If we want to be effective, we have to cooperate better. This is the motto of most contemporary companies which becomes even more current at a time of when there is a growing number of employees working remotely and the growing use of social and cloud technologies to support teamwork. Companies are trying to promote cooperation as a way of saving money and time, but they are often unaware of what effective cooperation actually involves. This leads to the use of cooperation techniques which waste employees' time instead. In a recent article, the website Entrepreneur.com described what cooperation looks like when it fails.
Groupthink
The so-called groupthink, which aims to preserve consensus in a group at the expense of individual decision-making, is a dangerous product of collaboration. The result usually involves poor group decisions which would not have been made if the group members decided individually. How can this be avoided? Lead your team members to prepare their proposals independently before sharing with their colleagues.
Long meetings
Nobody is able to remain focused during a three-hour meeting or remember all that was said. If you want to stop using long meetings which do not usually solve anything, set the maximum limit of half an hour for a meeting. Clearly specify what you are going to deal with and name a person responsible for summarizing the main points discussed and assigning individual tasks to employees.
Mandatory cooperation
Modern technology is used to facilitate our work. That is why special software products designed for teamwork are created. However, if a company forces all its employees to only use tools specifically designed for teamwork, it will only lead to creating more work for individuals. These programs are not sufficiently flexible to allow individual information processing. Employees need to be able to individually organize information without having to constantly collaborate with the entire team.
Open offices
Is it really better for your people to share an open workspace regardless of their individual preferences? Make sure that you offer enough quiet space where employees can concentrate on their work.
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