MIT and HBR showed one key point that we often overlook in team collaboration:

Leaders think about collaboration too narrowly: as a value to cultivate but not a skill to teach. Most organizations fall short when it comes to helping workers build this skill.

The studies uncovered alarming statistics:

– 40%+ of work time (~3.2 hours/day) is spent collaborating

– 50%+ people have received just an hour or less of training time on collaboration

– 70%+ people have been involved in at least one ‘absolutely horrendous’ collaboration

Researchers advise leaders to take a physiological approach to fostering collaboration – encouraging an outward focus in everyone, challenging the tendency to fixate on ourselves.

The studies shared training techniques for managers. 

Three examples to build collaboration on your team:

1. Teach people to listen, not talk

– Ask expansive open-ended “what” and “how” questions

– Show empathy to the person who talks

– Become comfortable with silence

2. Make people more comfortable with feedback

– Discuss feedback aversion openly

– Give more specific and less abstract feedback

– Give feedback on feedback

3. Train people to have win-win interactions

– Teach the importance of exploring each others interests and needs

– Balance talking (to express your own concerns and needs) with asking questions and letting others know that your understanding of their needs

Collaborative relationships in the workplace require ongoing maintenance. 

Teamraderie experiences focused on Collaboration will help your team members build the core skills.