Communication is not Collaboration

We have enough experience with hybrid working, chat tools, and video conferencing to make some conclusions. It is now obvious that 24×7 high-bandwidth, high-velocity communication will not provide collaboration.

The Covid epidemic started two and a half years ago, and since then, our workplaces have become multi-faceted complexes. The old tools of digital work, such as email and phone calls, are now widely used in addition to chat, video, and other digital work tools.

Prior to the outbreak, organizations considering digital workplace projects should be reminded that communication tools and employee collaboration are two distinct things. The last two years have provided this proof. Attempts to provide tools to meet, stay connected, and do work do not necessarily result in collaboration.

The rise in complaints about colleagues and collaboration in organizations is attributable to several factors. We have lost some social muscles in the last few years, and the fragmentation, bubbles, and algorithmic information have made the connection more difficult. There are also real stress, trauma, and mental health issues stemming from our recent experiences.

Three issues are most problematic in my experience:

#Clarity: Does your team really support the same goals? Do you express those goals in terms of measurable results and compelling stories that everyone can understand? Without a significant level of alignment, collaboration is impossible. Unfortunately, minor misalignments, in which people think they understand fast-moving communications, are extremely common.

#Context: Is there consistency in the data that your team process? Often, information is lost in the flood of communication. For example, I attended a regular meeting where each session had a logical structure, but I couldn’t anticipate it. It took me a long time to realize that the agenda and documents were posted on a Team that nobody ever mentioned because of a lack of context. The context was an issue at this time.

#Cohesion: The post-pandemic period is a time of strained relations and moods. Bringing people together, maintaining unity, and reaching compromises are more difficult than we thought. We have lost social muscle.

#Complexity: There’s no doubt that the way we work has changed dramatically over the past few years. These words and phrases – agile, iterative, parallel, hybrid, distributed, global, connected, faster, more data-driven, digital, and automated – are all symptoms of this. Even the simplest collaboration can turn into a complex systemic change effort as a result of these elements.

How Creative Social Intranet Software at Workplace Solves?

#Your Team’s Productivity Will Increase: An intranet can provide a more appealing choice for company-wide collaboration than email. Do you know that the average employee spends 3.1 hours on email each day? FAQs, help desks, and resources can be put in one place to provide speedy answers to minor to medium issues. Avoid information overload by using a knowledge management platform such as an intranet. It may also help you to maintain information. Give your employees the tools and information they need to do their jobs well.

#Make’s Collaboration Simple: In the last 5 years, the utilization of collaboration tools has increased drastically, going from 55 percent to 79 percent. Collaboration tools are becoming more popular, whether your employees are working in the same area or not. Employees can share corporate news via a business intranet, and Yammer communities and Microsoft Teams chats may be held via the system. It is especially true if your company intranet includes an idea management system. Every department may store important files such as HR regulations and user guides. Office 365 can be used to collaborate with various teams and stay up to date on what every team is working on.

#Build A Strong Company Culture: The internet’s social component is especially important if you want your workers to interact since it is a social arena where anything from social media feeds to re-creating water cooler conversation might take place. It is important to publish notices and updates on the intranet. It is important to avoid getting lost in overloaded boxes, therefore place your message in a location where workers can see it. Keep corporate communications on the intranet to maintain corporate culture. Corporate communications should be shared with employees and teams. Employees and teams should be recognized.

Collaboration is the work; communication is the vehicle. The two must not be confused. Having the right media is necessary for communication, but collaboration depends on culture, people, and procedures. Because organizations want to adopt and adapt to collaboration, it is not because communication technologies are difficult. Rather, the difficult but most rewarding aspect is working with people in teams.