In the recent weeks I have thought more and more about team work in the work place. So many of us come to work, put our head down and get to work doing “our job”. But, I want to take a minute and explain the importance of collaboration in the workplace.

Collaboration is when two or more people work together through idea sharing and thinking to accomplish a common goal. It doesn’t matter if you are collaborating with someone right next to your cubicle or someone 12 hours away; you can now easily collaborate with the ease of technology.  Collaboration can provide solutions, give individuals a strong sense of purpose and also reinforce that you are all on the same team. If that isn’t enough, here are some other benefits of collaborating:

Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention | You can’t disagree that when you figure out an answer to a problem you feel a sense of reward. The same goes to teams working on a problem and finding a solution to that problem.  As managers and owners we have to acknowledge when these collaborations succeed and give them credit for the job well done. When employees feel like they are a part of a team, they are more likely to stay at their job.

Solve Problems Faster | We all have those problems or issues that come up and we need help figuring out what to do. Many times we try to figure out a solution ourselves. If we put together a team chances are you will arrive at a solution a lot faster than trying to figure it out yourself. It goes back to grade school and getting someone else to proof read your school paper. That person always see’s something we missed; therefore, making our paper better.

Discover Employee Skills/Expertise | When working as a team you may discover a skill or expertise from an employee that you would have otherwise never known. When you allow employees to work together in a team you are taking them out of their normal work environment and allowing them to be creative. When you give them that access, you will see different strengths from those employees.

Those were just some of the benefits that came come from collaborating in the work place. If you would like to foster collaboration in the workplace but you are not sure how, I would encourage you to read this article by Andrew Field https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/fostering-collaboration/

This blog was written by our NWGA SBDC Program Coordinator, Kinsey Hicks Terry. For more information please contact our office, rome@georgiasbdc.org and make sure to “Like” us on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/UGASBDCofRome.