Collaboration is key to any team’s success. But what do you do when teamwork doesn’t work? You can’t afford the loss of productivity, the depletion of energy, or the drain on the bottom line.
Our research has revealed several common reasons for teams not working. Some of the most familiar include competition, turf wars, lack of team governance processes, and inadequate information sharing. Sound familiar?
Fixing a team’s problems isn’t a one-person job. Team members need to feel a sense of ownership over how the team operates. When problems arise, leaders must get team members to look at what’s going on and start to think about how true collaboration would replace or resolve their problems.
Building a truly collaborative team requires leaders to address what isn’t working, view trust as a must-have resource, and insist on behaviors that support collaborative principles.
Problems with teamwork are often tied to lack of trust. Without trust, people operate out of fear. Eliminate that fear, and teams gain productive energy, creativity, speed, and better results. Building trust requires a leader who is willing to show integrity, change behavior, and take on the hard work of dealing with differences.
Another key to effective collaboration is to operate on principles rather than structures, politics or personality. An effective team leader helps the team turn these values into agreed-upon behaviors – which become the foundation for mutual trust, respect and high performance.
When teams embrace an effective governance system and leaders commit to a culture of trust and collaboration, the building blocks are in place for success and strong performance.
When teams embrace an effective governance system and leaders commit to a culture of trust and collaboration, the building blocks are in place for success and strong performance.
Start replacing fear with empowerment at your organization by equipping your team with collaboration skills. We can deliver our world-class, research-backed boundary spanning collaboration and teamwork content to them — or you can.
We can equip your facilitators to deliver a workshop or internal training on collaboration skills, either online or in-person, whichever you prefer:
Access everything your internal HR or team leaders need to upskill your people by holding a leadership workshop on this topic
Or, we can incorporate collaboration skills as part of a larger leadership development initiative for your organization:
Combine with other topic modules and interactive experiences into a customized learning journey for your leaders
Our highly personalized leadership programs prepare leaders to address common challenges with boundary spanningÂ
Organizations who have partnered with us to upskill their people’s collaboration and teamwork skills consistently tell us the same thing: their experience with CCL made a significant impact on their culture — and their bottom line.
But don’t just take our word for it — take theirs.
“Coaching was powerful and better than I imagined. Now, we are a high-performing team that works together, and also recognizes that individual contributions matter – we are a composite of the best of our wisdom.”
Program Participant
Tarrant County College
Higher Education Institution Builds Cohesive Leadership Culture with a Custom Leadership Development Program
“We have created a critical mass of leaders who are connected, collaborative, and committed to our mission. We are working in more system-focused ways and leveraging our strengths in ways we never anticipated.”
Jon Abeles
Senior VP of Talent Management and Diversity
Mercy Health
Health System Creates Academy to Change Culture & Strengthen Leadership
Our experts are here to help. Let’s have a conversation about collaboration skills at your organization and how our collaboration and teamwork content could help support your development initiatives.
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The most effective leaders work across boundaries, forging common ground with colleagues from differing positions, backgrounds, and locations. Evolve your approach with these boundary-spanning ideas.
For a team to succeed, all members should move in the same direction. Take some time upfront to agree on a team charter so you can define your purpose and track your objectives.
With remote and hybrid work on the rise, effective virtual collaboration has never been more important. Success requires more than technological solutions – don’t overlook the importance of interpersonal skill development, too.
Why invest in team-building and collaboration? Because highly collaborative teams directly impact your organization’s productivity and bottom line.
In a team, every member plays a role that either helps or hinders progress. Learn some helpful communications tools so you can be a teamwork activator instead of a blocker.
Team work comes with challenges. When you understand what teams need to succeed — whether you’re in the planning phases or action mode — you can improve team performance.
Package our research-backed collaboration and teamwork content with other proven leadership development topics and solutions for a customized, scalable solution perfect for your organization’s unique needs, context, and culture. Related topics include:
