Collaborative work: the role of processes

Processes are a fundamental part of all organizations and how they are carried out is a key point to achieving organizational objectives. We usually talk about teamwork, as the work modality is chosen to achieve common goals. Collaborative work is an important element within a team, which provides even more value due to the exchange and nurturing of the members that it generates.

<<< Process-based management. Does it benefit you? >>>

Collaborative work is a process in itself that requires the involvement of all team members to obtain the expected results. It is a process where the members that compose it learn more than they would learn by carrying it out by themselves, as a result of the exchange that is generated between the collaborators. This type of work requires an organization where the teams can adapt; it also requires a certain flexibility of the departments that compose it, which facilitates the exchange between the members of each one.

Well-defined processes, internalized by the collaborators and that are fully operational, are much more suitable for promoting collaborative work, they support the dynamics and benefit the implementation. When in an organization we have faulty processes, either because of their composition or because they are not implemented correctly, the collaboration between team members will be affected. This is an unavoidable consequence that brings with it disorganization. By having processes that do not work as expected, those who are involved in their development will be working in isolation, according to their way, and will not generate the exchange that is intended to be promoted through collaboration.

<<< Main platforms for collaborative work in 2021 >>>

Collaborative work is based on a strong interdependence between the members of a team and the formation of the work team, in this modality, advocates heterogeneity in the characteristics and tasks performed by each member. This encourages the exchange of ideas, nurtures the team itself, and allows for a greater exchange of knowledge than can occur in a team made up of more homogeneous members. Similarly, responsibility in collaborative work is shared. All members have their responsibilities and, in turn, share them with the rest, as well as the results obtained, the merit is also shared.

Advantages of collaborative work:

As we have seen, collaborative work helps us to enrich the work that is generated in a team. It has specific advantages such as:

• Greater efficiency and productivity in teams. 
• Greater creativity is generated from this exchange given by the heterogeneity of the members that make up the teams.
• Communication benefits from the exchange of ideas and opinions that are promoted.
• Troubleshooting is simpler. When team member needs help, they are more likely to ask their teammates in a collaborative environment.
• It increases the feeling of belonging, the motivation of the collaborators and this also influences the work environment. A friendly environment is generated and the environment improves.
• Communication is also directly affected by collaborative work. Better results are achieved in this activity since what promotes collaboration is the exchange between members to achieve the objectives.

<<< Strategies to build trust and team collaboration >>>

In this work modality, some tasks may require the implementation of group dynamics as well as tasks that are developed individually, the important thing is that while a project is being worked on, those involved know that they can exchange opinions, ideas, points of sight, as well as asking for help to carry out a task.

We must bear in mind that, on more than one occasion, there may be people who prefer to perform tasks alone or who need to do it that way because of the comfort that this may imply. The important thing is that we should be able to adapt; collaborative work requires a certain maturity of the members since now the role of the leader is not focused on a single person, but that responsibility falls on all the members of the team.