Real business growth? It’s the realization that internal collaboration matters as much as external collaborations. Those glossy influencer collabs, or investor meetings, without the framework of a brilliantly connected company, will all go to waste.
Internal collaborations are the glue that holds a successful business together. Whether it’s cross-departmental procedures or genius employee pairings on difficult projects, everything needs to be streamlined. Here’s how to efficiently improve collaboration with your business.
Establish Clear Goals, Roles, and Shared Accountability
The best place to start is at the beginning. To be brutally honest, without clear goals and roles, a company is drifting aimlessly. It’s like expecting a blindfolded employee to catch a ball they didn’t realize was thrown.
Strip everything back, and assign roles and responsibilities; it is all part of mastering effective communication. Have verbal conversations first, and launch performance reviews to establish shared and individual accountability. If necessary, create a spreadsheet and mandate sign-offs on tasks. Fostering clear understanding and accountability is essential — ask any employee what their responsibilities are, and an accurate answer should be immediate.
Centralize Collaboration Tools and Platforms
We all know the feeling of tool fatigue. Constantly juggling an email platform, invoicing software, and conference calls on… you can’t quite remember. It’s nothing short of a headache. Eliminate the chaos, and adopt a centralized system.
A unified collaboration platform is one of the best practices to establish across multi-department businesses. Centralizing tools, such as business cloud storage, enables all teams to connect more efficiently and eliminates friction in multi-team projects. In short, it could be a game-changer.
Develop Communities of Practice
Get ready to help employees to “phone a friend.” Communities of practice sound like an ultra-formal strategy, but in reality, it’s a fun method to implement. This strategy involves creating group chats and informal networks for employees to bond and help each other in times of need.
Distribute business rules and requirements, then give CoPs the green light. Aside from providing peer support, it’s a great way to accelerate learning and foster innovation amongst employees. Just moderate as necessary.
Break Down Silos with Collaborative Leadership and Shared Culture
Cross-silo leadership is when a management team oversees multiple departments. And, unsurprisingly, breaking down the “silos” of different departments requires one key strategy: collaboration.
To improve performance in this area, invest in collaborative leadership and shared culture — essentially a democratically-run business. Prioritize empathy and provide opportunities for shared decision-making. Also run cross-company social events and multi-department meetings where possible. Unifying those departments is absolutely essential; for leadership teams, bridging the gaps is vital.
Improving internal collaborations is a marathon, not a sprint. However, with these tips, it’s possible to make a meaningful start today.
