1. Agree a collaboration strategy.

Here at Habit Action, we believe that collaborative strategies are essential for businesses today to maximise efficiency and productivity.

In the modern workspace, collaboration requires a shift from traditional practices towards more contemporary and innovative approaches. By doing so, organisations have the ability to access resources quickly, efficiently and securely.

Working with a team, everybody needs to understand the purpose and vision behind the project, as well as how you’ll be determining success. Establishing transparency from the get-go builds trust and helps ensures everyone is committed to success and aligned with a common purpose.

We find that the most effective collaborative strategies focus on streamlining communication between team members, allowing for greater transparency and quick decisions when faced with challenges or opportunities. This can be accomplished through the implementation of tools such as project management software, unified messaging systems, and business process automation. These technologies enable teams to collaborate effectively at any time from anywhere in the world by providing real-time updates and insights into progress made on tasks or projects.

It's important to make sure your expectations for collaboration are clear and that everybody involved understands the roles they need to fill. Start by taking time to explain what you mean by ‘collaboration’ in this context. This includes setting out the tasks that each individual will be responsible for, and how their work will contribute to the team as a whole.

Be sure to also provide an opportunity for employees to voice any concerns they have around working collaboratively. Encouraging open communication is essential; it shows that everyone’s opinions are valued and respected, which helps create a positive atmosphere where collaboration can thrive.

Finally, set realistic goals and deadlines so that collaborators know what success looks like – and when they’ve achieved it. Make sure everyone understands the benefits of working together as a team and celebrate success whenever it’s reached. As we would say it will definitely help motivate employees to continue collaborating in the future.

By taking steps to ensure that everyone involved is on board with collaboration, you can create an environment where employees look forward to working together, and where their collective efforts drive towards greater success.

2. Team Formation + Structure

Heritage relationships can be a powerful asset when developing successful teams. By leveraging existing connections, teams are able to quickly build trust and foster collaboration. With over 40 years and plus, here at Habit Action we understand the importance of heritage; when team members already understand one another’s strengths and weaknesses, they are more likely to work together effectively and achieve their goals in a timely manner.

Our research demonstrates that teams composed of strangers are much less likely to be successful than those that leverage pre-existing relationships. To ensure the best outcome, it is essential to consider heritage relationships when forming new teams and take advantage of existing connections. By investing in strong foundations, teams can create a collaborative environment for success.

Which is more important to promoting collaboration: clearly specified roles for individual team members, or a clear defined approach towards a achieving the goal?

While both a clear defined approach and specified roles for individual team members are essential to promoting collaboration – a clear approach will provide structure and guidance, while specifying roles allow each team member to understand their place on the team and contributes to the collective understanding of the goal.

So in essence establishing both of these can create an environment that fosters creativity, generates ideas from all members, and produces a successful outcome. Still keeping in mind, the fact that collaborative team culture should not be overly rigid; instead, it should allow for flexibility and the opportunity for each individual to offer unique perspectives and contributions. By understanding the importance of both, organisations can ensure that collaboration leads to success.

A Harvard study at the BBC, overviewed the teams responsible for the radio and television broadcasts of the 2006 Proms (a two-month-long musical celebration), the team that televised the 2006 World Cup, and a team responsible for daytime television news. They were large teams – 133 people worked on the Proms, 66 on the World Cup, and 72 on the news. These groups included members with a wide range of skills and from many disciplines. One would imagine that there was, therefore, a strong possibility of confusion among team members.

The teams that Harvard studied at Reuters worked at locations far and wide, with team members often not speaking the same language. The primary languages being Russian, Chinese, Thai, and English. The teams, largely composed of software programmers, were responsible for the rapid development of highly complex technical software and network products. Which meant many of the programmers would sit at their desks for 12 hours straight developing code and communicating with no one. Ironically, it was reported, that it was cooperative behaviour that was ranked high amongst the employees. This is possibly because each employee was given autonomy over one discrete piece of the project. So the rapid pace and demanding project deadlines encouraged the employees to work independently in order to get the job done, but each one of those individual employees was building up a fragment, which all ultimately was achieving the same end goal.

So, in this way, the BBC creates highly productive teams which can adapt quickly to changing news stories and other unpredictable situations. Our findings indicate that team members who already possess a trusting relationship can act as powerful catalysts to build a successful and productive team. Being part of an existing network helps teams establish trust quickly, allowing them to move into other important areas such as developing shared goals and strategies. Being involved in this network creates opportunities for members to rely on existing relationships to navigate their new environment. This is because their team members can serve as points of reference and pave the way for improved communication and collaboration.

3. Focused HR Practices - Set clear goals.

HR is a vital component in any organisation, providing essential services such as recruitment, training, development and employee relations. By effectively leveraging the resources of HR departments, employees can create a more collaborative and successful workplace. Here are a few tips we have found at Habit Action to be more effective and stimulating collaboration:

• Develop an open dialogue between the employees and the HR staff – Having open communication channels between HR and employees is critical to fostering a positive work environment. We do this by encouraging our employees to bring forward their concerns or ideas to HR staff so that they can be addressed quickly and accurately.
• Utilise data-driven decision making – employers should use data-based decision making when it comes to evaluating potential hires or developing new policies or procedures. Data-driven decision making eliminates bias and ensures that decisions are based on objective evidence.
• Make use of technology to streamline processes – technology can be used to automate mundane tasks such as applicant tracking systems (ATS) or performance management software. Utilizing these tools can help free up times for HR staff to focus on more important aspects of their jobs.
• Leverage the expertise of HR – these departments are full of highly-skilled professionals with a deep knowledge of business processes, legal regulations, and more. Take advantage of their expertise when crafting new policies or tackling complex issues in the workplace.

By utilising the resources available in your Human Resources department, employers can increase productivity and create a better work environment. This, in turn, can lead to improved employee engagement and better overall business outcomes.

• Invest in training and development opportunities – by providing employees with opportunities to learn new skills or hone existing ones, you can create a more dynamic workforce. Investing in training and development also demonstrates your commitment to your employee’s professional growth.
• Consider your employee’s feedback – at Habit Action we believe that employee feedback is invaluable when it comes to creating a positive work environment. Incorporating suggestions from employees can help employers make adjustments that benefit the workplace and the people who work there.
• Measure performance – we believe that regularly measuring performance is essential for gauging employee engagement, productivity, and effectiveness. Employers should use quantitative data as well as qualitative feedback from employees to get an accurate picture of how they’re performing in the workplace.
• Establish clear goals – well-defined objectives help keep employees on track and motivated to succeed. Having concrete goals allows employers to measure progress and ensure that everyone is working towards the same end goal.

Collaboration is the key to creating successful work culture. Encourage employees to work together and share ideas in order to brainstorm innovative solutions. By making the most out of your HR department, employers can create a more efficient and successful workplace. By following these tips, you can ensure that your human resources efforts are maximised to their full potential. Creating an open dialogue between HR staff and employees, utilizing data-driven decision making, leveraging the expertise of HR professionals, investigating in training and development opportunities, considering employee feedback, measuring performance, establishing clear goals, and fostering an environment of collaboration are all essential steps for maximising the effectiveness of HR within your workplace.

4. Recognise and Reward collaboration

Recognizing and rewarding collaboration in the workplace is an important way to reinforce positive behaviours and encourage team building. As we have found it also helps to strengthen those relationships between colleagues and boost morale. Here are some simple ways we find help to recognize and reward collaboration:

• Acknowledge good teamwork in a public setting – Giving credit where it's due shows that you appreciate the efforts of your colleagues. This could just be as simple as recognizing specific individuals or teams at staff meetings or making announcements about successful collaborations on social media or other platforms.
• Offer rewards for collaborative projects – you could consider offering incentives such as gift certificates, free lunches, paid days off, or bonuses to motivate employees to work together more effectively. Rewards not only show recognition for a job well done, but also motivate employees to work together more efficiently in the future.
• Encourage collaboration with friendly competition – We find that games and activities can be a great way to promote teamwork and foster meaningful relationships between colleagues. Set up competitions that require teams of two or more people working collaboratively toward a common goal. At the end, reward the winning team with something fun such as gift cards or tickets to an event.

By making a conscious effort to recognize and reward collaboration within your workplace, you will create an environment where employees feel appreciated for their contributions and encouraged to collaborate even further. This can help improve overall job satisfaction, performance, and productivity. It's also sure to result in better team dynamics and stronger overall relationships.

5. Cloud Collaboration

Cloud collaboration is a powerful tool for businesses, as it allows teams to share information and work together remotely. With cloud collaboration, employees can access the same documents from any device at any time. This helps to improve collaboration and communication within teams, which can lead to increased productivity and better results.

With most cloud collaboration solutions, users can also share files with people outside of their organization. This makes it easier to collaborate with external partners or vendors without worrying about security risks. Additionally, cloud collaboration tools allow for real-time changes and edits so that everyone always has the most up-to-date version of a document or file.

Overall, we say that cloud collaboration enables businesses to stay connected even when working apart. It reduces the need to send emails back and forth, which can be time consuming, and provides an easy way for teams to collaborate remotely. By taking advantage of these tools, businesses can boost their productivity and increase collaboration among team members.

6. Collaboration Enhanced by Design

Effective collaboration is one of the key components of success in any business. We find that by incorporating design into your collaboration process, you can take your team’s efforts to the next level. Design can help create an environment that encourages creativity and promotes a better understanding of each other’s perspectives, which can lead to improved decision-making processes. Let’s take a look at how design can be used to improve collaboration among teams.

Design is an important tool when it comes to promoting successful collaborations between teams or departments. Here are just a few ways that design can help improve your team’s collaborative efforts:

• Use visuals to communicate ideas more effectively. Visuals such as charts, diagrams, and info graphics are great ways to get everyone on the same page quickly. Visuals also make complex topics easier to understand and remember for future reference.
• Utilize whiteboard brainstorming sessions. Whiteboards are great tools for brainstorming because they allow everyone involved in the process to work together in real-time. In addition, all participants can easily erase any erroneous ideas without impacting the overall process too much.
• Help foster creative thinking with design exercises. You can use various activities like role playing or art projects that involve both design elements and teamwork in order to encourage creative problem-solving techniques among your employees/teams.

Incorporating design into your collaborative process is an effective way to promote better communication and understanding between teams or departments within a business setting. With the right tools and techniques, you can make sure that everyone has a voice, resulting in improved decision-making processes overall. So, if you want your team’s collaboration efforts to be as successful as possible, consider adding design into the mix!