The importance of workplace collaboration for effective leadership

Workplace collaboration and effective leadership go hand-in-hand.

A corporation is not a stagnant macrocosmic environment. We often refer to corporate culture as a fixed thing that rarely shifts or changes by itself, a system that is often impossible to change.

While this is true to some extent, given that employees are often absorbed into the existing corporate culture and can’t always bring about noticeable change, the leadership at a company has a transformative effect on corporate culture and the attitude towards workplace collaboration.

Workplace collaboration is what occurs when groups of employees share ideas and come together to achieve common goals.

It’s important to acknowledge that teamwork and workplace collaboration are not one and the same. The distinction is that teamwork often refers to groups of employees coming together for the completion of a project. With technological advancements, our idea of workplace collaboration, on the other hand, has evolved.

While teamwork is a part of workplace collaboration, so is collaborative thinking and brainstorming in the interests of problem-solving, a strong sense of purpose, and equal participation.

When workplace collaboration is valued by a company, every aspect of the company structure benefits - including its leadership. Coming from an incredibly collaborative workforce, I’ve seen how leaders improve their leadership through a more open and collaborative atmosphere in the workplace.

During the whole WFH period, this was especially clear. Leaders benefitted from listening to employees, helping them understand how to tackle new challenges and capitalise on novel opportunities.

The senior management team in the company recently had a meeting for a quick look at how our clients and projects were progressing while we were working from home.

I remember I commented something along the lines that technology made it easier for us to coordinate and make the best use of our time and resources. One of my colleagues then said “This gives me flashbacks to high school. One person would do all the work on group projects while the rest of us played video games!”

We all laughed about it at the time but it was an interesting comment to make under the circumstances. Work from home was more manageable for our team because we had a culture of workplace collaboration and leaders who encouraged this interaction. I only realised this after a few employees mentioned it during our catch-up calls.

It’s definitely something I’m very thankful for and hope I can help other companies work towards.

Better communication is a side effect of workplace collaboration

A company that has embraced workplace collaboration values every employee’s contribution and vision. This leads to better knowledge and idea-sharing within the workplace.  

Collaboration removes the rigidity of hierarchy and allows all members of an organisation to benefit from each other. This allows each employee to develop as individuals for the benefit of the company and themselves.

This focus on personal development can be boosted through mindfulness. Mindfulness is a great way to enable better workplace collaboration by improving emotional intelligence and each individual’s ability to work in a team. It also improves conflict resolution among employees.

Create a more sustainable business model through workplace collaboration

As conversations about diversity, inclusion, and the future of sustainable businesses pick up speed around the world, the topic shifts to how we can integrate these values in the workplace to ensure proper representation.  

The answer to these questions lies in workplace collaboration.

With workplace collaboration, the workforce becomes more receptive to new ideas, faces, and functions. This helps your company create a more inclusive workplace.

Workplace collaboration leads to a happier workforce

Workplace collaboration has many far-reaching advantages. It helps with employee engagement, improves connections among co-workers, reduces stress, makes jobs easier, increases freedom at work, and makes employees happier people, both at home and at work.

When a workforce is engaged, less stressed, has more freedom, and derives more happiness from their work, they are more productive and efficient.

How Awakened Mind can help you improve workplace collaboration and effective leadership.

Awakened Mind is a mindfulness platform created for the corporate environment. The app encourages mindfulness development in every area of your life from leadership development to stress management and sleeping habits.  

The features of our hands-on mindfulness app include an extensive Learning Center, Neurosync™ technology, and guided meditation tracks.

Companies that have leveraged our comprehensive mindfulness practices have experienced a range of benefits including better concentration, improved physical health and wellbeing, improved communication and decision-making skills, greater empathy with internal and external stakeholders, improved emotional intelligence, enhanced performance and productivity, creative thinking, idea generation, self-management skills, genuine insight and transformation, reduced anxiety, and better stress management techniques.

Unlock the power of mindfulness and enable greater workplace collaboration and effective leadership with Awakened Mind.