Here’s 5 reasons why collaboration is fundamental to business success:

1. COLLABORATION ENCOURAGES INNOVATION

Every great project requires creativity to problem solve and divergent thinking amongst teams. When employees collaborate, they create synergy which leads to forward-thinking ideas and innovative outcomes. Coupled with the right leadership, its creativity like this that leads to game-changing solutions that have the power to propel a business forward whilst attracting top talent in the process.

2. COLLABORATION BRINGS TEAMS TOGETHER

A happy and totally engaged team = a motivated and productive workforce. Collaboration makes teamwork easier, processes more streamlined and workstreams more efficient. Employees will feel at ease to communicate better, listen, learn and help each other to reach a collective goal as a result.

Brand values and promises can also come into play here. A survey conducted by LinkedIn found that 58% of businesses who had articulated brand values within their business plan experienced an annual growth of +10% in comparison to those businesses that did not – proving that by having these in place drives consistent behaviours, guides decisions, reinforces a company’s offering, unifies teams and plays a pivotal role in business success. Individuals and teams will feel more aligned with what your organisation has set out to do and realise they all play a part in the bigger picture, no matter their role.

As we like to say “the strength of the wolf is the pack, and the strength of the pack is the wolf”.

3. COLLABORATION FOSTERS CULTURE

Thirdway is a company that lives and breathes collaboration. It’s the DNA of our award-winning culture since 2009, what’s to thank for our success so far and is what we create for clients, day in, day out. It’s also something that we believe should always be work in progress.

Culture affects how we feel and behave, how we connect and communicate and how successful a business can be. It’s important that everyone feels that their own values align with their companies values, because true engagement starts there. Business leaders play an essential role in building strong collaborations to move forward together – collaboration is key in building strong stakeholder relationships which allows organisations, teams and individual employees to support each other and thrive! Better company cultures result in happier, and healthier, environments.

4. COLLABORATION HELPS WITH EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Collaborating helps with workplace engagement. When employees feel like their work plays a key role in working towards a common goal, they’ll be more engaged. At Thirdway, one of our brand promises is Total Engagement, because we create engaging environments with culture at the heart of it and the environments that we create for clients drive their people. We also promise our own total engagement with our clients and with each other internally. Of course, this is all magic that happens as a result of collaboration between project teams, clients and even departments.

5. COLLABORATION BEGINS WITH THE SPACE YOU’RE OFFERING.

The workplace is increasingly shifting from a “me” to a “we” work environment. In a recent study named “Creating Collaborative Spaces That Work,” Knoll determined that “employees now increasingly desire social connection and engagement as part of their collaborative experience.” The workplace has become a strategic tool that, if designed correctly, can be a tool that turns the dial in getting the maximum return on investment on a company’s biggest asset – it’s people. People are almost every business’s largest overhead. Get it right, and they can be the biggest influence on the successful delivery of strategic goals.

The businesses that succeed post-pandemic will be those that offer exceptional workspace that their enables people to operate at their full potential through a suite of purpose-driven areas. Enhancing collaboration, communication, innovation, productivity and providing the ability to focus as a result.

HERE’S WHAT TO CONSIDER:

First of all, you need to understand the need of the user in order to create a hybrid environment they can have the best experience in:

Get the basics right – set a series of principles to ensure the infrastructure is in place to enable your space to be easy to use and intuitive.

Allow for space to connect – create a landscape of settings that shifts the mindset of the user to adopt new ways of working and spaces to facilitate collaboration.

Focus alone – whilst we see a big shift towards more collaborative working, people will need the workplace to provide an environment to focus in which they don’t have working from home.

Give employees control – flexibility, adaptability and choice are all common themes which are at the forefront of the future of work.

Allow people to express themselves – by converting space into place. Design an environment where employees will feel comfortable, safe and have the ability to celebrate successes in.

COLLABORATION FOSTERS CULTURE

We said it before and we’ll say it again. Collaboration fosters culture. And it all starts with building and cultivating an inclusive, collaborative environment.

Consistently challenge the system. Try new things, experiment with your space. Learn from these collaborations, and most importantly, learn from your people.

At Thirdway, we design and build environments that shape the future of the workplace and make people happier as a result, through great design, strategy, technology and a focus on people that ties it all together. Let’s see how we can optimise your space for collaboration.