How to Use Technology to Improve Collaboration At Work

Collaboration is essential in almost every work environment, and it’s becoming increasingly challenging for that to happen in the modern workplace. The reason is frequently that employees may be working remotely and dispersed across the country or the world. It’s difficult for them to then overcome these geographic barriers to collaborate with one another, but working together is a critical requirement to meet strategic business objectives.

Luckily, there are constantly new forms of technology being introduced that make it simpler and less expensive to foster collaboration in the workplace, whether employees work across the office from one another, or across the globe.

Here are some ways technology can be used to boost collaboration in a modern work setting.

Gamification

It can be a challenge to create not only collaboration but also a sense of teamwork in a workplace, particularly with remote employees.

One way employers are using technology to sidestep such hurdles is through the implementation of gamification, which is essentially introducing work-driven games to get employees engaged in friendly competition with one another while improving training or performance. Gamification can serve as a valuable icebreaker for employees to work with one another using technology, even if they might not be face-to-face.

Video Conferencing

Video conferencing has gone far beyond the basics of only including Skype, although that remains a popular option. With today’s technological advances in the realm of video conferencing it’s possible for employees to chat “face-to-face” with one another and many of these platforms are available through a web browser or mobile app.

You can also use something like Google Hangouts to facilitate video collaboration while integrating it with existing employer directories.

Cloud-Based Phone Systems

Even the way we think of the phone is evolving and creating advances in the collaborative work environment. Cloud-based phone systems are providing unique opportunities for not just collaboration but general connectivity and communication.

Workers have the flexibility they need to avoid being tied to their desk, yet they can be reached on their business line.

Document Sharing

Sharing documents through traditional means, such as email, can be potentially risky. There are increasingly new forms of technology that allow employees and business leaders to share documents and work together without that risk.

One of the biggest technology products available for file sharing and storage are virtual data rooms, which offer stringent security along with ease-of-use and the ability to include as many people on the collaborations as is necessary.

Real-Time Feedback

A big part of collaboration isn’t just what happens among coworkers, but it also includes how managers and company leaders interact with employees.

Through the use of HR software and advancing technology for encouraging employee engagement, employees can receive real-time job performance feedback other information from their leaders more easily than ever before. This improves not just collaboration, but also how employees view the performance review and how they perform in the workplace.

Eliminating Barriers

There are significant advantages of having a remote workforce, and the implementation of the technology-driven solutions listed above can actually eliminate one of the barriers in the modern workforce, which is an inability to collaborate effectively.

Originally posted 2016-04-08 16:55:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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