Collaboration - how it has changed and where we're headed

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, collaboration involves two or more people working together to achieve a common goal, such as selling a product or organizing an event, often within a team context. Since you are here, reading this you are interested in team work and therefore collaboration. So keep reading.

Teams vs natural teams

Many of us have worked in various teams, like sales, accounting, or sports teams. However, not all teams are equal in collaboration. Instinctively we feel that there is a difference between a hockey team and the sales team that covers a specific geography. That difference isn’t just that we primarily do sports for fun. It is actually that those teams are what is called a natural team. 

Natural teams are defined by a clear objective, and the team members rely on one another to achieve it. Each person plays a crucial role. If you feel disconnected from your team because you don't need your colleagues to reach your goals, you are probably not part of a natural team. But think of it; you’re always part of a natural team in another way. For example, in sales, collaboration with the back office, logistics, finance, and marketing is essential. In recruitment, you need the hiring manager, interview panel, and possibly the planning team, recruitment marketing, compensation, and benefits. In today's world, you will find that you are invariably part of a natural team in some form.

Teamwork and collaboration - a historical perspective

For a long time team work was relatively limited for the majority of work. People had their tasks. People ran small farms with a variety of animals and crops. Women made milk and cheese and sold these products. textile was manufactured on individual looms. But then came the industrial revolution. Workers began to specialize in specific tasks, and collaboration became essential for achieving common goals. This shift necessitated a more coordinated approach to work, where the contributions of many individuals were required to create a finished product efficiently. Consequently, the role of the leader evolved as well. Rather than merely instructing others, determining the right priorities and exchanging information became increasingly important. When we talk about information sharing, your thoughts likely turn to the digitization surrounding us. Messaging, cloud services, and online meetings enable instant collaboration regardless of location. This digital revolution has dismantled the barriers that once limited teamwork, allowing individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations to come together seamlessly, share insights, and work towards common objectives. Now we process more information than ever. Communication feels more complex than ever. On top of that, our workforce has become more diverse, adding to the complexity. So what to do?

Better collaboration by leveraging natural teams

Don't be shy to admit that the team you are officially assigned to might not be a natural team. Identify those with whom you naturally collaborate well and invest time in understanding and aligning your processes with them. This doesn't need to be complex. I suggest beginning by examining your KPIs. For instance, if my KPI is candidate satisfaction and I recognize that this relies on speed, but the contracting team prioritizes minimizing errors, I can anticipate potential tension. However, I bet that together you can agree that onboarding the new employee is the higher goal you need each other for. So from that goal, you can find the right KPI's that that complement each other and stimulate the right behaviour.

Second, a natural team tends to be rather small. Limited to 4-7 individuals. With this 4 people you have 6 connections, but with 5 people you already have 10 connections. You can see that the increase in connections means that just adding 1 person to a team can greatly increase the complexity of the information sharing process. So limiting the number of connections leads to fewer opportunities for miscommunication.

Furthermore working with the team to look at the how of collaboration makes it much more effective. We often think we understand how to translate the why into action, but you will find that there are as many possibilities as there are individuals. Exchanging ideas results in a more comprehensive approach and, ideally, a superior product, service, or innovative capability. And this outcome is only one of the positive effects of actively shaping your standards for collaboration. Other positive effects are higher engagement and personal growth. This is also where AI can come in handy. It can help track what has been said, expand on budding ideas and reduce time consuming repetitive tasks, leaving more time for innovation and collaboration.

But I can understand that once this is done, there might still be room for improvement. Miscommunication can still happen. Not all contributions are weighed and valued equally. We are all human and thus have our blind spots. We might not understand how certain team members think. And if you want to tackle those issues, that's where we venture in the realm of neurodiversity, and my expertise. And I will talk more about neurodiversity in the next blog post.