The days of having to go to an office are coming to an end. Instead of the workplace being a destination that you commute to, work is now a thing many of us do from our basements, home offices, and living room couches. At the heart of this work lies team collaboration software. These digital tools keep us efficiently moving forward from wherever the work occurs.
But team collaboration software is only as good as how you use it. The best collaboration tools can bring people together even when they are physically far apart. But how can you make the most of your remote collaboration tools? This article will help you optimize your team collaboration software by incorporating techniques to improve the cohesiveness of your workers.
How to Use Team Collaboration Software
Today’s remote collaboration tools help you replicate the interactions employees have in an office setting. They are designed to allow the same kind of instant communication we’re accustomed to having when popping into someone’s office. The best digital collaboration tools let workers create team camaraderie by sharing stories, videos, pictures, and other media to help people keep connecting across the miles. This is important, not just from a cultural perspective but also to get things done efficiently while collaborating on tasks.
Yet managers need to realize that the remote collaboration tools you use are only as good as the techniques that you incorporate each day to improve team productivity. Give two managers the same team collaboration software and you’ll still find that one team usually outperforms the other. Why? It comes down to the human process of collaboration and how these managers run their teams.
Optimizing your digital tools by configuring how to use them won’t make your team high performing on its own. But if you select the best collaboration tools, customize them for end-users, and use great techniques to manage the human interactions on your team, you will reach optimum performance.
What kind of collaboration techniques should managers use to improve team performance? Here are some great suggestions:
- Build trust by connecting teams within a trusting environment. Managers can use team collaboration software to help create a supporting, caring culture where people build each other up instead of tearing them down. Digital communication tools can be used to build a remote work environment where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas, questions, and opinions without being shut down. Team collaboration can be built not only through the software you use, but also by the collaborative culture you build and support.
- Empower people to make decisions that positively affect the organization. Team collaboration software can help with decision-making by providing real-time communication and the information your frontline workers need to shift with markets, change strategies, and keep things moving forward. This can help avoid project delays and improve the productivity of your critical workforce.
- Organize your teams efficiently around a specific task or project. Team collaboration tools can provide a central repository of information, allow for real-time editing, open a quick video conferencing window so people can chat—and much more.
- Define accountability and role structures. People are more comfortable collaborating when they are secure in their job descriptions and understand the tasks they’re supposed to accomplish. Managers can use collaboration software to define team roles and responsibilities or roadmap specific project tasks with deadlines that hold people accountable. This is the baseline for a good, collaborative team where everyone knows what is to be accomplished, by what deadline, and what their responsibilities are for making things happen.
- Build transparency with your teams. If you are a manager, being open and honest with your teams can be difficult. But it’s a critical part of building collaboration within a project team. The whole idea behind team collaboration software is that these tools are designed to keep everyone on the same page. But that idea starts with a management team that lets everyone know where the project stands. Managers who withhold information relevant to the project or who otherwise cause disruption will experience a team that is less than fully productive. While transparency isn’t easy, digital software can help by clearly letting people visualize the status of tasks and timelines.
- Finally, consider increasing rewards and recognition of the individuals on your teams. Managers can be bad at this, perhaps assuming that completing tasks is a reward unto itself. The research shows that more than 80% of the workforce today feels like their contribution is undervalued. Increasing your recognition of the people on your team and the team itself will encourage and motivate your workforce. This recognition can take many forms, from bonuses to gift cards to public recognition of a job well done. The general rule of thumb for managers is this: Praise more than you discipline and your workforce will become more productive and happier in their work.
Team collaboration is essential for your success today. While that may seem like a harder goal to accomplish when workers are remote, it doesn’t have to be. Today’s digital collaboration software tools can help you build camaraderie and efficiency, particularly when managers help with best-in-class people skills. How can managers increase their success by using the features found in the best collaboration tools?
Benefits of the Best Collaboration Tools
Why are team collaboration tools so critical to the success of remote teams? The benefits of the best collaboration tools include:
- They make it easier to track projects and the activities of your team. Team collaboration tools can bring everyone together in an online community. Instant messaging and video conferencing, calendar integrations, and even online notifications can help managers keep track of what their teams are doing.
- These communication tools allow companies to keep employees working from any remote location. This allows your teams the freedom of movement to work from wherever they are. This increases their productivity while allowing them the freedom of movement that makes the job more attractive to today’s workforce. It’s also helpful for recruiting teams. When you have a remote workforce that crosses geographical boundaries you can recruit top talent from all over the world.
The best team collaboration tools allow companies to centralize information while improving the relationship between teams. Infinite Connect offers organizations an all-in-one hosted unified communications platform that can provide your business with the tools you need to succeed. Call on us.