Collaboration 101: The 4 key skills every team needs

Collaboration is critical to team success. There are no two ways about it! Whether you’re working in a startup or a large corporation, the ability to work well with others is essential in achieving your goals. While collaboration can span many team qualities, here are four key team skills that help them work effortlessly together.

Communication

Communication is the foundation of any successful collaboration. It’s essential that everyone is on the same page and that everyone’s ideas and concerns are heard. This means actively listening to others, being open to feedback, and being able to express yourself clearly and concisely. Effective communication has a strong influence on productivity. According to a Mckinsey report, improved communication and collaboration raise the productivity of workers by 20-25%.

Empathy

Empathy is the ability to put yourself into the shoes of others, understand how they’re feeling, and see things from their viewpoint. It’s essential for collaboration because it helps to build trust and mutual understanding among team members. When team members can put themselves in each other’s shoes and understand each other’s perspectives, it leads to more effective problem-solving and decision-making. A study by a global leadership advisory firm, Egon Zehnder, found that managers had a failure rate that was up to 8 times lower for managers who had higher levels of emotional capacity and capability.

Adaptability

Collaboration often involves working with people from different backgrounds, with different skill sets, different perspectives, and different ways of working. Being adaptable means being able to work with different personalities and working styles. It also means being able to adjust your approach when things don’t go as planned. Most importantly, it means being able to shift your worldview, collaborate, build upon and create new combined paradigms. Being adaptable is essential for any team looking to work together effectively.

Problem-solving

Problem-solving is another essential skill for collaboration. It’s important that team members have the ability to analyze problems and find solutions together. It’s important for team members to have the ability to work together to identify the root cause of a problem, weigh potential solutions and make decisions that will benefit the team and the organization. Effective problem-solving also leads to better decision-making, improved communication and increased creativity which are all vital in achieving team’s goals.

By developing these skills, teams can work together seamlessly and achieve their goals. Remember, effective collaboration is about understanding each other’s perspectives and being able to adapt and work together, regardless of individual differences.