Team collaboration is the cornerstone of any successful business.

Collaborative workplaces see increased levels of trust, a more engaged

workforce, and improved performance.
1. Share the company's mission over and over again.

Everyone needs a reason to show up each day -- a cause to be part of, and a broader
objective to work towards.

Defining your company's mission is the first step towards bringing people together under
one common goal and working together towards making it happen.

Your mission should be simple but meaningful. The more compelling the better.

It's your job to give your employees a reason - beyond the paycheck - to show up each
day and get passionate about their work. And the more passionate they are, the more
likely they are to work together with their teammates to achieve the company's mission.
And make sure you're bringing it up often to make sure everyone is clear on the mission
-- to the point where everyone on your team can repeat it on their own. That way, when
confronted with conflict or challenges, they'll be able to keep the mission in mind to stay
focused.

2. Communicate your expectation for collaboration.

Similarly, if your team doesn't know that you want them to work together, you can't
expect them to do so.

From the start, set your expectation for collaboration as a minimum standard. Even
better, it should be part of your onboarding process so that potential recruits know you
prioritize teamwork.

Employees' job descriptions should include details about their own individual roles, as
well as roles they're expected to carry out collaboratively. By differentiating these, you're
setting clear boundaries between what they should be taking personal responsibility for,
and what they need to work on collectively.

3. Define and communicate your team's goals.

Letting your team know what their goals are is not a monthly conversation. Not even
weekly. Ideally, you should be discussing your team's goals on a daily basis.

A team that knows their individual -- as well as collective -- goals helps to reduce silos
and keep everyone productive.
Morning huddles held at the same time each day can help to foster the idea that
everyday team members are working towards something specific together.

Even better, you can take a step back and let your team define their own daily goals.

4. Highlight individuals' strengths.

Recent research by OfficeTeam shows that 66% of employees would quit their jobs if they
felt unappreciated. This number jumps to 76% among millennials. People start to look
elsewhere if their unique set of skills aren't being used, and their value isn't being
recognized.

Not everyone is a leader. Not everyone is a confident public speaker. But a successful
team thrives when each member is able to bring their own set of skills to the table.

As part of your recruiting process, you'll have already identified your employees' specific
strengths. Make sure you build on these strengths and emphasize them in collaborative
environments.

When I was growing my content team, it was important for me to focus on the specific
strengths of each person I was hiring and how those fit not only the duties of their
distinct role but the collaborative efforts of the content team as a whole.

You can build on this by getting everyone to take a personality or skills test and share
the results in a group setting.

5. Promote a community working environment.

A sense of community is crucial for collaborative working environments. 54% of
employees state that a strong sense of community led them to stay at a company longer
than was in their own interests.

When people feel that their opinion matters, they are more likely to apply themselves
more. Conversely, when people know their opinion doesn't count for anything, they feel
redundant and team-playing disintegrates.

But it can be tricky to get the conditions right. You don't want to inundate your team with
endless meetings and insist on collaboration for collaboration's sake. After all, not all
tasks need to be worked on as a team.

A daily morning huddle is a good starting point. At the same time each day, invite your
team to get together and discuss their goals, tasks for the day, and opportunities where
teamwork would be beneficial. These environments can help teams to align themselves
and avoid duplication or oversights.
6. Foster honest and open communication.

Good team collaboration relies on open and truthful communication. The more people
feel they can contribute, the more ideas can be shared, the more productive the team
will become.

However, for the more introverted team members, this part of the process might not
come naturally.

If you create a psychologically-safe working environment in which team members feel

safe from judgment, they are more likely to speak openly and contribute their ideas
freely. The safer the environment for communication, the more collaborative that space
will become.

7. Encourage creativity.

A collaborative team is an innovative one. Likewise, creating the space for creativity will
help foster collaboration. It's a virtuous circle.

Brainstorming sessions can be a great way of opening up your team to creative

thinking. An environment in which they can put forward and challenge ideas will help
employees feel like they have a stake in the company's mission.

I often find that for some team members, brainstorming sessions can be daunting,
especially if it's sprung on them without warning. To work around this, I give my team a
heads-up the day before to allow everyone to prepare their thoughts in advance.

8. Share knowledge, insights, and resources.

Knowledge, as they say, is power. And if knowledge is shared amongst your team, they
will feel more empowered to contribute on an even playing field.

File-sharing software can help your team access the resources they need to do their
jobs -- as can internal collaboration software.

But further than that, create spaces -- both physical and virtual -- where your team can
share their insights, discuss their failures, and give each other constructive feedback.

9. Lead by example.

You can strategize for collaboration as much as you like, but if you're not exhibiting
collaborative behaviors yourself, then this will filter down to your employees.

As a leader of a collaborative team, you need to demonstrate cooperation at every turn.

One-to-ones are a great place to start. Focusing some one-on-one time at regular
intervals with each of your team members demonstrates that you are ready for dialogue.

The way you deal with requests and the way you make promises also indicates how you
really feel about collaboration. When your employee comes to you asking for support,
then honor their request. And only make promises that you know you can keep.

The more your team can trust you to have their back, the more that trust will filter down
through your team. And, in turn, the more productive they will become.

10. Get out of the office.

I'm not just talking about corporate event after corporate event, but offsite team-building
works.

Getting out of the office regularly helps teams build relationships based on mutual
interests rather than what they share in common within working hours. It helps
employees see each other as humans rather than just colleagues.

But this doesn't need to wait for offsite events. An impromptu morning coffee or a beer
after work can help to solidify relationships and get your team gelling. Some smaller
companies adopt a more regular arrangement, in which members of the team "buddy
up" and go for lunch one-to-one, rotating amongst the team.

11. Celebrate and reward successful teamwork

How you measure the success of your team will send out signals about what kind of
company you are. If you reward effective teamwork and successful collaboration then
you are communicating the values that underpin your business.

When you design your employee appraisal metrics, focus on team collaboration as well
as individual successes. Make it clear that your employees' team efforts will be noted
and collaborative successes rewarded.

12. Invest in collaboration tools.

Creating a digital workplace is the most practical thing you can do to ensure long-term
collaboration among your team. And uptake is increasingly high, with 80% of
businesses using social collaboration tools to advance business processes.