The Collaborative Leader: Get Your Teams Working Together

Taking a siloed approach to business is risky. If departments and teams don’t communicate, opportunities get overlooked, threats get missed, and you end up with problems that could have been avoided.

That’s why more and more businesses are choosing to adopt a collaborative leadership approach rather than using outdated top-down structures where information is hoarded.

If every employee understands the company vision and how their role contributes to achieving that vision, you’re more likely to meet your goals.

The benefits of collaborative leadership

As a leader, you should strive to create a collaborative working environment with diverse opinions and ideas. Not only will this help you spot opportunities and threats more easily, but it will also improve employee engagement and productivity. Achieving a shared goal is much easier when everyone is working together.

Give employees a sense of purpose

If an employee comes to work every day without really understanding the purpose behind the work they do, they can become demotivated and disinterested.  

When you create a collaborative environment, it makes it easier for employees to see the bigger picture. They understand how their role fits in with what their colleagues are doing and how each of them contributes to the organisation’s mission, vision and strategy.

Enhance creativity and problem-solving

When you create a truly collaborative working environment, you create an environment of trust and inclusivity where colleagues feel safe sharing their ideas and discussing challenges.

By opening up these discussions you invite diverse perspectives and expertise, spark creativity, and encourage innovative thinking. This can help your organisation gain a competitive advantage, overcome complex problems, or better serve your customers. 

Reduce feelings of isolation for homeworkers

The lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 resulted in many people working from home. Many businesses that previously thought remote working wouldn’t be possible found that not only was it possible but it opened up new opportunities.

However, there has since been much debate over the advantages and disadvantages of having an office-based team versus home-based workers, with many businesses opting for a hybrid solution.

Unfortunately, remote working can lead to colleagues feeling isolated, especially if the nature of the work is not collaborative.

Adopting a more inclusive and collaborative approach can reduce feelings of isolation by increasing opportunities for social interaction, improving visibility and recognition, and opening up better lines of communication.

Reduce feelings of isolation in general

It’s not just remote workers that can feel isolated. If an employee is the only person in their team, department, location, or company with their specific role or job title, they may feel isolated. This can lead to negative feelings towards their work.

As a leader, you can help these employees feel included and valued by creating opportunities for them to collaborate with others. People are happier in their jobs if they feel like they are adding value.

Improve employee engagement and retention

If employees feel valued and included, have a safe space to share ideas, and understand how they contribute to the big picture, they will be happier and more engaged.

Engaged employees are more motivated and productive, which leads to better results for the organisation, increasing the chances of success. Engaged employees are also less likely to leave because they enjoy their work and have greater job satisfaction.

How to become a more collaborative leader

If you want to become a more collaborative leader, the key is to start collaborating. Speak to other managers and leaders within your organisation. Open up lines of communication with other departments and within your own team. Create opportunities for your team members to collaborate with you and with other colleagues or teams.

Articulate a clear vision and values

Having clearly defined goals, vision and values provides a sense of purpose and direction for your team. Direction fosters alignment, ensuring that everyone is moving towards a common objective and knowing the end goal boosts team morale and motivation.

Teams with strong values are better equipped to handle conflicts and experience higher levels of trust and collaboration.

As a leader, you should communicate your vision and values to your team regularly to reinforce their importance.

Lead by example

If you want to inspire your team to operate collaboratively, it’s important to lead by example. Demonstrate collaborative behaviour – show your employees what you’d like to see from them.

Communicate with your team and let them know what’s happening within the wider organisation. Share plans for the future and keep them informed of any important changes.

Open up opportunities for individuals to share ideas or challenges with their colleagues or for teams to work on joint projects together. Be aware of colleagues who may feel isolated or who may not be as vocal as their teammates and bring them into conversations.

Listen to your colleagues and be open to different opinions and perspectives. Seek input and feedback on company initiatives. Embrace the diverse experiences and unique insights that each individual team member can offer.

Create a psychologically safe environment

Creating the right environment for collaboration is crucial. A psychologically safe environment is one where everyone feels accepted and respected, and employees can open up without fear of negative comments.

In a psychologically safe environment, employees feel comfortable being themselves and aren’t scared to share their ideas or concerns, ask questions, or admit mistakes. Teams can innovate, problem-solve and learn from each other’s mistakes.

You’ll also create a more inclusive workplace where employees feel able to open up about sexuality, religion, visible or invisible disabilities, mental health and any personal challenges without fear of discrimination. This will lead to a more cohesive team and greater employee engagement.

Nurture and develop team members

Collaborative leaders recognise the strengths and skills of each team member and know how to use these strengths and skills to solve problems, innovate, and achieve common goals.

They also understand how to nurture and develop individuals, delegating where appropriate and upskilling when required.

Be proactive in helping your employees reach their potential. Identify future leaders and create opportunities for them to lead on projects so they can build their collaboration and communication skills.

Developing Collaborative Leaders

As a manager or leader, there’s always something new to learn or a skill you can improve and develop. Organisations need to support managers and leaders in this development, but you also need to invest in yourself.

Getting formal leadership and management training will not only help you build your leadership skills, it will also help you grow in confidence, and increase your chances of career progression.  

Alternative Partnership delivers ILM-accredited Leadership and Management training programmes to support you and your teams in gaining formal, nationally recognised qualifications.

Find out more about our current ILM courses here or get in touch to discuss how our services could benefit you.

Have you read...

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The Decisive Leader: Make Decisions with Conviction

27/08/2024

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