Keep the Game of Collaboration Strong to Manage Quality Efficiently 

Each company could do better at quality management. Whatever the size of the company, improving collaboration skills and technology will likely improve quality management. Traditionally, workplace collaboration involved only in-person brainstorming and coordination. There is, however, a change in how we work, mainly how we work together. In today’s global and complex companies, most work is done by teams. In the past two decades, managers and employees have spent much more time collaborating than ever before, according to a Harvard Business Review study. According to the same study, employees communicate with their colleagues for over three-quarters of their workday. What do employees need to do today to collaborate effectively despite the common work structures and dynamics that often hinder it? How can companies ensure success with cloud collaboration tools? To begin, let’s define what collaboration is and how it works.

Collaboration – What Does It Mean?

Collaborating involves two or more people working together on a project or product. Numerous communication tools and cloud-based programs created to support this can facilitate virtual and physical meetings. For a work environment to be successful, it must include certain features that encourage collaboration and effective communication. A sense of safety, respect, and acceptance can be found in these workplaces. There is a high level of efficiency in their meetings and work sessions. They have standard collaboration processes and systems. Their teams are committed to healthy communication. Perhaps you’ve worked in one before. Collaboration benefits executives and leaders as well as their employees.

Benefits of collaborating more at work

The importance of teamwork in the workplace might seem obvious. Teamwork, after all, makes a dream come true, doesn’t it? However, it can be difficult to bring together diverse backgrounds and, depending on how your company is structured, sometimes even different time zones. There are, however, more benefits to effective communication and collaboration at work than cons.

A greater focus on innovation

• More and more companies are doing brainstorming sessions to come up with innovative ideas that make their business better. These teams bring people across the organization together to brainstorm issues. Several other similar activities can be used to encourage innovative thinking across teams globally.

Improved teamwork

• Are there any common traits among the world’s leading workplaces? In order to build stronger teams and networks among their employees, they invest in the connections between their employees. Teamwork not only instills a strong sense of purpose among team members but also provides team members with the opportunity to complement each other’s skill gaps. This is done by dividing the task in such a way that everyone can play to their strengths by working towards the same goal.

Employees with extensive expertise

• Team collaboration allows team members to learn and share things with each other, which helps them to grow personally and professionally. Additionally, collaboration can help people develop self-awareness and better understand their strengths and weaknesses and develop their competencies.

Customer satisfaction

• A project can be completed faster with more people than it can alone. The customer experience can also be improved by this.

Collaboration: 6 principles to follow

Collaboration does not just happen when you know what to do; it’s also about how you do it. Seeing collaboration as a process rather than an event makes a huge difference in how you approach it. Keep these values in mind next time you are working with a team.

An efficient process

The need for meetings to facilitate collaboration has gotten a bad reputation over the years. Who hasn’t experienced an unnecessary or overlong meeting? However, you can make your team more productive by taking a few steps. The only time to hold a meeting should be when it is necessary. It’s great to collaborate virtually, but the pandemic of video burnout has caused everyone to be concerned about it. Your meetings can be more productive and efficient if you choose them wisely. Having an agenda outlined would be even better.

Building trust in the workplace

The tools and opportunities for connecting must be available so people can give and receive genuinely constructive feedback. Having a trusted team and leaders who put employees’ needs first can only facilitate this.

UnderstandingThe role of each team member is essential. Collaboration can, however, break down if someone feels their teammates are mistreating them. The collaboration will be more successful if you understand how your colleagues work and what challenges they face.

Positive thinking

Refrain from assuming that a group project will go smoothly just because it did in the past. Instead, be open-minded and positive in every group project you do, and let go of any past issues you might have.

A clear vision

A team rarely starts with everyone on the same page. Priorities and interests vary from person to person. The best way to move the project forward is to identify everyone’s preferences and agendas.

Maintaining accountability

The schedule and tasks of a project help employees understand their contribution’s impact. By doing so, deadlines can be met more quickly, and issues can be handled more promptly.

Workplace Collaboration: 5 Essential Skills

The idea of promoting collaboration in the workplace can often be easier said than done. This is especially true if you’ve ever worked on a group project that did not turn out as expected. Or if your teammates work remotely. It may also be that departmental silos prevent departments from sharing information within your organization. A very effective way to overcome collaboration challenges at work is by developing your soft skills. If you master these five collaboration skills, you can work effectively and efficiently in a team.

Get started on your goals

1. A team must understand how success will be measured and the purpose and vision behind the project. Transparency from the start builds trust and contributes to alignment with a common goal.

It’s all about communication

1. Clearly define your intentions before beginning any task or assignment. Establish realistic expectations for when you’ll finish and follow through with your commitment. If your plan needs to be changed, be sure to communicate. Whenever possible, communicate any changes you need to make if something unexpected happens. When you have an all-in-one communication tool, your team has a higher chance of instantly communicating if they can video call and instant message within the same app.

Observation and active listening

1. As a team member, you must listen closely, give feedback, offer advice, and be considerate and respectful of others’ opinions. Active listening is all about being aware of what’s going on. It is still imperative to consider your colleagues’ opinions when deciding how the project should be handled or who should perform what task. No matter the outcome, it is critical to prioritize the group’s needs and responsibilities over your own.

Making a problem-solving approach

1. People make mistakes sometimes when issues arise. Things like this happen. It is critical to remain calm and rational when problems arise without blaming anyone in particular. Instead, work together to find a solution. These conversations between team members help build trust and facilitate transparency, even if someone makes a mistake.

Maintaining a schedule

1. When you collaborate with others, you are responsible for yourself and your group members who rely on you. Managing your time effectively is the key to success here. Managing your time effectively is crucial to meeting deadlines and completing the work your team expects you to complete.

What makes a collaboration successful?

Working backward and setting agendas are just some things that make collaboration effective. A workplace that promotes collaboration use many practices and programs, from interdepartmental innovation challenges to induction programs. Having come together to achieve great things is the common factor among all of them. It is possible to create magic when you combine the right skills, mindset, and digital tools.

Now that digital tools are being mentioned in relation to collaboration, it does not mean you need a different tool for collaboration. You can simply invest in a business process management solution that comes with in-built capabilities to foster better collaboration and communication among your teams. Let’s say, you want to implement quality management software to streamline the quality processes in your organization. Then, it would be best to implement Qualityze EQMS Suite. It is a set of integrated quality solutions that can completely transform how your business manages quality, safety, and compliance. Most importantly, it provides you with a centralized platform to communicate and collaborate with your team for critical business decisions, approvals, effectiveness reviews, document reviews, and whatnot.

Our customer success team is also available to answer any questions you may have about Qualityze EQMS Suite. If you would like more information about product functionalities, please feel free to contact them at info@qualityze.com or call them at 1-877-207-8616, and they will be right there for you as soon as possible.