Capitalize on collaboration for team building

- Collaboration is at the heart of teamwork. And when done right, the team adds up to much more than the sum of its parts. Here are three powerful practices to help you enhance your team's collaboration. Continually clarify context. Changes are constant and it's vital to continually clarify the team's purpose in the context of the big picture. Without it, the team fragments. What's our organization's purpose? How does our department contribute? How does our team contribute? And finally, if applicable, how does this project contribute? The art of consultation. What if your team could achieve that magic balance of allowing the clash of diverse ideas that leverages the collective while maintaining unity and psychological safety? Everyone's opinion is regarded as equally valid with the understanding that optimal decisions are achieved only through building on the collective knowledge. This requires the frank participation of everyone involved. Here are three key principles to implement consultation, non personalization of ideas. Get your team to make a pact that whatever is contributed by an individual belongs to the group. Each member can add to the idea, suggest alternatives and scrutinize without people taking it personally. So rather than I disagree with you, you would say I disagree with the idea because of X. Provide evidence that argues the counterpoint. Consider it candor. Share ideas, questions, and opinions freely yet in a non-threatening and inclusive way that fosters curiosity and trust. The purpose is to seek the truth. For example have we considered the possibility that... United agreement, even if a team member is convinced that a decision isn't the best choice it's better to preserve team unity by supporting the group's decision? Because unity is what leads a team to continually improve and correct their decisions. Of course, common sense has to prevail and it doesn't mean the group proceed with any dangerous decision that lacks integrity. This isn't about creating group think. Consultation takes practice and the payoff can be immeasurable. Through the trust built, people are empowered to solve problems that require deep collaboration. Paying it forward. Collaborative teams operate with an unspoken rule that they have each other's backs. This idea of paying it forward is called generalized reciprocity. The help giver receives a burst of oxytocin. The help receiver experiences a burst of oxytocin and others in the team who witness it also receive their own burst of oxytocin, making them more likely to help too. It's the virtuous cycle of cooperation. Consider how you can incorporate paying it forward into your team dynamics. In the exercise files, you'll find a summary of these three powerful practices, together with space for you to capture your commitments. Next up, we're exploring how to deal with the inevitability of disagreements in teams.