Four Ways To Collaborate For Success In The Hybrid World

Collaboration is vital to leadership success, which is why #CollaborateForSuccess is the theme of this year’s International Leadership Week. The importance of effective collaboration has been further reinforced by the rise of dispersed and hybrid teams since the Covid-19 pandemic. Increasingly, teams are having to collaborate online with people they may never have met in person.

So, what are the secrets to effective collaboration in the world of hybrid work?

1. Focus on building trust

“Where many companies go wrong is assuming that if you ask for collaboration you’ll get it,” says Blaire Palmer, author of Punks in Suits. “But true collaboration cannot happen if there is an absence of trust and safety at work.”

Palmer argues that collaboration requires people to bring their ideas, unguarded and without agenda, and to be willing to look stupid. They also need to be able to hold lightly to their own ideas and build on the ideas of others. In addition, they need to speak up, listen well and genuinely operate as a team with a shared sense of purpose rather than seek personal glory. All of these elements are built upon trust.

“In a hybrid world, this can be achieved through opportunities to ‘gather’ occasionally in person and to reveal who you each are underneath the mask of professionalism,” suggests Palmer. “But this should happen well before you need to draw on that trust and human connection. This is even more important when you bring together international teams with diverse cultures and experiences, who have often never met in person.”

To foster effective collaboration, it is key that the leader shows a willingness to trust their team. “If you don’t really trust your people, they won’t trust each other… or you,” says Palmer. “Without trust, there can be no meaningful collaboration.”

2. Communicate, communicate, communicate

Without open, wide-ranging and two-way communication, collaboration is inevitably ineffectual, argues David Roche, author of Become a Successful First-Time CEO.

He believes that mastering why teams need to do things is more critical than what, when and who. “Change is the new norm,” he says, “and leaders need to check in with their people to measure their head, heart and gut engagement, then regularly take the temperature to keep on course for success.”

It is important for leaders to remember that even amid the most effective collaboration, they can’t please everyone, all of the time. Also, leadership requires decision making. “Embracing active listening to discover the implications is as important as communicating why the final decision was taken,” says Roche. “Lack of communication is fatal and not an option – paranoia and rumors love a vacuum.”

Leaders set the tone and example through their communication, Roche argues. “The leader’s collaboration and influence should extend beyond the company into the key partnerships, the wider industry and the media,” he says. “Focusing on the bigger picture for the greater benefit is inspirational and will attract both customers and the best talent to want to be part of what you are doing.”

3. Have a plan

Clarity of purpose is essential for effective collaboration in a hybrid world, according Sue Musson, author of Firecracker Leadership. “The best leaders embrace all the head, hands and heart elements of leadership,” she says. “Applying this to hybrid working means defining what you are seeking to achieve together (head), creating the optimal environment to achieve that goal (hands) and making sure people feel connected and included (heart).”

Today we are well-versed in using tools such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams to enable large numbers of people to collaborate. “Protocols like staying on mute or raising your virtual hand bring order and using document-sharing software is a great aid to efficient collaboration,” says Musson.

Yet while these tools are useful, they can constrain engagement and creativity. “If your purpose requires interaction, be thoughtful about the virtual space you need,” Musson advises. “Resist the temptation to micro-manage the agenda or the time allocation. Be comfortable with pauses and allow people time to think. Relationships underpin the success of collaborating in a hybrid world, so adapt arrangements to build rapport. Virtual coffee mornings are a great option.”

4. Embrace the power of distributed leadership

The success of hybrid collaboration means shifting focus from “Talent” with a capital T to “talent” with a small t, says Jeremy Blain, author of Unleash the Inner CEO. “True collaboration happens when people feel empowered to make innovative suggestions because they have ownership of their work.” This, according to Blain, can be established through distributed leadership.

When it comes to hybrid working and digital skills, the capability gap between leaders and their team members is narrowing all the time. “Many leaders are learning at the same pace as their people,” notes Blain. “It is only when we actively pool our resources and collaborate more horizontally that we can access the benefits of this knowledge.”

The key to creating collaborative and empowered environments is recognizing the value in each individual and how they can contribute most effectively, according to Blain. He believes the role of leaders is to help people understand how they could step in (with greater autonomy within a specific role), step out (build cross-functional, cross-regional and more diverse teams across the company) or step up (incrementally stretch beyond their job role) in line with their individual career path.

“A more horizontal leadership structure helps businesses to actively share information,” says Blain, “and encourages individuals to take ownership of their role in organizational growth.”

Enjoyed this article? Follow me by clicking the blue “Follow” button beneath the headline above.