Current State
Creating a collaborative and supportive culture at work is an intentional effort that requires ongoing reinforcement. While many organizations say they value collaboration, fostering a truly collaborative culture requires a shift from simply saying it to actually practicing it.
Complexities
It’s difficult to change organizational culture. Culture change is a slow process that requires consistent effort over time. Silos and a lack of trust between teams can impede collaboration. Additionally, performance management systems that reward individual achievement can work against collaboration.
Consequences
Failing to build a collaborative and supportive organizational culture can have numerous negative consequences:
Decreased employee morale and engagement
Employees who feel unsupported or disconnected from their colleagues are more likely to become disengaged and dissatisfied with their work.
Siloed departments and communication breakdowns
Without a collaborative culture, departments may work in isolation, leading to communication gaps and misaligned goals.
Higher turnover rates
Lack of collaboration and support can lead to increased stress and burnout, causing employees to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Missed opportunities for innovation
A non-supportive environment discourages employees from sharing ideas and taking risks, hindering the organization’s ability to innovate and adapt.
Reduced productivity and efficiency
Poor collaboration hinders knowledge sharing, problem-solving and innovation, leading to decreased productivity and efficiency.
Damaged reputation and employer brand
An organization known for its poor culture may struggle to attract and retain top talent, damaging its reputation and competitiveness.
Increased conflict and negativity
Lack of support and collaboration can breed a toxic work environment characterized by conflict, gossip and negativity.
Reduced customer satisfaction
A dysfunctional internal culture can spill over into customer interactions, leading to poor service and decreased customer satisfaction.
Limited employee growth and development
Without a supportive culture that encourages learning and growth, employees may stagnate in their roles and fail to reach their full potential.
Financial impact
The cumulative effect of these consequences can lead to increased costs associated with turnover, absenteeism, low productivity, and lost business opportunities.
Building a collaborative and supportive culture is essential for organizations to thrive, retain talent and maintain a competitive edge in today’s business landscape.
Critical Questions
- Does our culture encourage collaboration and provide support for growth?
- Do our employees and leaders understand those expectations?
- Do we have clear expectations for collaboration?
- Are we treating our employee experience like a key business outcome or a “nice to have” initiative?
- How can we better leverage emerging data technologies to gain greater insights into our employment experience using our existing employee data?
Brandon Hall Group™ POV
Clearly Define Organizational Expectations Around a Collaborative Work Environment
✦ Move beyond platitudes: Don’t just say “collaboration is important.” Define what it means in your company’s context. How will information be shared across departments? How will decisions be made collaboratively?
✦ Tailor by function: Collaboration might look different for a marketing team brainstorming campaigns compared to an engineering team tackling a complex technical challenge. Define collaboration expectations for different functions to ensure effectiveness.
✦ Outline collaboration protocols: Establish clear communication protocols for team interactions. This could include preferred communication channels for different types of information, meeting etiquette for brainstorming sessions, and guidelines for resolving disagreements constructively.
Hold Leaders Accountable to Behaving in Alignment with those Expectations
✦ Lead by example: Leaders set the tone for the organization. If managers don’t collaborate effectively with their teams or across departments, it sends a message that collaboration isn’t truly valued. Leaders should actively participate in collaborative processes and model desired behaviors.
✦ Recognize and reward collaboration: Don’t just reward individual achievement. Recognize and reward teams that demonstrate strong collaborative behaviors, such as effective communication, knowledge- sharing and achieving shared goals.
✦ Provide coaching and development: Equip leaders with the skills they need to foster collaboration. This could include training in communication, conflict resolution and team building.
Make Collaboration a Priority
✦ Invest in collaboration tools: Technology can be a powerful enabler of collaboration. Provide tools like project management platforms, communication platforms (instant messaging, video conferencing), and knowledge-sharing platforms (wikis, internal document repositories) to facilitate teamwork.
✦ Create opportunities for collaboration: Schedule regular team meetings, cross-functional project teams and knowledge-sharing sessions to encourage interaction. Consider team-building activities that build trust and communication skills.
✦ Structure around collaboration: During project planning, allocate dedicated time for collaboration and communication. Break down silos by organizing teams with diverse skillsets and encouraging information sharing across departments.
Consider Additional Sources of Input for Employee Perspectives
While an annual engagement survey has long been the standard of practice, modern work challenges require modern approaches to feedback gathering. Regular, frequent opportunities to capture the voice of the employee are crucial. Using AI-powered data analytics tools can glean insights from unstructured data that you have, reducing the need to ask for feedback too frequently.
Benchmarking that feedback can also be helpful. Brandon Hall Group’s Voice of the Employee awards process gives you an opportunity to do just that. Learn more at HCM Excellence Awards® – Corporate Recognition (brandonhall.com).
