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Nine Ways To Build A More Collaborative Team

Forbes Agency Council
POST WRITTEN BY
Brandon Stapper

Study after study has shown that collaborative teams are more productive overall than teams where each member is sectioned off in their own position. I've seen firsthand that sharing ideas can lead to innovation, and collaboration can build trust that will make achieving business goals much more likely. Here are nine tips to help you get started on building a collaborative team to boost productivity for your business.

1. Share a vision.

Every good team has a larger purpose for doing the work they do. Give your team a reason bigger than themselves for being excellent. Even better, ask your team to contribute their visions to the larger framework you provide. This helps each team member buy into the goal and can inspire them to be successful.

For instance, I make sure to give each individual on my team a chance to express their thoughts and opinions in our weekly team meetings. We go around in a circle and each person shares their thoughts on the problem at hand.

2. Set expectations early.

Your employees might not understand how to work on a collaborative team like the one you are trying to create. It's very important that you set the expectations for the team early on so that each team member knows what's expected of them and how to perform on the team successfully.

Another thing I try to do in each weekly team meeting is to spend two minutes going over the goals and resources available to the team, and let new hires know they are always welcome to ask questions.

3. Establish metrics.

Of course, if you are going to set expectations, it's important to hold each person accountable in a transparent manner so that everyone knows their performance is being judged in a fair and equitable way. Create measurable metrics that are data-driven such as time-tracking. Time-tracking systems can help develop a sense of how much time is spent on each task, making it easier to work together to make adjustments if needed.

To create a more balanced system, performance metrics should be based on how well each person works and should not be dependent on each individual person.

4. Capitalize on strengths.

Each team member has different strengths and weaknesses. Find the strengths of each employee and make note of them. You might even want to highlight each person’s strengths to the rest of the team. Make sure to give each team member opportunities to use their strengths to help the team achieve goals. That way, you get the most out your team and they feel empowered to do their best.

5. Encourage new ideas.

Give your team members license to share their ideas. Everyone on your team has different life experiences and creative intuitions that will bring out novel solutions to problems. Make sure each of your team members feels safe expressing their opinions to you and the team in general.

6. Create cross-functional work groups.

In order to build trust and group cohesion, create small groups of team members with an achievable goal. For example, if one team member is artistic outside of the workplace and another team member is designing a poster for a presentation, they might be able to work well together to develop a poster design that is highly effective. Together, they will also get a sense of the other's preferences and skill sets, which will allow them to learn from each other and work more effectively together on future projects.

This approach will give your teammates a chance to collaborate and learn new parts of your business so they can see how their core job responsibilities contribute to other aspects of the business -- and the overall success of the team.

7. Keep your promises.

As the team leader, you are asking your team members to take a big risk by sharing their ideas and putting their reputations behind their communication and collaboration skills. In order for them to be willing to take that risk, they must trust you to make good on your promises. They have to trust you not to get angry or embarrass them, for instance, if their ideas are not useful. So make sure that your team members have your support, and follow through with any promise you make.

8. Build team relationships after work.

Everyone has done team-building exercises that are awkward and fall flat. Make sure to get to know your team and then design a personal experience for them so they can bond in a way that is natural and not forced. Encourage them to go for happy hour after work, attend events together, and do activities like hikes and day trips on the weekends with each other. These kinds of experiences can vastly improve the feeling of cohesion among team members and boost morale.

9. Celebrate collaboration.

Anytime team members collaborate in a productive way that results in a good outcome for the business and moves the team closer to achieving its goals, make sure to highlight this to the rest of the team. You can do this with a simple email where you copy the rest of the team and your own superior, or you can note the collaboration at a team meeting and give them a round of applause. These simple gestures mean a lot to team members and set an example for others.

So, there you have it. Try practicing these nine tips for building a more collaborative team. If you follow the right approach and listen to employee feedback, the long-term results are priceless.

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