One team or go it alone?

We all want to be as independent as possible, well most of us do. It is great to think that we can achieve things on our own, and that we can see our ideas through to successful conclusion. But it is not making the most of human nature which is more about working together. Realistically we can only get so far or do so much before we really need others around us.

Collaboration and working together are really key phrases or most organisations now. They want to make sure that the maximum benefit is being gained from the effort of staff and the only way to do that is to get people to work together. But most of the way organisations are set up is to reward individual activity through appraisals, performance related pay, and promotion. All of these are ways we can use our own efforts to progress. The challenge is how do we change to reward the collaborative work?

On a personal note, I have had a really busy and frenetic week. The things I have achieved this week have been possible only because of the joint work I have been able to do. The support and assistance of others has ensured the impact was greater than if I had been working alone.

The concept of people working as ‘one team’ and putting the good of the business before their individual benefit isn’t something that everyone will recognise. For some the personal goals, aims, and ultimate benefits are all they are interested in. They will struggle to see why they should work with others to increase the impact of the work. For anyone working in internal communication roles this is one of the significant challenges being faced – how do we motivate people to work more collaboratively?

We have to make sure the majority of the workforce can see the gains from working together. This will start to become the norm rather than the exception and those that want to work independently will become the minority. It is also important that we clearly articulate the benefits to the organisation of a ‘one team’ approach.

So I have to say a big thank you to all those people who have worked with, and helped me, this week. Together I think we have achieved some important goals.