‍93% of companies today report the need to improve collaboration within different teams and stakeholders throughout the organization. Research also shows that companies that create intentional collaboration experience higher levels of innovation and growth. Leaders have recognized that people who work collaboratively are vital to business success. On the other hand, the cost of poor collaboration within a company’s culture can be substantial. Why?

The Business Cost of Poor Collaboration
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Your workforce spends more than two-thirds of their day either in communications or in collaboration, yet lose almost 15 percent of their total work time. In an age where hybrid and remote work are the norm, employees expect to be a screen tap away from connecting with other people. It is common for companies who are trying to keep their tech aligned to the changing work model, end up with a mashup of conflicting and incompatible applications and tools. The result—productivity suffers and teamwork easily breaks down as silos appear across the organization.

Companies that Build Intentional Collaboration See Big Benefits
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Gartner research shows that teams who are given the opportunity to collaborate intentionally are nearly three times more likely to achieve high team innovation than teams that do not use an intentional approach. To unleash innovation in this context, leaders must empower employees to collaborate more intentionally.

More Innovation → Stronger Business Growth
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Innovation has become a competitive necessity for companies and can drive  significant revenue growth. Companies with increased innovation favour an open process that encourages collaboration across the organization. Innovation does not do well in silos.

So What Is Intentional Collaboration?

Intentional collaboration develops from team interactions and communication but goes deeper than simply surface level interactions. Whatever form it takes, strong collaboration emerges from establishing the relationships and support necessary to handle challenging conversations, complex information, and limited time. Done intentionally, investing in areas of intentional collaboration can create rich opportunities for innovation. So how do CEOs design intentional collaboration into their company culture? 

One way is to use a workstream communication platform that is current, modern and familiar. Workplace from Meta is a great online collaboration tool available that can help bring teams together and foster a company culture of collaboration.
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Tips From ServiceRocket’s Experience
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• Create the Space: Whether you’re looking to communicate with the right people, collaborate on projects or build company culture, at ServiceRocket we use Groups in Workplace to store information, share it and get work done.

• Groups enable people to share and collaborate on documents, assign tasks, share feedback, tag colleagues and post updates.
• You can also use these groups to share or exchange documents directly – via integrations with tools like Box and SharePoint.
  

• Break down silos: Workplace from Meta has many features that promote and enable cross team information sharing. At ServiceRocket, we realized to maximize performance amongst employees, you need ways to release information from silos. 

• From improving document storage to enabling people to access quick answers to key questions, with Workplace from Meta, better knowledge-sharing means greater workplace efficiency.

• Enable knowledge sharing and hear instant feedback through comments and reactions with the chat feature and open the conversation to everyone with Auto-Translate.
  

• Encourage feedback: Workplace from Meta comes full of features that foster continuous feedback. At ServiceRocket, we are strong believers that it is how good ideas get better and this leads to increased innovation.

• Get input on decisions with Polls and Surveys. Polls and surveys allow you to measure sentiment across your organization, and help you gain actionable insights around what areas require additional support and investment. 
• Use the Live Video feature. A reliable way to talk to your entire company. Live Producer lets you create high-quality live events directly from your computer, with features such as screen-sharing, Q&As and live-stream metrics. Videos can also be saved and rewatched for dispersed workforces.
  

The Collaboration / Innovation Connection

Highly innovative companies recognize that creating intentional collaboration is vital to business success. One of the biggest factors that contribute to the success of any business is whether or not its employees are able to perform together as a team. With increased competition, it has become extremely important for leaders to encourage  intentional collaboration in the office, in order to improve productivity and innovation. 

Workplace from Meta provides the workstream communication platform that allows for leaders to implement intentional collaboration to drive innovation and increased productivity.

Collaborating on solutions and strategies is important; however, the innovation that spurs from this must then be aligned to create synergy throughout the organization. Consistent communication including continuous feedback and the exchange of ideas is the key to driving the free flow of creative thinking. This process is critical in driving success in today’s ever-changing world.