Building a Stronger Community Through Collaboration and Team Building

Collaboration is essential to any organization, especially in the public sector, where funds, time, and resources are often limited.

According to Salesforce, 86 percent of employees identify a lack of collaboration as a contributing factor in workplace failures. To successfully overcome barriers in the public sector, teams must work collaboratively to create the kind of change that affects policies and communities.

From increased productivity and operational efficiency to stronger employee engagement, the benefits of teamwork are vast. Here are some ways leaders can purposefully create a culture of collaboration and team building.

Establish the Vision

Establishing a compelling vision and shared purpose is the first step toward meaningful collaboration. Team members must recognize the importance of the mission and feel driven to advance it. When team members understand how their work affects the organization as a whole, they will naturally put more effort into collaboration. Make it clear why the team exists and establish achievable goals to measure progress.

Clarify Expectations

As a leader, you’ll need to identify what every team member is expected to contribute at the beginning of the project. Clearly setting expectations for responsibilities, schedules, and deadlines reduces misunderstandings later on and ensures everyone is held accountable. Each team member should know the details of their own roles as well as others’ roles. Knowing what your team is responsible for allows for more effective task delegation and exchange of ideas. Review team roles and responsibilities often to ensure they’re still appropriate and attainable, and make adjustments as needed.

Communicate Openly

A lack of communication is one of the biggest barriers to effective team building. It’s always better to overcommunicate, and each team member must take responsibility for being understood and responsive. Eliminate any jargon that might alienate other departments or team members. When everyone speaks a shared language, nothing gets lost in translation.

Productive communication is more than just exchanging information. It also requires other necessary dialogue like negotiations and conflict management. The essay “Collaborative Public Management: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?” notes that deliberation and dialogue are necessary because they “allow collaborators to brainstorm, critically examine each other’s arguments, identify common interests, and build a base of shared knowledge and social capital.”

When used properly, technology can play a key role in elevating your team’s communication. Taking advantage of project management and communication tools helps facilitate a culture of collaboration. No matter whether team members are onsite or collaborating across geographic locations, they should be receiving updates and important information about the organization and relevant projects.

Celebrate Each Other’s Strengths

When individual team members succeed, the whole team succeeds. Celebrate team wins, but don’t forget to recognize individual efforts as well. Not only does this foster respect among the team, it increases project momentum and team morale. Additionally, when team members are aware of each other’s strengths, they can draw upon those strengths in the future.

Encourage Interdepartmental Interactions

Organizations collaborating only within their own teams and departments are missing out on a wealth of knowledge, experience, and perspectives. Interdepartmental collaboration facilitates a more holistic approach to problem-solving that utilizes all the available resources. The result can lead to more informed decision-making and better-executed initiatives.

Build Relationships

Trust is essential for building relationships. According to The American Review of Public Administration, to build trust among new collaborators, you’ll need clear communication, reciprocity, goal alignment, transparency, information, and knowledge sharing, as well as demonstrating competency, good intentions, and follow-through.

The best way to create connections that promote the exchange of ideas is to regularly spend time with your colleagues, whether at weekly meetings, events specifically designed for team building, or organically within a work environment. When team members don’t work well together, progress halts. Spending time together establishes familiarity, which is crucial for a well-functioning team.

When teams in the public sector collaborate harmoniously, the organization and the communities you serve benefit. As the Institute for Government contends, “Collaboration is not an end in itself, but a means of achieving better results for the public.”