Fostering Collaboration in a Time of Physical Distancing

As we continue through a year of uncertainty and some teams continue to operate from a distance, leaders must work harder than ever to foster collaboration. Working virtually can often lead people to feel isolated in their work and prevent teams from working together as they usually do. As teams and their locations change over the next few months, it will be important for leaders to keep a collaborative dynamic as a constant.

Creating Together

Amanda Madrid, associate director of asset services with Cushman & Wakefield, said that the available technology has been crucial in making sure her team stayed in a collaborative mindset. She said that being able to view documents or materials together and mark them up as a group allowed for everyone to have a platform for their thoughts and concerns even in a digital space.

“It forces us to be together even more because we have to make up for the physical contact we can’t have,” Madrid said.

Many teams are finding digital collaboration a key part of making a team feel cohesive. It is easy to make a team member feel isolated in a digital or scheduled-shift work environment, so live, collaborative sessions are essential to making sure everyone is on the same page and that members of the team still feel engaged.

Falling Behind

Madrid also stressed how difficult it is to be vigilant as a leader during this time. It is easier in a physically distanced landscape to fall away or feel isolated from the team. Madrid said it is the leader’s job to recognize when certain members of the team may be struggling and work with them to keep them engaged.

She says work chats and face-to-face video meetings are great tools for making sure all team members are involved.

“The disconnect would be very very quick if we didn’t have this technology,” Madrid said.

While some professionals’ personality types embraced work from home lifestyle, for those employees that may be more attracted to a social environment, the transition has proven challenging. Madrid said it is important to be aware of your team and understand their individual needs and what challenges they may be facing in this environment.

Now that teams have been working asynchronously or virtually for some time, it is even more important to stay vigilant of your team’’s wellbeing and adjustment. Each situation is unique and leaders need to make sure they are creating the right environment that makes their team members feel comfortable to collaborate.

Unlocking Creativity

As many organizations transition from crisis control mode to long-term thinking, it is important to try to reinstate the status quo of collaboration. For leaders, it is often tempting to try to complete tasks solo because it might be faster or, in a digital setting, too cumbersome to gather team members on a video chat.

However, it is up to the leaders to push through that temptation and use the talented minds on their teams to problem solve.

“I don’t think you can do anything right now if you don’t have the collaboration of your team members,” Madrid said.

Beyond collaboration on work-related items, it is important to keep the team connected and informed during these times of uncertainty. Leaders should try to use the technology available to them to make sure they are scheduling non-work-related check-ins and face-to-face meetings with the team as a group.

Leaders may also find non-digital ways to foster a collaborative team dynamic, perhaps with a secret gift exchange or pen pal system. As people return to their offices at different rates, the effort to keep a team connected must be kept up and reaffirmed. While sometimes it can feel like working on an island, remote or hybrid work environments do not have to operate in isolation. As the year continues, keep collaboration and team morale top of mind. Now that the sprint is over, the marathon work can take place.

With so much unknown about the return to the office, keeping collaboration and team satisfaction at the forefront will aid any transition plan.