The Importance Of Considering Collaboration During Digital Transformation

The last few years have permanently changed how we live, operate businesses, and integrate technology into our everyday lives.

Most notably, we’ve shifted our mindsets from a hyper-individualistic culture to a more collaborative viewpoint. Many are emphasizing the greater good and how our actions impact the people around us. This paradigm shift in the fabric of our society is certainly not limited to how we connect and interact: It also heavily influences the way we do business and integrate new technologies.

Here’s why collaboration is the key to digital transformation and how our businesses operate as a whole.

Collaboration Boosts Employee Engagement

During the pandemic, collaboration became center stage as companies scrambled to communicate and get work done in a fully remote environment.

One study by Gartner indicates that after the first 18 months of the pandemic, 80% of workers reportedly used digital collaboration tools, up from 40% at the start of 2020. Additionally, the need for mixed meeting modalities in a remote work environment meant companies had to work together to implement the digital infrastructure necessary to support increased collaboration in the workplace. Mixed meeting modalities let employees collaborate regardless of location or time zone, ensuring everyone can participate.

Other new technologies included virtual whiteboards, in-video chat room features to foster one-on-one connections during video meetings, recording and transcription capabilities, and more. But in my experience, it wasn’t the precise technology that boosted employee engagement—it was the effort put into sincere collaboration. Without being able to just swing by someone’s office, employees needed to put more time and effort into connecting with co-workers, communicating about projects and maintaining collaborative workflows. As the Gartner study demonstrates, employees rose to the challenge, proving that new methods of work are here to stay and that collaboration is at the center of business success.

The Difference Between Communication And Collaboration—And Why It Matters

You might think your company has a firm grasp on the concept of collaboration, but it’s important to ensure you aren’t confusing collaboration with communication.

It can be tempting for companies to implement digital workplace tools and technologies for the sake of increased communication, but doing so without creating any real infrastructure to foster true collaboration isn’t effective. Sure, you might implement several different messaging apps, video conferencing tools, project management software and other applications with the goal of increased communication, but in the end, you may be multiplying the effort it takes for employees to complete their tasks. With conversations split between platforms, employees won’t be as encouraged to foster meaningful connections and collaborations with their colleagues.

The bottom line is that communication is centered around knowledge-sharing, while real collaboration puts this knowledge to good use. Streamlining communication, using effective technology and ensuring documents are in order are all essential first steps to true collaboration. And its benefits are immeasurable—it strengthens problem-solving, ensures the best ideas come to the table, creates a deeper bond among your employees and fosters a healthy sense of competition to encourage individual and collective success.

Business And Basketball: Why Team Players Win

In the past, there was a hyper-focus on individual employee performance. But in more physically isolated environments, such as hybrid or remote workplaces, the focus is less on the individual and more on the good of your entire team. Companies should focus less on the how and more on the who—who in your workplace will help you accomplish your goals? Who is on your team and willing to collaborate to bring forth the best ideas to serve your clients and company?

Take Michael Jordan as an example. Even though he is celebrated as one of the best basketball players of all time, he needed a team around him to sharpen his skills. Enter Scottie Pippin.

Pippin and Jordan were both members of the Chicago Bulls in the 1980s and 1990s and helped the team win six NBA championships during their time together on the team. Both were incredibly successful before they were on a team together, but their partnership (and sometimes their rivalry) made them even better. Pippin told the Guardian in 2020, “We grew up together, and we defended each other. That respect we had on the court, that competitiveness we took through to the top—it was special. That was the respect we had for each other because we had to be on the court to do what we did.”

You might argue that Pippin found success on the court during Jordan’s ’93 to ’94 absence, but when Jordan rejoined the team the following year, Pippin had the best season of his career thus far. There’s no way around it: Having a good team around you sharpens your skills and helps bring out your best performance.

The real beauty of true collaboration is that, at the end of the day, your teammates (or co-workers) are there to strengthen you, support you, and make sure your business as a whole wins. That’s why I believe that effectively executing this core tenet will be essential to businesses’ long-term success.

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Article resource: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/02/10/the-importance-of-considering-collaboration-during-digital-transformation/?sh=2c79e5c3a127