How to create a successful collaboration zone

Collaboration

How to create a successful collaboration zone.

Of the average 10 tasks or projects on your desk right now, 8 or 9 of them will require you to interact, communicate, cooperate and collaborate to execute them to their fullest potential.

But with the rapid changes in and out of the workplace since the pandemic hit, do you have the flexible space to meet and collaborate effectively?

Although the need still exists for specialists who excel in defined areas, bringing together experience and expertise drawn from people throughout your organisation can, as business guru,Stephen Covey says, create an outcome that is much greater than the sum of its parts.

Collaboration can drive business success

Collaboration not only helps generate ideas faster but also fosters culture and aligns an organisation to a common goal. Today collaboration is highlighted as a worldwide business trend and is generally acknowledged as a key to driving your business forward.

Having designated spaces for collaboration improves productivity.

The Role of the Work Environment in Promoting Collaboration

Truly agile teams can’t function at their highest level without the support of their work environment. Use of designated project spaces for multidisciplinary teams has been demonstrated to improve productivity, in some cases, up to 100%.

Therefore experts in workplace design are recognising that planning for collaboration is critical in designing highly productive workspaces. Collaborative work zones are increasingly popular in organisations both large and small.

With more people working from home and demanding flexible working, when teams do meet in the office they aim to make the most of the opportunity to collaborate face-to-face. Collaborative zones need to be fit for purpose and ready to go at a moment's notice.

4 Factors To Consider:

Unfortunately it’s not as easy as simply providing a seating area an accessible distance from the workstations. Research has shown these 4 factors are vital for effective collaboration:

Flexibility as teams or environments (e.g. floor plates) change, giving the ability to scale up or down to meet future needs.
The ability to communicate clearly with optimum sound quality - shielded from general office noise and not distracting others nearby.
Access to the technology needed to work smarter, for devices, video conferencing and task lighting, etc.
The ability to work in comfort with ergonomic factors considered is an important part of employee wellness and in creating a desirable space that is used frequently.

Multi-purpose Means Frequent Use

These factors combine to create a space that is multi-purpose and therefore ideal for Activity Based Working: It considers the diverse needs of its users, and invites lounging and short term task working, as well as collaboration for planned and spontaneous meetings for different sized groups.

Another benefit of a multipurpose space is that it is in frequent use, eliminating dead space from the workplace and doing its share to contribute to increasing overall productivity towards that compelling 100% goal.

Collaboration