{"id":26441,"date":"2023-02-14T10:00:50","date_gmt":"2023-02-14T10:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=26441"},"modified":"2023-12-15T14:23:25","modified_gmt":"2023-12-15T14:23:25","slug":"workplace-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/workplace-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"The 6 keys to effective collaboration in the workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collaboration in the workplace used to be limited to in-person brainstorming and project coordination. But the way we work is changing. Especially how we work together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As companies become more global and complex, the majority of work has become increasingly team-based. One study published in <\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/hbr.org\/2016\/01\/collaborative-overload\">Harvard Business Review<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> found that \u2018\u2018the time spent by managers and employees in collaborative activities has ballooned by 50 per cent or more\u2019\u2019 over the last two decades. The same study found that at many companies, more than three-quarters of an employee\u2019s day is spent communicating with colleagues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So how can employees today successfully collaborate while also navigating the common work structures and dynamics that get in the way of effective collaboration in the workplace? What sort of <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/ringcentral-answers\/slack-alternatives\/\">cloud collaboration tools<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> should companies be using to ensure success? First, let\u2019s define what collaboration means and what it looks like when it\u2019s done well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this post, we\u2019ll look at\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#collboration-in-the-workplace-definition\">What effective collaboration looks like<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#workplace-collaboration-benefits\">The benefits of collaboration<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#principles-of-effective-collaboration\">The 6 principles of effective collaboration<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#collaboration-essential-skills\">The 5 essential skills you need for collaborating at work<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#workplace-collaboration-tools\">Tools that help with collaboration in the workplace<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"collboration-in-the-workplace-definition\"><strong>What is \u201ccollaboration in the workplace\u201d?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Essentially, collaboration occurs when two or more people work together to produce or create something. This can happen either in person or virtually, thanks to the many communication tools and cloud-based programmes that are created for this very purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While there are many <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/7-effective-communication-tactics-for-a-gen-z-or-millennial-workforce-and-target-audience\/\">effective collaboration and communication strategies<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>,<\/strong> the most successful work environments typically have some important features in common. They\u2019re places where employees feel seen, heard and safe to share their thoughts. They run efficient meetings and work sessions. They have standardised systems and collaboration processes in place. Their teams understand the importance of healthy communication. You might have worked at one (or a few, if you\u2019re lucky!) before.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most importantly, executives and leaders understand that successful collaboration in the workplace isn\u2019t just good for their employees, it\u2019s good for their customers and their bottom line, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"workplace-collaboration-benefits\"><strong>The benefits of better workplace collaboration<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It might seem like a no-brainer to ensure your <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/business-group-chat-apps\/\">team is working effectively<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> together in the workplace. After all, as the saying goes, \u201cteamwork makes the dream work,\u201d right?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, it\u2019s no easy feat to bring people from different backgrounds, and depending on the size and structure of your company, different time zones together to work towards a common goal. However, the pros of effective communication and collaboration in the workplace far outweigh the cons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>More innovation<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, more and more companies are starting to assemble teams that bring people from across the organisation together to brainstorm on issues to come up with new ideas that will benefit the business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, consulting firm Protiviti hosts a Global Innovation Challenge where each of its local offices conducts a working session to answer a question from the leadership team. The ideas generated are then logged into the company\u2019s internal idea-sharing platform and reviewed by the company\u2019s Innovation Task Force:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26445 size-large\" src=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/workplace-collaboration-happy-employees-640x651.jpg\" alt=\"The 6 keys to effective collaboration in the workplace\" width=\"640\" height=\"651\" srcset=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/workplace-collaboration-happy-employees-640x651.jpg 640w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/workplace-collaboration-happy-employees-295x300.jpg 295w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/workplace-collaboration-happy-employees-768x781.jpg 768w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/workplace-collaboration-happy-employees-40x40.jpg 40w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/workplace-collaboration-happy-employees-24x24.jpg 24w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/workplace-collaboration-happy-employees.jpg 1206w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not only do initiatives like this help companies tap into the diverse perspectives of their talent, but <\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/nytimes.com\/2016\/02\/28\/magazine\/what-google-learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-perfect-team.html\">studies<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> also show that groups tend to innovate faster, see mistakes more quickly and find better solutions to problems than people working on their own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Stronger teams<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What do some of the best workplaces in the world have in common? They put effort into connecting their employees to form stronger teams and social networks. Not only does working towards the same goal instil team members with a strong sense of purpose, but collaboration also enables team members to fill in each others\u2019 skills gaps and divide up the work to play to everyone\u2019s strengths.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Case in point: HR tech company Workday developed a New Connections programme designed specifically for new hires to help them establish strong bonds with their colleagues. Through the programme, employees get to spend half of the day learning about the value of connections and the second half working on a community project to deepen their connections both inside and outside of the organisation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And the results speak for themselves. In the 2019 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, 86% of employees at the winning organisations said you can count on people to cooperate (versus 74% of employees at non-winning companies), and 91% said people care about each other (versus 82% of employees at non-winners).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>More knowledgeable and skilled employees<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When teams collaborate, they get the opportunity to learn new things from each other, which contributes to their overall personal and professional development. Collaboration also challenges people to think, articulate and learn more about their competencies, which can help them build self-awareness and a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, according to research published in <\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/hbr.org\/2016\/06\/the-secrets-of-great-teamwork\">Harvard Business Review<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>,<\/strong> teams often benefit from having a mix of cosmopolitan and local members. These are people who have lived in multiple countries and speak multiple languages and people with deep roots in the area they\u2019re working in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cosmopolitan members bring technical know-how and expertise that applies to many different situations, while the locals bring in-depth knowledge and insight into an area\u2019s politics, culture and tastes. Bringing these two types of members allows them to share knowledge and learn from one another while simultaneously tackling the projects at hand.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>A better customer experience<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve all heard of assembly lines, and though they sometimes get a bad rap, they\u2019ve shown us that many people working together can complete a project faster than one person working on their own. While this has many benefits internally, it can also have a huge impact on <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/definitive-guide-customer-experience\/\">customer experience<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (and help you maintain a high <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/let-ai-lead-the-way-reshaping-cx-to-improve-customer-retention\/\">customer retention rate<\/a>).\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, RingCentral is a collaboration platform that lets office-based teams communicate easily with <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/contact-centre\/overview.html\">contact centre agents<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>,<\/strong> not just for working on internal projects, but also for ad hoc collaboration to solve customer problems as they happen in real-time:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PZC3o5YN90E\" width=\"700\" height=\"400\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This empowers contact centres to resolve problems faster than previously possible, which makes for <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/what-do-your-employees-need-to-keep-customers-happy\/\">happy customers<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and gets you rave customer reviews.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"principles-of-effective-collaboration\"><strong>6 principles of effective collaboration\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the above skills can set you up to collaborate well, working successfully with others isn\u2019t just about what you do but how you do it. Collaboration styles vary wildly, so the mindset you take to approach collaboration can make a world of difference. The next time you need to collaborate with your team, keep these values in the back of your mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Efficiency<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meetings are an essential element to collaboration but over the years, they\u2019ve gotten a bad rap. After all, who hasn\u2019t been in a meeting that felt overly long or unnecessary? There are a few things you can do to<\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/productivity-tips-small-businesses\/\"> turn your team into a productivity machine<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One is to only have meetings when necessary. Virtual collaboration is great, but everyone has heard of video burn out due to the pandemic. By choosing your meetings wisely, you can improve collaboration and efficiency.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another way is to make sure that any meeting or call has an agenda and clear goals outlined for each participant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lastly, don\u2019t forget to set action items for everyone involved in the project at the end. If you have a project that requires a bit more teamwork from the attendees in a meeting, why not create a project-focused team chat for everyone? For example, RingCentral\u2019s <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/ringcentral-video.html\">video conferencing app<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> lets you do exactly that: not only can you have virtual meetings, you can also create a group conversation for follow-ups after the meeting in the same app:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26451 size-full\" src=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Tip-11-animated.gif\" alt=\"The cloud phone system software for small to enterprise business\" width=\"848\" height=\"472\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Trust<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People need to feel safe to give and receive genuinely constructive feedback, be inspired by a common goal, and have the tools and opportunities to connect. This can only happen in a trusting environment where employees feel like their teammates and leaders have their best interests at heart.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Empathy<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every team member has an important part to play. Nevertheless, collaboration can break down when one or more people feel like they have it harder than everyone else or feel like other team members are trying to bring them down. The more you get to know your colleagues and understand how they work and what challenges they\u2019re dealing with, the better chance you\u2019ll have at successfully collaborating with them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Positivity<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just because you had a group project go poorly in the past doesn\u2019t mean that the same thing will happen again. Try to shake off any past hang-ups you might have and approach every group work situation like a new start, with an open and positive mindset.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. Clarity<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s rare for everyone on a team to be on the same page from the very beginning. It\u2019s natural for people to have their own priorities or interests. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to identify everybody\u2019s priorities and agendas upfront to find a common denominator that will move the project forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>6. Accountability\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most successful businesses have systems and processes where employees can reference a project\u2019s schedule and tasks so they have a clear understanding of how their contributions affect the group. That way if deadlines are missed or someone isn\u2019t pulling their weight, it can be addressed quickly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"collaboration-essential-skills\"><strong>5 essential skills for collaborating at work<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019ve ever worked on a group project that didn\u2019t go as well as you thought it would, then you know that promoting collaboration in the workplace is often easier said than done. Perhaps your teammates work remotely and are hard to reach. Or maybe your organisation is too siloed and departments don\u2019t want to share information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re facing collaboration challenges at your workplace, one of the best things you can do is work on developing your soft skills. Trust us, mastering these five <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/business-collaboration\/\">collaboration skills<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will make working in a team a lot easier and more effective.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Goal setting<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you\u2019re working with a team, everybody must understand the purpose and vision behind the project, as well as how you\u2019ll be determining success. Establishing transparency from the get-go builds trust and helps ensure everyone is committed to success and aligned with a common purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Communication<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you begin tackling a task or assignment, make sure you set clear intentions. Let your teammates know what you\u2019re doing and set realistic expectations for when you\u2019ll get done, and be sure to follow through.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, remember to communicate if you need to make any changes to the plan that you\u2019ve set out. If something unexpected happens and you won\u2019t be able to deliver results as expected, communicate these changes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Again, this is where having an all-in-one communications tools comes in handy, if your team can video call and instant-message each other from the same app, there\u2019s a higher chance that they\u2019ll communicate quickly with each other when something comes up:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EbIAZJd9rCU\" width=\"700\" height=\"400\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Active listening<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you\u2019re working closely with others, you have to listen closely to each team member\u2019s ideas, feedback, and advice, and be considerate and respectful when responding. That\u2019s the idea behind active listening.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While you may have your ideas about how you would like the project to go or who should do what, you still need to take your colleagues\u2019 opinions into account. You might not always agree with the outcome, but at the end of the day, you need to prioritise the needs and responsibilities of the group over your own wants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Problem-solving<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes, issues come up and people make mistakes. It happens. When problems arise, remember to calmly analyse the issue as a group without blaming any one person. Instead, focus your energy on working together to find solutions. This helps build trust between team members and makes sure everyone feels comfortable communicating and being transparent with each other, even if they do something wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. Time management<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collaborating with others means you need to be accountable to not only yourself, but also your group members who are dependent on you. This is where time management skills come in. Being able to prioritise your tasks and schedule them out accordingly is key to ensuring you can meet deadlines and complete the work that your team is counting on you to deliver.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"workplace-collaboration-tools\"><strong>Tools that help with collaboration in the workplace<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teams can\u2019t collaborate if they can\u2019t communicate. The good news is there are many digital tools available to help you collaborate with colleagues virtually, beyond just email, because as we know, email isn\u2019t always the best way to get in touch with someone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/what-is-ucaas\/\">unified communication platforms<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that help support effective workplace collaboration:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26453 size-full\" src=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/email-vs-digital-communication-channel-approach.jpg\" alt=\"The 6 keys to effective collaboration in the workplace\" width=\"930\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/email-vs-digital-communication-channel-approach.jpg 930w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/email-vs-digital-communication-channel-approach-300x226.jpg 300w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/email-vs-digital-communication-channel-approach-640x482.jpg 640w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/email-vs-digital-communication-channel-approach-768x578.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 930px) 100vw, 930px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some of the best collaboration tools that you and your team should have on your radar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/teams\/overview.html\">RingCentral<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RingCentral\u2019s desktop and mobile app is an all-in-one communication tool that makes teamwork through every channel seamless. It includes video calling, messaging, file sharing and task management features and can even integrate with the likes of Google Workspace or Gmail:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26454 size-full\" src=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/google-calendar-intergration-with-ringcentral-platform.jpg\" alt=\"The 6 keys to effective collaboration in the workplace\" width=\"900\" height=\"592\" srcset=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/google-calendar-intergration-with-ringcentral-platform.jpg 900w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/google-calendar-intergration-with-ringcentral-platform-300x197.jpg 300w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/google-calendar-intergration-with-ringcentral-platform-640x421.jpg 640w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/google-calendar-intergration-with-ringcentral-platform-768x505.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can use it to start conversations with clients and teammates across multiple touchpoints and answer their questions faster by working together in real time across departments over a call, message or video conference, all in the same app:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9xaL89hYeFs\" width=\"700\" height=\"400\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Asana<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most popular project management tools on the market, Asana allows you to assign tasks to other teammates, add followers to projects, and monitor deadlines. At its most basic, Asana functions as a robust to-do list or project calendar, but its premium version has useful features like Forms to gather information and Timeline to track start dates and dependencies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26461 size-full\" src=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/asana-platform.jpg\" alt=\"The 6 keys to effective collaboration in the workplace\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/asana-platform.jpg 1024w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/asana-platform-300x188.jpg 300w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/asana-platform-640x400.jpg 640w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/asana-platform-768x480.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Trello<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26462 size-full\" src=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/trello.webp\" alt=\"The 6 keys to effective collaboration in the workplace\" width=\"1024\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/trello.webp 1024w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/trello-300x165.webp 300w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/trello-640x352.webp 640w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/trello-768x422.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like Asana, Trello is a project management tool. It has a user-friendly interface that organises projects and tasks into cards that can be dragged and dropped into different columns. It\u2019s quick to set up and works well for monitoring projects, assigning tasks, and quickly seeing the status of your team\u2019s projects at a glance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Google Workspace<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26465 size-full\" src=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/google-meet-platform.jpg\" alt=\"The 6 keys to effective collaboration in the workplace\" width=\"1024\" height=\"401\" srcset=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/google-meet-platform.jpg 1024w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/google-meet-platform-300x117.jpg 300w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/google-meet-platform-640x251.jpg 640w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/google-meet-platform-768x301.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google\u2019s suite of collaboration tools is tough to beat, and you\u2019ll find it in most teams\u2019 <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/marketing-tools\/\">marketing tech stack<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> From Drive to Sheets to Calendar, Google Workspace\u2019s tools are designed to allow teams to edit files at the same time and save all their changes automatically.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>The keys to effective collaboration<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is a lot more to effective collaboration than just meeting agendas and work-back calendars.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From company-wide innovation challenges to new hire onboarding programmes, the best workplaces use many different practices and programmes that promote collaboration. What they all have in common is that they understand the power of coming together to achieve great things.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you bring the right skills to the table, adopt the right mindset, and incorporate the right digital tools into the mix, magic can happen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For businesses looking for a solution that enables better collaboration, for an unlimited number of users, RingCentral\u2019s comprehensive platform allows unlimited users and guest users, meaning your team can communicate efficiently internally and with clients and external partners without a hitch. Check out more of the features that make <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/lp\/gartner-magic-quadrant.html\">RingCentral a leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant\u2122 for UCaaS<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Collaboration in the workplace used to be limited to in-person brainstorming and project coordination. But the way we work is changing. Especially how we work together.\u00a0 As companies become more &hellip; <a href=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/workplace-collaboration\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;The 6 keys to effective collaboration in the workplace&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":244,"featured_media":26444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Collaboration at work: 6 keys to success | RingCentral UK Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn the 6 key principles of workplace collaboration and the skills and tools you need to improve communication at work.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/workplace-collaboration\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"RingCentral Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Collaboration at work: 6 keys to success | RingCentral UK Blog","description":"Learn the 6 key principles of workplace collaboration and the skills and tools you need to improve communication at work.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/workplace-collaboration\/","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"RingCentral Team","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":":\/gb\/en\/blog\/workplace-collaboration\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/workplace-collaboration\/"},"author":{"name":"RingCentral Team","@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cc4f043d2b478862a8622c28b0ebd08c"},"headline":"The 6 keys to effective collaboration in the workplace","datePublished":"2023-02-14T10:00:50+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-15T14:23:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/workplace-collaboration\/"},"wordCount":2540,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["UC - 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