Effective collaboration has never been more important, or more difficult to execute. More than 50 percent of workers in the U.S. alone say their jobs are reliant on collaboration. At the same time, only 50 percent of leaders believe their organizations collaborate effectively.
“Transformation” may be the buzzword of the moment in C-suite circles – workplace transformation, digital transformation, green transformation, and so on – but collaboration remains as powerful and transformative a force as ever. Successfully implemented, collaboration gets to the heartbeat of a company, breathing life into its culture. It allows goals and projects to come together, rather than splinter apart. Cultivating a collaborative ethos can bring clarity to your business, it can boost productivity, generate new ideas, and make it easier to achieve team goals.
In effect, collaboration works. It also makes employees happier. Few of us like to work in isolation. And with the Great Resignation showing no signs of abating, with nearly 4.4 million more people resigning just this past April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, finding new and inventive ways to increase employee satisfaction remains a critical imperative for today’s workplace leaders.
As the new era of work continues to take root, placing a greater emphasis on collaboration offers both a way for your employees to socialize and an opportunity for your organization to achieve bigger and better things.
What is it that makes collaboration so valuable? Could it be the human-centered nature of the exercise? After all, collaboration requires employees to come together, to share ideas, and listen to one another. Considerable attention is paid to building team chemistry. Collaboration is the catalyst that allows you to manage it.
This also makes collaboration the linchpin of company culture. A participant in a recent survey on “Best Workplaces,” conducted by the San Francisco Chronicle, defined workplace culture as “the environment in which every employee feels heard, seen, included and part of the team.” A better definition of collaboration would be hard to find. Indeed, the first line of defense a company has against the de-stabilizing forces of change – and there have been plenty of those lately – is its culture. The vision it sets forth, the strategy and practices it deploys to execute on that vision – a company’s culture is the glue that enables it to hold together in times of rapid change or even crisis. And culture flows from the headwater of collaboration, coming together, working together, encouraging and sharing new ideas.
But collaborating doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and it doesn’t happen on its own. It takes the right attitude. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Francesca Gino sets a high bar, defining the collaborative mindset as “widespread respect for colleagues’ contributions, openness to experimenting with others’ ideas, and sensitivity to how one’s actions may affect both colleagues’ work and the mission’s outcome.”
It also takes leadership. Behind every organization that collaborates effectively is a leadership team that sets the tone, encouraging alternate viewpoints and allocating resources for collaboration opportunities.
And, finally, effective collaboration requires the right forum, the types of places and spaces that create an atmosphere conducive to constructive give and take.
It may seem like a minor detail, but spaces that inspire can play a key role in fostering a successful collaborative culture. Having space that’s smartly designed and seamlessly managed can not only motivate in-person gatherings but also enhance levels of engagement. High-speed WiFi and other digital collaboration tools are important, but so is the physical space itself – the look, the feel, the furnishings. Premium, hybrid space tailored for collaboration can take many forms. It might be a meeting room with comfy furniture and access to a fully stocked kitchen; it might be a tech-enabled team office with generous space allocation, shared common areas, and dedicated office spaces; it might be a training room configured to promote dialogue.
It might be anywhere in the world.
Developing an organization-wide appreciation for collaboration is good for business. It pushes organizations forward. It inspires companies to push back their own expectations and open themselves up to what they can learn from others.
Not least, employees appreciate it! A collaboration-forward mindset cultivates a workplace culture where workers feel connected to their colleagues. It increases employee satisfaction and improves retention. Companies that promote collaboration have been linked to reducing employee turnover rates by 50 percent.
No one knows exactly where the future of work is headed. But we do know it’s a one-way street. As companies plan for a return to the office and the introduction of their hybrid workplace strategies, they should be mindful that it’s still a worker’s market. Demonstrating a commitment to creating a safe, clean and collaborative environment where employees can work together is key. Investing in a workplace culture that encourages collaboration, that blends physical and digital elements to support meaningful interaction is crucial.
There may be no going back, but the pathway to future growth is clear. It will require flexibility, open-mindness, and a return to in-person interaction, that is, renewed faith in the art of collaboration.
LiquidSpace’s meeting rooms come in many shapes and sizes, with a wide range of layouts and top-tier amenities to help facilitate creative collaboration. No subscription required. Workspaces rent by the hour, day or the month, and our user-friendly online booking ensures the space you need is always only a few clicks away.