opinion | COLLABORATIVE WORKING
www.thehrdirector.com
FAR TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT One of the many challenges today is building a cohesive culture of collaborative working, despite -
or perhaps because of - the constant, disruptive noise that pulls businesses in different directions. Technology is a keystone of collaboration, but it’s not just about sharing information - what is mission critical is a balanced approach that supports but doesn’t smother and stifle.
ARTICLE BY CYRUS GILBERT-ROLFE, MANAGING DIRECTOR EMEA - SOCIALCHORUS
There was a theory a few years back that the average attention span of people was shorter than that of a goldfish - eight seconds versus nine seconds respectively. However, there is a more reasonable argument that attention spans have evolved, not shrunk. Research by Prezi in 2018 entitled; State of Attention report, suggests that people’s ability to maintain focus on content is actually improving over time, as they become more selective about the content they devote their attention to. However, in contrast, the survey also found that 95 percent of all business professionals multi-tasked during meetings. Now, apply that to a project team working across multiple locations, at different times - and, in all likelihood, across several languages - and the challenge of collaboration becomes even harder. Simply deploying a collaboration tool is not going to drive greater results and increase productivity across a workforce on its own. It’s not a matter of just encouraging people to download a new app and assume that they can easily solve complex problems. According to new research from Harvard Business School, during the early stages of gathering information among teams, collaboration tools can be effective. However, in later stages, collaboration tools can inhibit a team’s ability to do a proper analysis of facts and arrive at the best solution. As it turns out, using collaboration tools can put the focus more on the ins and outs of how the team is working together, rather than trying to solve the problem. Businesses need to be mindful of how team dynamics influence the way people approach working in a group. Some employees will feel overwhelmed by such projects and often higher performers will overshadow lower performers, which is not a great way to encourage collaboration and teamwork. In turn, it can then be magnified further when there are time-zone, language and cultural differences. So, how do today’s businesses increase productivity and encourage teamwork while avoiding overwhelming and confusing employees?
USING COLLABORATION TOOLS CAN PUT THE FOCUS MORE ON THE INS AND OUTS OF HOW THE TEAM IS WORKING TOGETHER, RATHER THAN TRYING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. BUSINESSES NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF HOW TEAM DYNAMICS INFLUENCE THE WAY PEOPLE APPROACH WORKING IN A GROUP
The same body of research by Harvard found that, constantly connected groups proved to be less effective than when individuals worked on their own and connected with team members at key stages of the project. In fact, crucially, the research found that when communications were intermittent, the low performers were able to contribute and not be overshadowed - to the point that they often came up with the better solutions. When employees aren’t constantly connected, they can concentrate on playing their part in solving the problem in hand, rather than wasting their energies on trying to keep up with unnecessary conversations. Similarly, collaboration tools don’t work well when used by businesses as the single source of company information. Critical information such as; company documents, benefit sign ups, and policies become lost amongst the noise and, ideally, employees want the information flow to be managed effectively. Companies need to remember that technology receives 80 percent of the spotlight, but is really only 20 percent of the solution. Many collaboration tools are inevitably used as social media platforms, where employees just chat, and power users overshadow everyone. For this reason, managers and leaders must invest in the kinds of tools that will enhance productivity, improve problem-solving, and promote enhanced employee engagement. Employees like using different channels for communication within their companies. This makes a blend of traditional and technological tools integrated into one platform more effective. By establishing one publishing workforce communications platform that spans the entire workflow, employees are free to use only the tools they need and want. This greatly decreases the chances they’ll feel overwhelmed by an influx of “always on” communication and allows them to focus on just one task at a time. In this way, businesses and organisations can deliver their communications strategy effectively and, crucially, improve the experience and impact for employees, to enable them to do their job better.
• FOR FURTHER INFO
WWW.SOCIALCHORUS.COM 30 | thehrdirector | MAY 2019
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