Following our article on the benefits of collaborative work To ensure employee engagement and the performance of the company, we have identified 6 key elements essential for the proper implementation of work in a collaborative mode.
From employee experience to workspaces and collaboration tools, what are the prerequisites for «preparing the ground» in your organization and quickly and effectively implement collaborative work ?
1. Creating a supportive collaboration framework
Collaborative practices are one of the aspects of agile approaches. However, for managers and employees to be prepared to collaborate within their teams but also across the company, It is first and foremost up to top management to instil an agile mindset and an agile culture..
This framework of collaboration, which allows for the establishment of the essential rules between management and teams, is based on responsibility, autonomy, the right to make mistakes, iterative work, etc. It also enables the creation of an environment of mutual trust and respect to foster the exchange of ideas and the joint decision-making process.
Developing the Agile culture in the company, Therefore, it is to encourage adherence to the values and principles of agility to enable teams to acquire the agile posture necessary for applying agile methods… including the integration of collaborative practices.
Jean-Louis Batany, Director of the Delegation Management Department within the Group Orange’s Directorate of Community Relations, testifies: “The development of collaborative practices involves new behaviors, a new way of exchanging, working in networks [and] a new posture (…) in order to streamline work, facilitate exchanges, and promote the effectiveness of the collaborator”.
Training in collaborative work in the workplace: interview with the Orange Group
2. Defining clear and shared objectives
All collaborative work begins with setting a goal to be achieved collectively and with concrete and common objectives.
The tasks and roles of each collaborator are distributed in a logic of complementarity and information sharing. The collaborative mode allows for: Create synergies within the group and promote cross-sectoral coordination in the company to collectively achieve a common goal.
In a logic of convergence and transparency, each member brings their own contribution and knows how their personal goals serve those of the team, and how those serve those of the organization. The collaborator no longer works for the goals of his manager but for those of his team and, in the end, those of the company.
The OKR (Objectives & Key Results) method, Increasingly chosen in Europe after being adopted by many groups worldwide, it is particularly suited to this challenge: based on the company’s objectives, OKRs are implemented at all hierarchical levels, allowing managers and employees to set their own goals – and review them regularly – in service of a common ambition.
3. Adopt transparent communication
Transparency is one of the pillars of collaborative work because it enables the sharing of knowledge to improve efficiency and speed up teamwork. It does not imply unlimited access to company information, but it does allow:
- a better one visibility on the overall strategy and the contribution of each individual, in the service of a stronger involvement of the employees,
- one sharing ideas and one co-construction in a team for greater responsiveness and creativity, contributing to better performance,
- news More effective vigilance since by sharing the risks, difficulties, and obstacles, we can better anticipate and react collectively.
While collaborative work tools contribute to this transparency by facilitating the monitoring of projects and collective results, It is primarily about making communication open and transparent, both behind the screen and in the office..
Thanks to communication techniques (rephrasing, active listening…) and feedback, The discussion provides an opportunity for each collaborator to express – in a constructive manner – their opinion and perception of the facts (cognitive biases). In particular, certain approaches such as CNV (Nonviolent Communication) allow for the development of a climate of trust and cooperation and the resolution of any potential conflicts.
«The employees have the solutions; we just need them to speak up, take a step back, and work collectively to generate new solutions.»
Magali Degouy-Bars, Director of HR Transformation (MOM Group)
4. Deploy collaborative workspaces
Setting up collaborative work often requires reorganizing workspaces to make them places conducive to exchange and teamwork. Open spaces, creative spaces or more cocooning They are indispensable to facilitate communication, collaboration, and the desire to innovate collectively.
Frédéricke Sauvageot, Director of QVT at the Real Estate and Workspace Division at Orange, explains: « For a workspace design project to succeed, it is essential that the employees share the vision, that they are committed to it, and that they can be active participants and co-creators of the project. It is essential to start from the professions and the uses to design spaces. »
Attention! The deployment of collaborative workspaces involves implementing methods for Activate collective intelligence and stimulate creativity (brainstorming, Design Thinking, Design Sprint…). The awareness of the teams regarding these approaches relies, in particular, on the managers, who therefore represent an essential key to the success of the new work spaces.
New workspaces: managers at the heart of change
5. Sorting out the tools for collaborative work
From Dropbox to Teams and the intranet, many companies – regardless of their size – already have several collaborative work tools. Document sharing platforms, online discussion applications or solutions for managing collective projects, Digital tools facilitate communication and teamwork. Yes, but…
The example of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Network is revealing of the pitfalls associated with collaborative tools: many companies have failed to convince their employees of the benefits of CSR. Damien Douani, expert in Digital & Innovation, explains: “The Enterprise Social Network is not just a simple tool; it is the trigger element. new working methods and of one new culture of sharing within the company”.
[White Paper] Collaborative and Social Enterprise Network: challenges and testimonials
Effectively relying on collaborative platforms therefore requires the company to «prepare the ground» with all its teams (we return to the point of starting). Agile collaboration framework mentioned at the beginning of the article!).
In addition to this essential step of awareness-raising about agility, several optimization axes can boost the impact of collaborative work tools on the organization (all the more so with The hybridization of work modes), notably:
- harmonizing the shared platforms online (collaborator extranet, shared Drive, Slack…),
- limit the number of tools and communication channels to avoid spreading the information,
- Training employees according to their value of use collaborative tools (appropriate to the needs).
6. Putting the employee experience at the center
Last but not least, The implementation of collaborative work is not feasible without a good employee experience. While the points mentioned above contribute to this (collaboration framework, clarity of tasks, transparent communication…), Employees must feel confident and recognized – both within their team and by management – for their contribution to the common project..
That is why, beyond the collaborative work tools that can highlight collective and individual performance, it is essential to transform work modes through the use of technology. participatory management to value the employees, strengthen the sense of belonging and develop everyone’s commitment to creating a better team atmosphere.
Furthermore, the moments of conviviality should not be overlooked. establishing the necessary climate of trust for collaborative work. The adaptation of work spaces is an opportunity to integrate relaxation areas to encourage informal exchanges, and the organization of collective events conducive to collaboration. team building (from the seminar to the workshop by going through… the outings between colleagues) remains a sure bet.
The employee experience must therefore be at the heart of collaborative practices in your organization, serving to motivate and engage teams on a daily basis.
Testimony of Michel and Augustin
How to create a new employee experience?
Collaborative work is an indispensable process for meeting today’s and tomorrow’s challenges in the workplace. It allows for optimizing results by pooling skills, sharing ideas, and challenging them. However, it is essential to properly manage collaborative work and to be accompanied on the aspects discussed in our article to successfully implement it and quickly reap all the benefits.
