In a recent post about the growing technology pie and how companies keep pace with the constant onslaught of new knowledge and skills required to stay competitive, I mentioned the importance of creating a collaborative work environment so people have a chance to mix together and share knowledge.

As I mentioned in that post, the goal is to create a work environment where the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts, and collaboration is a key ingredient to achieve this.

Study after study points to the role collaboration plays in not just knowledge sharing, but also in greater efficiency, innovation, employee retention, and many other factors of business success. So how do you build a collaborative work space?

First of all you want to recruit people who buy-in to collaboration for the sake of their own professional growth and success. If folks equate their professional success with the success of the organization, they will understand how collaboration is actually a path to success for all.

Secondly, a company must create an environment that fosters collaboration and keeps people engaged with it. Collaboration must be ingrained into your professional culture. For example, how much interaction is there between different levels of your organization? Do executives, directors, assistants and front-line experts all have opportunities to interact with one another on a regular basis? Do all employees get to present their own ideas and have their voice heard in company decisions?

Employees must also have the right tools at their disposal to work in a collaborative manner. The growing market of collaboration platforms, apps and tools offer new and exciting approaches to break down communication silos in this digital age. Is it time to update your technology to facilitate teamwork, knowledge sharing, and skill transfers across your company?

Finally, a team has to bond together and work as a cohesive unit in order for collaboration to be effective. Getting folks out of the office so they have fun together is key here. Company outings help form friendships and bonds that will make workplace communications and personal interactions more comfortable. If people are more comfortable with each other at the personal level, they are more likely to collaborate and remain engaged in teamwork efforts at the professional level.

So how does your company stack up when it comes to building a collaborative environment? And how do you evaluate talent to ensure potential employees have the attitude and skills needed to make collaboration work?

We can help with these questions! Contact me to talk further about all of these topics.  If you would like to learn more about leading recruiting practices in parking, download our Hiring Guide here: