Tips to improve collaboration between team members

Here are some tips to improve collaboration between your team members. Improved collaboration and communication increase comradery and helps to build a strong company culture.

Project-based collaboration and everyday team communication

Within an organization, there will be different needs for collaboration; those related to projects and general, everyday team collaboration. When pulling together team members for projects or even hiring for specific positions within a company, it’s vital to outline critical roles & understand the strengths of the members of the team. Doing so will ensure you assign tasks/roles to those who will excel at their jobs.

Set expectations for outcomes among members

When everyone understands their role within the organization or project, the outcomes are achieved smoother and faster, with minimal friction.

Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification or help

Reach out to your teammates or leaders for clarification or assistance if you are struggling with a particular issue. It’s much better to ask for help than continue laboring and becoming a bottleneck in the project. The process will flow much smoother if everyone gets the support they need before problems arise.

Review trouble areas and have the team brainstorm ideas and solutions

This goes in hand with asking for help. The entire team can assist if necessary. Someone on the team may have experienced a similar situation differently and have ideas to simplify the solution.

Hybrid work environment

In today’s environment, invest in tools that work seamlessly in the office and remotely so all team members can collaborate, whether at home, on the road, or in the office. Cloud-based tools are a great solution. In addition, most work seamlessly between mobile devices and computers, allowing greater flexibility.

Select the best format to use when communicating

The team must use the best format for communication when working together. For example, some updates are best sent as quick texts or Teams messages, whereas more lengthy updates are best communicated via email. A phone call or video chat may be best for specific communication where something may be lost in translation via text. For in-depth collaboration, where input from multiple individuals is required, a video call or in-person group meeting is the best option.

Organize notes/feedback in shared files/folders

A centrally located folder structure where project notes can be safely stored and made available for all team members is essential. Some projects may need to be accessible only to specific people in the organization. Enterprise file-sharing tools that restrict permissions and log access are necessary for security. The ability for multiple people to work on files simultaneously can be beneficial, especially when some team members are working remotely.

 Be ready to adapt to future changes

As we’ve seen over the past couple of years, work situations can shift rapidly. Be sure that the whole team will be able to adapt to changes in communication on a day-to-day basis as well as project collaboration.

Celebrate wins often

Everyone enjoys it when their efforts are acknowledged. So, send kudos to your peers when they are doing well. If they perform exceptionally well or go above and beyond on a specific project, acknowledge their efforts to the rest of the team. Then, go a step further and send recognition to their managers.