One of the biggest contributions to the success of any business is whether or not its employees are able to work well together as a team. Today, the workplace demands more flexible communication systems and technology that connect your most valuable asset: your people. The right workspace collaboration tools allow them to work the way they work best: at different times, different places, and on a wide range of devices while maintaining a sense of teamwork.
Making changes that will produce clearer, and more agile communication will only continue to bring positive changes in your workspace collaboration process and employee experience.
Here are a few ways to make your team feel more connected and increase efficiency:
Innovative Workspaces
Architecture and work space design aren’t necessary new technologies, but they have a tremendous impact on driving collaboration. Research published in the Harvard Business Review shows that office space is more than a asset but a strategic tool that helps businesses grow. A valuable workspace design that is great for collaborative work creates opportunities for encounters between many different people (both inside and outside your company). Think of it as a “cross-pollination” affect.
Even just a strategic seating arrangement that pairs off team members who need to work closely on projects can make a huge difference. Questions get answered instantly, brainstorming together can happen on the fly, and resources shared as they’re needed.
Communication hubs for your business
The tools that team members use to interact and collaborate is an essential part of your employee’s experience. As a response to the growing need for quicker, more efficient communication between team members, today there are numerous collaboration apps and platforms that allow businesses to share information, coordinate projects, build teams or source assets.
Among the top-rated networking platforms for businesses in 2017 are Atlassian, HipChat, Asana, Slack, and Basecamp. Many of these platforms feature aspects similar to social media aspects, which for many decreases the learning curve and makes them more attractive to employees, (especially millennials).
Quality group work spaces
The HBR article documented increases in productivity, size of business network, and size of social circle among workers using collaborative workspaces such as co-working spaces and huddle rooms. Having a quality meeting room equipped with all necessary tech and with seating where everyone can see each other equally facilitates collaboration. With these kinds of group work spaces, you can promote these benefits:
- Brainstorming- Great group workspaces make it easier to achieve goals by thinking, brainstorming and offering various perspectives to find a solution.
- Providing Value- Working towards the same goal fills team members with a strong sense of purpose. A common goal gives them a meaningful reason to work together, which means benefits for the company as well as the team.
- Equal Partaking- Strategically designed collaboration areas encourage every team member with equal opportunities to participate and communicate their ideas.
Group Calendars or work boards
Even with all the different ways of communicating and sharing available, it can be challenging putting all the little pieces together and keeping track of where everyone is at in their tasks. A community calendar is great visual tool that can either be used physically in the workspace (like on a big collaboration wall) or on one of the project management/collaboration apps.
A community calendar allows everyone to see their own (and each others) workload, deadlines, and can be updated once a task is completed or in progressive to keep everyone in the loop. Trello, is one example of a good work board that also includes a calendar that is easy to keep updated.
Cloud-based work management platforms
One of the main advantages of the aforementioned project management apps, is that they are cloud-based platforms. These cloud-based work management tools are a huge step up from other software or programs you might use, and make collaboration much easier. Sharing documents, storage, and proofing can easily be shared and accessed any place at any time.
Collaborating in the workplace enables businesses to finish important projects and meet deadlines efficiently, and with multiple individuals working on a project, nimble communication is crucial. if you want to see your business prosper and give your teams collaborative spirit, the above tips should
