{"id":17660,"date":"2021-04-08T08:12:56","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T07:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=17660"},"modified":"2023-01-16T14:52:22","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T14:52:22","slug":"collaboration-collaborative-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/collaboration-collaborative-team\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Collaboration and How Can You Build a Collaborative Team?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Virtual collaboration has been at the forefront since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. After many businesses shut down their offices, some permanently, determining the best way for teams to function via remote locations has remained a challenge. Collaboration is not always easy, and going fully remote has added to that difficulty. The struggle remains in whether <\/span>remote collaboration<\/strong><\/span><\/a> can compare to the typical in-person work environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Offices and in-person workspaces may be a thing of the past. We used to sit with co-workers and collaborate on projects to their completion, then clock out at the end of the day, and we are now working remotely and asynchronously for a large part of our days. We are not just working from home<\/a>, but rather living at work as we are attached to our computers and unable to disconnect like we used to be able to when leaving physical work settings. How do we ensure that we accomplish our work and aren\u2019t stuck living in it at the end of the day? <\/span><\/p>\n

We can take a variety of steps to ensure our work is blocked off into a designated time of day. Sticking to a work schedule, unplugging at the end of the day and staying in communication with team members throughout your work will make the time you do spend working more productive. How do we stay in constant communication with others while working remotely, though? Through virtual workspace applications, collaboration is made much easier and allows us to shut off our notifications at the end of the day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is Collaboration?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Collaboration is defined as \u201c<\/span>the action of working with someone to produce or create something.\u201d Collaboration in a digital world means that <\/span>workspace applications have become the basis of many functional businesses. <\/span><\/p>\n

Collaboration applications<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are various choices, but if you have never used one before, how do you know what will work best for your team? Some workspace applications are more task-based, such as <\/span>Asana<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>Trello<\/span><\/a>, while others are more collaboration and communication focused, such as <\/span>Kontentino<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

It can be difficult to find an application that properly integrates all the other applications your team uses, such as Google Drive, Zoom or <\/span>LiveWebinar<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Rising in popularity, <\/span>Nifty<\/span><\/a> has seamlessly integrated all your necessary applications for maximal collaboration. Easily start or answer Zoom calls from within the application, so your team never misses another meeting. <\/span><\/p>\n

RingCentral<\/a><\/strong> can function as your all in one business communication application with seamless integration of phone, messaging and video.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to choose collaboration tools for your team?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When it comes to your team, what is the highest priority of your collaboration<\/a>? Do you need frequent communication, or are you just trying to keep track of what tasks are being accomplished? Do you need both for your team to collaborate at its best? Do you mind exiting applications to get to other tasks, or would you want a seamless integration that allows you to complete all your work in one spot? There are many questions to consider regarding getting the right application, but these applications are key to the work-from-home era we have entered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a wide array of options for the right workspace application for your team, and thanks to free trials, you can test out each to see what works best for you. These apps help to streamline communication, keep points of contact in the loop on the status of tasks and give your team the feeling of a collective effort being made. The time of sending emails back and forth is in the past, and if your team is to work efficiently, then applications are the only way to go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Effective ways to build collaborative teams<\/h2>\n

Once you find the <\/span>right workspace application<\/span><\/a> for your team, virtual collaboration comes down to your team’s capacity. Foremost, have the structure of your team mapped out. Everyone should know who they report to and what their role entails. Once this baseline is set, it is easier to tell your team’s needs or benefit from new hires. Though your team may already be established, reexamining organisational structure can always be beneficial. In the transitional period to online work, reexamining team structure is a smart move as priorities may have changed from what was originally imagined. <\/span>When building your team<\/span><\/a>, you will need a variety of other factors, such as onboarding and planning, to be sure your team can function at full capacity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Effective teamwork starts with clear communication and effective delegation. The <\/span>prioritisation framework<\/span><\/a> of tasks is key to running any team efficiently.\u00a0 It will help boost the team’s productivity and significantly increase the company’s revenue growth. By knowing how pressing tasks are, team members can gauge the direction they should head in for maximal productivity. From there, it’s necessary to document every step along the way. This can easily be tracked through some of the available workspace applications. This provides your point of contact with the needed updates to ensure you\u2019re on the right track and monitor if you could be falling behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

So you have your team and the application you\u2019re going to use, but how do you make your teamwork collaboratively?<\/span><\/p>\n