An organization is just as strong as its people. Undoubtedly, human resources need to be nurtured. What better way to do it than to build a culture of collaboration and learning? When a conducive work environment is developed, it maximizes employee productivity and enhances efficiency and competency. Every employee will bring his or her unique capabilities to the table which will have a cascading effect across the organization.
As companies grow and teams grow; each member of the team has a set of talent and skill set which works towards the good of the company. The meaningful collaboration will give way to meaningful conversations leading to innovative solutions and massive results.
More and more companies are moving from a ‘working-in-a-silo’ style to a collaborative culture.
When team members get together in pursuit of a common goal for their organization, stronger relationships are formed. There is better employee engagement and satisfaction. Collaboration can re-invigorate organizations by holistically engaging employees, improving retention, and participating in organizational initiatives.
Silo Mentality
When employees, departments, or sets of employees in an organization operate in isolation, it is termed as an organization with a silo mentality. Due to this, there could be less chance for effective communication, relationships, empathy, and trust among themselves.
Communication is at the heart of a collaborative culture. From employees to managers, to clients, excellent communication skills are essential.
Individuals working in silos are usually comfortable working among smaller groups. They communicate and collaborate with others in the same department or other silos. There are high possibilities of one person influencing the others – both positively and negatively. Common factors may create a bond among themselves, enabling them to form a subgroup within the department. When individuals and departments start operating in isolation, efficiency suffers, and duplicate efforts rise steeply.
The absence of cross-departmental collaboration means missed opportunities for combining diverse skills and opinions. This can result in mediocre solutions that are less creative and less effective. Isolated individuals and departments can create a competitive rather than collaborative work environment, which demoralizes employees, leading to dissatisfaction and high turnover rates.
iOPEX Technologies on Collaborative Culture
At iOPEX, there are designated employees as people champion, learning champion, and tech champion and they collaborate with their respective teams as well as with other departments as per the demands of their roles. While the people champions will be responsible for all people-related issues with HR and the employees, the learning champion will spearhead the learning initiatives of the organization. The Tech Champion will ensure all new tech info is coordinated with the respective teams.
Educating the employees about the negative consequences of Silo Mentality at the workplace is also very important so that everyone can work towards prioritizing a collaborative culture at the workplace.
As part of Talent development initiatives, a quarterly Training Calendar for all Behavioral Interventions is developed. This calendar largely covers the critical attributes of a collaborative culture i.e. Effective Communication skills, Teamwork, Design Thinking, and Emotional Intelligence.
Also read: Sharad Chandra joins Jeevan Scientific Technology as AVP & Head – HR
A common social media platform has also been developed wherein an employee can share his/her experience under tag lines #LiveByValues #BalancingForBetter #iOPEXdiaries #iOPEXbytes. Employee engagement programs through digital media platforms enhance workplace collaboration. The cross-functional team drives Employee Engagement Initiatives for their respective Business Units. They conduct Quarterly Town Halls, Reward & Recognition Events, Client Appreciation events, etc. IOPEX builds a sense of community by organizing social events that celebrate diversity, foster interaction, and promote collaboration.
Ensuring a transparent communication channel among the cross-functional team works wonders. Communication is at the heart of a collaborative culture. From employees to managers, to clients, excellent communication skills are essential. Employees must be encouraged to strengthen these skills which will lead to better outcomes in the organization.
Collaborative culture is no longer an option, it is the only way forward for any organization in any sector.
Stay connected with us on social media platforms for instant updates click here to join our LinkedIn, Twitter & Facebook
