What does effective team collaboration look like?

Ensuring your team works well together is essential to fuel a productive work environment. Collaboration is a crucial part of any role, and so when leaders focus on developing positive relationships within a team, each person will be able to fulfil their role effectively with the help of those around them and work will not be made harder by poor communication.

It is the responsibility of leaders and managers to foster positive working relationships and promote effective collaboration in a team. This article will explore what effective collaboration in a team looks like and how leaders can ensure its growth. The ideas discussed come from working with and supporting senior teams over a 20-year and more period – an experience that has shown us time and again what makes one organisation ‘good’ and another ‘great.’

Invest in relationships

While teams may be able to communicate well, there is a difference between communicating to get the job done and effective collaboration. Fostering collaboration requires increased trust and open communication to ensure a team runs effectively.

Active listening and investing in relationship building will nurture a far more positive work environment where colleagues know each other well and feel comfortable asking for favours or support.

Investing in team events and leading by example are key. If lower-level employees see their seniors communicating well or investing in relationships with them and with each other, they are more likely to do the same. Similarly, individual meetings and team events help everyone get to know each other better and offer opportunities for individual communication and problem solving.

Shared mission

Building a company culture in which people work together towards a shared mission, whether that’s an individual project or event or a company-wide goal, will help foster more effective collaboration.

Having a goal to work towards together provides direction and clarity for each role, which means each person will be reliant on another to complete their tasks and launch the product or event successfully. It will also mean people are more likely to invest in their relationships with their colleagues as they can see how it will support their own work.

Personal development

We have already discussed the value that effective collaboration can provide in solving problems and fulfilling a mission. However, investing in each other is also highly effective in cultivating positive relationships in a team and ensuring each person develops skills that will support them in their role.

Choosing someone senior to mentor a junior employee means knowledge of the business or industry can be shared, job satisfaction can be increased for both employees, and deeper relationships can be built in the workplace.

The mentor can also gain a fresh perspective and improve their communication and management skills and newer employees will have someone to turn to for support or advice when they are struggling with something at work.

If each person is helping their colleagues improve their skills and better complete their role, effective collaboration is more likely to occur and positive relationships will thrive.

Effective team collaboration requires continuous investment from senior leadership to build positive relationships within a team to problem solve well, complete tasks and projects, and fulfil a company mission. Communication is key, and colleagues should feel like they can go to each other for support when needed. In this way, leaders can build a productive working environment where each person understands their role and how it fits into the wider team.