{"id":87783,"date":"2022-12-29T14:25:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-29T18:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=87783"},"modified":"2022-12-30T14:27:13","modified_gmt":"2022-12-30T18:27:13","slug":"why-is-collaboration-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-collaboration-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Is Collaboration Important in the Workplace?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why is collaboration important in the workplace? What can you, as a leader, do to foster teamwork and collaboration within your organization? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishments don\u2019t come from diving into a problem alone, telling people what to do, and focusing only on results. They come from approaching problems and solutions collaboratively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s why collaboration is so important and what you can do to encourage it within your organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why Is Collaboration Important? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Why is collaboration important? Effective collaboration<\/a> is the foundation of successful organizations. In workplaces that don\u2019t encourage collaboration, people don\u2019t ask for help or offer it to one another. As a result, productivity suffers and redundancy ensues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon Sinek: A Higher Purpose Inspires Collaboration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In his book Leaders Eat Last<\/em><\/a>, Simon Sinek<\/a> explains that the key to encouraging effective collaboration in workplaces is to define a higher purpose for the organization. A higher purpose is similar to a long-term goal in that it takes time and company-wide cooperation to complete. However, higher purposes are more abstract than long-term goals: They usually provide a sense of meaning beyond making profits or dominating a field, and they don\u2019t have concrete timelines for completion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sinek explains that there are two conditions your higher purpose must meet to effectively encourage collaboration in your organization:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Your company can\u2019t currently have the resources to fulfill the higher purpose.<\/strong> If your higher purpose is easily fulfilled, Sinek says it doesn\u2019t provide the necessary pressure to inspire collaboration. Your company needs to continually struggle to fulfill the higher purpose. This struggle applies constant external pressure, which inspires your subordinates to collaborate and experiment with innovative ways of fulfilling the higher purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The higher purpose must serve others.<\/strong> Selflessness is an important element of an effective higher purpose because it\u2019s inspirational, and inspired people work harder and are more dedicated. Sinek implies that helping others is inspirational because it prompts your brain to release higher levels of oxytocin. The happy feelings oxytocin provides motivate you and your subordinates to continue working hard and helping each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book The<\/em> Leadership Challenge<\/em><\/a>, Barry Posner echoes Sinek\u2019s argument that people collaborate best when they\u2019re working towards a common purpose or goal. Common goals unite people in collaborative efforts, in which everyone feels that their success contributes to everyone else\u2019s success, and that no one can be successful unless everyone works together. 

To encourage collaboration, Posner recommends that you structure your team\u2019s roles and responsibilities so that their individual objectives contribute to a larger objective, and make sure they see how the two are connected. This can also be effective in reconciling people who don\u2019t particularly like each other: Assigning two people who don\u2019t get along to work together can help them get past their distrust once they\u2019re working toward a common purpose.  <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\nTITLE: Leaders Eat Last
\nAUTHOR: Simon Sinek
\nTIME: 13
\nREADS: 42.1
\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/leaders-eat-last-cover.png
\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: leaders-eat-last-summary-simon-sinek
\nAMZN_ID: XYZ
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create a Sense of Safety <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addition to having a higher purpose that transcends profits, another important prerequisite for effective collaboration is a sense of psychological safety in the workplace<\/a>. According to Daniel Coyle (The Culture Code<\/em><\/a>), you can cultivate safety by using behaviors and actions known as belonging cues. <\/strong>These cues create a feeling of safety and comfort within the workplace and address three specific topics: connection, future, and security:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connection <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n