Collaboration is, by definition, working together. It is, by nature, service oriented. And when your employees aren’t competing, but rather, are combining their skills and knowledge to serve each other’s needs so that the company can better serve customers’ needs, the value of your organization increases.

For generations we’ve been taught that competition is good, however, the business landscape has changed and continues to evolve and the competitive silos that were created in the past are no longer sustainable today and need to be eliminated. When you give everyone a common goal as a focus and then encourage them to work together and collaborate creatively to achieve it, you break down those silos and enable your business to meet the ever changing, increasingly demanding needs of your diverse stakeholders.

In addition, collaboration also allows people to better explore ideas, develop solutions, and get results that go beyond what a single person can do. It encourages innovation and increases employee energy and productivity which all leads to more engagement. And this increased engagement leads to a workforce that’s more eager to take on new projects and challenges. Making collaboration part of your organization’s culture can reinvigorate your employees and, by extension, your customers too.

To collaborate well requires high trust, clear communication, and, as was said before, a common goal, purpose, or vision. Imagine your entire workforce trusting each other, communicating well, and rowing together to achieve a common result, what kind of success would you see? When collaboration involves every department and employee at every level, it creates a workplace where everyone wants to be rather than has to be, and that better workplace can only translate to a better customer space not to mention greater financial success.

What can you do to promote more collaboration? What can you do to tear down silos? How can you model more trust, better communication, and a collaborative spirit? Start today.

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