In this article we’ll explore:
Let’s take a closer look at this collaborative way of working together, why it’s so valuable, and how you can introduce or improve this approach within your organization.
Team collaboration is where you intentionally work together to make your project more successful. It’s more than just happening to work on the same project as someone—it’s about brainstorming, problem solving, and knowledge sharing.
With such similar names and themes, team collaboration often gets mistaken for teamwork. But the two are slightly different. They both involve working together, but with team collaboration the focus is on uniting to solve problems, share ideas, and work closely together to achieve a shared goal.
Team collaboration can involve:
Good teams work together, but the best teams make team collaboration a priority. They share ideas freely, intentionally improve the skill sets of others, and lend their diverse voices and opinions to create a more inclusive environment.
Coming together as a team to work on a project, idea, or challenge has lots of incredible benefits, including:
Without team collaboration, individuals work in silos and information doesn’t get shared. People are unwilling or unable to trust others, and the best ideas never get heard. With team collaboration, your team members feel safe, comfortable, and excited to work together. They come to a project or problem ready to think, share, and collaborate.
Central to any collaboration strategy should be your team goals. Identifying what your team’s needs and common goals are helps you work towards them together, instead of individually prioritizing your own idea of what the end goal is.
Gather your team to set some goals together. Decide what you’re going to accomplish, who’s going to do what, and what a realistic deadline is. Figure out how you’ll measure team performance and what a successful outcome looks like. Start strong and your team will find it easier to naturally collaborate along the way.
Not everyone is used to working collaboratively. As a team leader it’s your responsibility to give your team members the guidance they need to understand how to work together, and let them know what’s expected of them and others in this collaborative environment.
Guide others on what a collaborative team looks like. Explain the idea behind the concept, and the practical aspects of how it all works — like getting together for brainstorming sessions, communicating regularly though team chat apps, or how to submit feedback and ideas. Set expectations around file sharing, communication, and how to work together as a remote team.
Set up video calls for your team members to chat, share ideas, or co-work together. Host team meetings where there’s an opportunity to share a fun personal update and cheer each other on. Run team building games like Zoom icebreakers, and get together for virtual or in-person retreats when you can.
Team collaboration requires excellent communication in many different forms. Make it easier for your team members to collaborate with digital workspaces and communication tools that open up chances to talk.
Add a team messaging or internal communication tool like Slack or Microsoft Teams to your toolkit, and use this as a place for team members to gather, share ideas, and get to know each other asynchronously. Host video calls, live Q&A sessions, and town hall meetings where people can communicate and collaborate.
Use Polly’s integrations to help you make these team communication channels even more engaging with polls, surveys, and feedback systems in Slack or Microsoft Teams, and real-time voting in your Zoom video conferencing calls.
Design your company and team culture to be a collaborative environment with systems of continuous feedback. Consider shaping a feedback culture and introduce the elements that support this — like employee engagement surveys, live Q&A sessions, and an Open Forum.
Polly has plenty of templates to help streamline the process and give you valuable metrics to look back on. Our collection of templates include remote pulse check ins, weekly team check ins, team happiness pulse surveys, and more.
For your teams to really work together, they need digital or hybrid spaces that help make this easier. Introduce team collaboration tools and digital work environments that support and encourage collaboration.
Figure out which tools and resources your team members need to work together more collaboratively. Look for team collaboration software tools that give you the features you need — like whiteboards, live polls and voting, or team building exercises.
Celebrate your team members’ hard work with company awards and employee recognition programs. Shout them out in team meetings, congratulate them at all hands meetings, and reward their contributions in ways that feel personal, intentional, and meaningful.
Effective team collaboration is about more than getting together on a video call once a week. It’s about the entire team working together seamlessly, sharing knowledge, and intentionally cooperating to reach a shared goal. Use these team collaboration tips to build a stronger, more engaged team and enjoy the impact it has on your projects and company culture.
If you’re ready to make team collaboration feel even easier, bring Polly aboard as your co-pilot. Our collection of product team and employee engagement features gives you a more effective way to bring people together, get their opinions, and collaborate together in the spaces you already use.