Here's how you can gauge the success of collaboration efforts within your team.

A successful distributed team is dependent on the boundaries set. We use a team charter when establishing a remote/distributed team. The team charter helps everyone understand their responsibilities to one another. Establishing the team charter effectively sets the goals. Before COVID, my entire team was colocated and never used MS Teams. When the outbreak hit, we immediately shifted to remote business, and I established a team charter to address login times, camera usage, meeting frequency, establishing a fishbowl protocol, and conflict resolution. This approach ensured clarity and maintained productivity.

As leaders, we are responsible for setting an environment that promotes cohesiveness and team collaboration. We use emotional intelligence and servant leadership to facilitate success. This ties back to the team charter. For instance, if an employee needs to be off-camera due to a bad hair day, we should not insist on cameras being on. The charter should allow them to be audio-only. I defended a key team member's position to senior stakeholders because our charter permits off-camera participation with prior notice without needing to provide a reason. This policy respects privacy and promotes a supportive work environment.

Absolutely ??. I must raise the issue of how culture plays an instrumental role in building collaborative skills. It starts from the home and school and extends into society and shows up at work. So when you have a team that is struggling with collaboration, it may have to do with what life has taught them about the values of working on a team. Orientation to workplace values and team culture are key however, working in silos can be ingrained in personal dnas. One thing that helps is to "reward" the team players to reinforce the message that there is no "I" in team. Organizing regular team meets outside of the office ( mandatory) to engage in team activities to practicalize what team play really means to company success is valuable.

One thing that was successful in the feedback loop that I integrated into the Mentoring Program for Women Professionals at the World Bank as the program's Change Management Consultant was being able to receive insights about how to increase mentee participation numbers because they were extremely busy professionals who struggled to make time for mentoring. They wanted leadership insights from world class authors and wanted to meet a few of them in person. When I scheduled Deborah Tannen to appear at the World Bank to discuss her Book "Talking from 9-5 ", not only did all 200 mentees show up, an additional 2000 staff, including men from the World Bank, IMF and IDB attended. The feedback loop is a powerful tool for program success.

Having effective collaboration software can significantly facilitate collaboration. We use software like Asana to help with continuous feedback. We create tasks within projects to enable a feedback loop for team collaboration. This allows us to upload pictures, diagrams, and all kinds of quick notes. According to our charter, the team has a certain amount of time to respond: Asana feedback must be addressed within 8 hours, while email feedback has a 24-hour response time. Although we must read both email and Asana messages the same day according to the charter, we never leave questions unanswered. This ensures that all team members stay informed and engaged, fostering a supportive and responsive work environment.

Henry Ford's story is a great example of allowing teams to collaborate even if an idea did not prove successful. For more, read Henry Ford's story on TheHenryford.org. One of the benefits of collaboration is the potential for innovation. The biggest barrier to innovation is often how senior leadership handles an employee's ideas. We have an "every idea is a good idea" standard. We consider every idea carefully to see if it aligns with the vision and mission of the organization. Even then, we ask ourselves if we need to think outside of the box. Innovation within a team has to be cultivated. Encouraging an open-minded approach and valuing every contribution ensures a steady flow of creativity and improvement. "You Never Know!"

Low morale trends don’t happen overnight. One-on-one conversations are key. Setting an atmosphere for people to voice their concerns is vital. I've diffused conflicts and misunderstandings by having one-on-one conversations. I also encourage breakout sessions with smaller teams or one-on-one as necessary. When people connect one-on-one, they are less defensive and more transparent, leading to optimal morale. Regular check-ins, celebrating achievements, and fostering open communication are crucial to maintaining high morale and a collaborative environment.

Having the right tools is essential for team success, but alignment on core values is crucial. Misalignment happens when members join for the brand but don't share the institution's values, leading to discord and hindering collaboration. Aligned members work cohesively with a sense of purpose, while those focused on personal gain disrupt momentum. To address this, fostering authenticity and valuing core values is vital. As a team lead, demonstrating and rewarding these values are ways to ensures a cohesive and effective team, preventing chaos and promoting genuine teamwork.