Collaboration in a workforce encourages increased productivity, and teamwork is the best way to make your business more profitable. Investing in an environment that encourages this will reward you with increased sales and a happier team. Most employers realize that a happier workforce is a more productive workforce and you need to maximize the efforts of yours.
Give Them A Goal
You can motivate your team by giving them a goal to aim for. Don’t make it unattainable as that will have the opposite effect. It needs to be something that can be reached if they work together. This could be a monthly goal or a one-off project. If there is no clear goal to aim for, you may be surprised at how many excuses they will come up with not to work together, so the purpose of what they have to do must be clear.
Give Them Responsibilities
Give each of them a role with the team. This will ensure that they all know what they have to do and if you find that one of them has leadership qualities, utilize that by giving them overall responsibility. It is good that the team has a leader to go to and someone that can coordinate all their efforts.
Use Technology
Technology has made teamwork and collaboration much more simple. Now that so much can be done online and your workers do not have to wait for a paper trail, many of the processes have become less arduous. You can find out more about a complete document management system and electronic workflow at www.papersave.com. Using the cloud, for example, means they can all see the same thing at the same time. This can help to reduce the risk of work being duplicated and errors being made.
Encourage Them
Encourage team members to be innovative, as they may well come up with ideas that had not occurred to you. You should always be prepared to listen to what they have to say, and if you make a promise to look into their suggestion, make sure you do. Letting them down over something you have said you will do, can be demoralizing for them and will not foster collaboration at all.
Reward Achievements
You should recognize and reward their achievements if they do well. This does not mean that you have to spend a fortune, but something simple like coffee and cakes all round, says a thank you that they will appreciate. You could give them a bonus, or arrange an evening out for them all. Socializing out of work also encourages collaboration in work, and this will have a beneficial effect on your business.
Establish Your Collaborative Environment Now
If you were able to eavesdrop on a successful sports team after an event, you would hear them talking about how working together had given them the win. The same principle applies to your business, and you need to get your team working together right now.
There is no reason to delay. If you want your business to grow and continue to be successful, collaboration among your workers is the way to go.