Let’s Make Collaboration Contagious
By Lisa Bodell for Forbes
Feeling disconnected from your colleagues, boss or employees? You’re not the only one. The rise of remote work has led to an increased sense of isolation between people at every level of the workforce.
As a workplace expert and author, I’ve helped HBO, Google, and Novartis improve collaboration, simplify work processes and boost employee retention. To address the growing sense of alienation among today’s employees, I believe it’s vital that leaders take an intentional approach to people dynamics.
We can’t passively stand by and hope that teams with diverse backgrounds will value each other’s perspectives, work together and use their time productively. We must take an active role in boosting connectivity, engagement, and collaboration. Keep reading to see how the best workplaces do it.
Bake psychological safety into your culture
“Safe space” isn’t merely a buzzword: it’s a best practice for harnessing the diverse, dynamic backgrounds of your employees. To get people comfortable sharing innovative ideas, voicing concerns and challenging each other without fear of judgment or retribution, we must establish our orgs as inclusive. Start building the trust and communication essential for collaboration with these simple changes.
· Constructive criticism only. Borrow a page from Pixar’s playbook and create an environment where even the most outrageous ideas get a fair hearing.