The Art Of Effective Collaboration

In today’s agile and digital world, every enterprise has deployed and leveraged collaborative tools to expand the horizon to reach and connect with its people, partners, suppliers and customers.
With connectivity available and reachable, many enterprise leaders are leveraging the benefits of collaborative tools cut down on travel to maximise their time in productive meeting hours. Only when the need arises, do executives travel.

Technology

Technology enables and creates a backbone for collaboration. There are many technology solutions like Unified Communication solutions from various vendors deployed by enterprise. However, companies must ensure:

• Right technology solution applicable and relevant to enterprise

• Integration of collaborative tools across and applications

• Driving effective usage of the tools deployed for accrued benefits

• Effective management of the tools deployed

• Measurement of effective usage of the tools deployed for the value

• Secured mode of collaboration to protect the confidentiality and security of information exchange.

Process

Having deployed the tools, it is imperative to have process defined on usage of these tools by employees in respective organisation. The process documentation includes effective management and monitoring by technical team to ensure availability for usage, and other users usage of these tools – standard operating procedures, do’s and don’ts of while collaborating in line with confidential and compliance policies. The process must be reviewed and revived continually to adapt with emerging trends in collaborative technology.

People

Having deployed technology solutions and process defined for usage of collaborative tools is not sufficient; it becomes imperative to focus on 6C + 2C to deliver 1C…The Art of Collaboration.
The key challenge is many of us face is driving effective usage of the collaborative tools deployed and the investments made in these tools.

“Technology can be put in place. People make it happen”. It is evident our focus and energy must be spent on these guiding principles to maximise the usage of the collaborative tools deployed. The key focus would be training users / people on the aspects of soft skills besides training on technology.

First Six Cs

1. Communication - Effective communication through digital media in the enterprise. In formal communication, it is important to know how, what and to whom to communicate in line with confidentiality and compliance policies.

2. Coordination - Effective coordination in the virtual world in terms how do we coordinate with people across to clearly articulate on what we want to communicate and the purpose to make things happen.

3. Cooperation - How do we seek cooperation across the virtual team and get the buy in across for the common goals and objectives.

4. Co-adapt - How do lead and enable people across the enterprise to adapt the new way of collaboration and communication in this digital world. This can be achieved through active participation and involvement supported by training on tools and soft skills.

5. Connecting - How do we connect with people across virtually? Sometimes we face a big challenge to connect with people in presence, it is indeed a big challenge to engage and connect with people across the enterprise virtually more so beyond enterprise with partners. Some of them we would not have met and seen each other.

6. Collaboration - Have the tools deployed to collaborate, the key is how we really collaborate in the digital world. What should be the approach and method we must use to collaborate with people who are connected virtually across the enterprise and beyond the enterprise.

Next Two Cs

1. Competencies - One technical competency to acquire those skills to deploy the collaborative technology integrated with business, and to manage the same for availability for usage. Second, the users of these tools on how to use and when to use, in case of challenges whom to approach for support – Help Desk (Response time and Resolution time).

With technology changing, how we will ensure continual upgrade of our skills and also the technology deployed besides training to end users on enhanced version to unleash the features of collaboration.

2. Capabilities - Once we have the competencies, the capability to use these tools through competencies acquired to drive effective usage and deliver value.

Final C

Having groomed on soft skills and also acquired the competencies with capabilities to leverage the collaborative tools, now how we work as a team to co-create value for the team and organisation. Any e-meeting, e-training, e-review has a purpose and objective. Time management is the key. How each one of us comes prepared for the meeting or review or training, adhere to the allotted time slot to enable others to express their views and speak, being focused and objective, crisp and clear besides being precise to the point to accomplish the goals / objective of the organisation.

In today’s world, Enterprise spanning across the world, it becomes even more important to respect and understand the following:

Culture - Understanding and respecting cultural diversity, Nationalities, the time zones, language and tone of communication becomes important.

Influence - The power of Influence in this virtual world through digital communication is important. How we ensure there is high level of engagement and connecting with the audience across virtually, striking a common chord.

Attention - Important to keep and grab the Attention of people through digital communication. More so in e-meetings, e-training - how do we ensure attentiveness of people who are virtually seated to ensure they are engaged and participative?

Digital collaboration will be and is going to be way of collaboration not only within the enterprise, but also beyond - where people have to reach out to customers and partners. It becomes imperative to acquire the relevant skills (and enhance the skills we already have) for effective collaboration and communication in digital world.

The views expressed by the author are personal and not meant to represent the official position of Otis and UTC on any matter.