Strengthen Collaboration on Remote Workers

Having to collaborate with other people is not an easy thing to do. Whether you see them face-to-face or online, a lot of problems can come out of it. As a leader, you should be prepared and open-minded so that you will be able to overcome these different problems that you might encounter.  

How would you know that your team is lacking in collaboration? Here are some behaviours you should be wary of:

Do any of your team members:

• Prefer working by themselves?
• Do not coordinate their efforts with others?
• Fail to take on their fair share of the team’s responsibilities?
• Withhold information from other members of the team?
• Undermine or discount team decisions and team actions outside the team?
• Avoid conflict and the opportunity to resolve differences with other team members?
• Tend to view the team as an obstacle to getting work done?
• Fail to abide by team norms and standards?
• Fail to support the decisions of the team?

If so, what could you do as a leader to turn these people around?

One thing you can do is constantly lay-out your plans to all the members of your team. This will let them feel that they are a part of a team and everything that they do affects the other.

Aside from team meetings, you should check-in on your team members individually. This will help them feel important and dispels any biases they may think you have in terms of the treatment you give to them. This will lessen the unnecessary competition and distrust that one employee usually feels with another.

However, be mindful that checking-in does not mean that you micromanage your team. Nobody likes that. Just ask them how they are doing, make sure that you are on the same page, and if there is anything you can do to assist them with their given tasks. Show them that you trust them and their ability to do their given tasks.

Develop a new culture in your organisation that can help you and your team achieve greater heights together. As American former professional basketball player, coach, and NBA executive, Mr. Philip Douglas Jackson once said.

"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team."

Where does your strength come from?

At People Builders we have a team of expert trainers and coaches who can help you and your team in strengthening your team’s Collaboration. Contact us today for a quick chat to see how we can partner with you to train and coach you and your team.