Digital Marketing - Study Notes:
The benefits of effective team collaboration can be divided into two categories: project or process benefits, and personal benefits.
Project and process benefits
When a group comes together to collaborate, it inevitably results in the sharing of knowledge and experience. By the end of the collaboration, long-held beliefs are likely to have been challenged, established systems and work practices pulled apart, and workable shortcuts identified. As a result, specific skills and ‘hacks’ that help achieve project or task success get widely distributed throughout an organization and even become commonplace. This amplifies the positive impact of an effective collaborating team throughout the company, and future collaborations can build on its success.
At the end of a successful collaboration, team members themselves are better equipped to bring projects to fruition, having worked through various shared processes and systems in different cultures and environments. This, in turn, should eventually result in greater and wider organizational success.
Team members have also learnt how and when mistakes occur, and what they can learn from them. In effect, they become ‘bloodhounds’ who are constantly seeking to streamline and improve future projects, processes, and systems.
Personal benefits
Working with a group of people on a common project, with a common goal, is a powerful driver of personal success. Being part of an effective collaborating team can help you earn a reputation as a person who gets stuff done and who achieves results.
It can also help you to feel good. When you engage with others in the collaboration process, positive endorphins are released. You are more likely to experience powerful feelings like camaraderie and a sense of fun in your work environment. In addition, you enjoy an increased sense of personal worth from belonging to an effective team. If the team is successful with its assigned project, you will soon start to recognize the powerful feelings generated by success, and will want to replicate those feelings again and again into the future. Success feels good.
As an individual within a collaborating team, life can be fast-paced and exciting. As you get used to working collaboratively, you will probably find that your own pace of work – and success rate – increases too.
After successful collaborations, individual achievements are likely to be recognized, formally acknowledged, and celebrated. You may find yourself getting promoted based on your involvement in a successful collaboration. At the very least, you will enjoy increased personal recognition throughout your organization, and will be more likely to be invited to join future team collaborations.
How to reap benefits
To reap the many benefits that collaboration can bring, aim to follow these guidelines:
- Always be open to new processes and people.
- Police your own team, and set high standards for your work practices.
- React positively and assertively to failure, in order to conquer it and get back on track.
- Suspend judgment on subjects in which you are not an expert.
- Be open and receptive to working with people who use different methods or approaches than you do.
Learn to work within the dynamic of a team collaboration. While it may seem faster to work on a solution on your own or with a very small cohort, it is in fact the wider collaborating team that does the real heavy lifting.
Olivia Kearney
Olivia is CMO of Microsoft Ireland she is responsible for developing the longer term strategy for the Irish business and leads the marketing strategy across B2B and B2C.
A passionate marketing leader who cultivates big ideas to drive growth and brand distinction and brings her international experience in the Tech and FMCG industry.
Kevin Reid
Kevin is a Senior Training Consultant and the Owner of Personal Skills Training and the Owner and Lead Coach of Kevin J Reid Communications Coaching and the Communications Director of The Counsel.
With over twenty years of experience in Irish and International business with an emphasis on business communications training and coaching, he is a much in demand trainer and clients include CEO’s, general managers, sales teams, individuals and entire organisations.
With deep expertise in interpersonal communication through training and coaching and in a nurturing yet challenging environment, Kevin supports teams and individuals through facilitation and theory instruction to empower themselves to achieve their communication objectives. This empowerment results in creativity, confidence building and the generation of a learning culture of continuous self-improvement.
Bill Phillips
Bill is an international facilitator, trainer, and team coach. He has successfully coached CEOs, board members, directors, executive teams, and team leaders in public and private companies, NGOs, and UN organizations in 15 countries across four continents. He is also the creator of Future-basing®, a highly potent process for building strategy, vision, and cooperation.
