Company culture is about more than everyone getting along or creating a fun environment to work in, says Monica Eaton-Cardone, COO and co-founder of Chargebacks911 and CIO of Global Risk Technologies. The culture of an organization, she says, is about the way in which people work together to propel the business forward.
All companies must define their culture and incorporate into that philosophy a strategy for how groups of individuals will interact. Here are Eaton-Cardone’s steps for encouraging collaboration in the workplace.
Step 1: Build teams based around individuals’ strengths
Creating a culture of collaboration will begin with a realistic and honest overview of each individual’s abilities, as well as vulnerabilities.
Step 2: Encourage the collaborative spirit
Team members will work together better when they have real, genuine relationships with one another.
Step 3: Encourage open-mindedness
Ask teams to approach each situation openly. That includes not just problem-solving in the course of fulfilling their roles, but also interpersonally at the office.
Step 4: Reward innovation
Innovation and agility are the keys to maintaining the competitive edge in any industry. That’s why you should always encourage your teams to challenge the status quo.
Step 5: Spread the delegation of tasks
You don’t want to have the same people calling all of the shots all of the time. When this happens, individuals start to feel powerless, as if they have no influence or impact on the organization. That causes passion to leave the team.
Step 6: Diversify
You don’t want employees to think only of their own insular group; rather, you want them to make decisions which benefit the entire organization.
The best way to do that is to ensure individuals understands the role that each team performs and the value that everyone adds to the company.
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