How can you improve your collaborative work?

1 Set clear expectations

Before you start working with others, make sure you have a clear understanding of the objectives, roles, and responsibilities of each team member. Discuss the scope, timeline, and deliverables of the project, and agree on the norms and standards of communication and feedback. This will help you avoid confusion, duplication, or gaps in your work, and ensure that everyone is on the same page and accountable for their tasks.

2 Listen actively

One of the most important skills for collaborative work is active listening. Active listening means paying attention to what others are saying, showing interest and empathy, asking questions, and paraphrasing or summarizing the main points. Active listening helps you build rapport, trust, and respect with your team members, and also enables you to understand their perspectives, opinions, and concerns. By listening actively, you can also identify potential problems, opportunities, or solutions that may not be obvious at first.

4 Seek feedback

Feedback is essential for collaborative work, as it helps you improve your performance, learn from your mistakes, and celebrate your achievements. Feedback can be positive or constructive, formal or informal, individual or collective. Seek feedback from your team members, as well as from other sources, such as mentors, clients, or experts. Be open-minded, curious, and respectful when receiving feedback, and use it to refine your work, clarify your doubts, or address your challenges.

5 Resolve conflicts

Conflicts are inevitable in collaborative work, as different people may have different views, preferences, or expectations. Conflicts can be constructive or destructive, depending on how you handle them. Resolve conflicts by focusing on the issues, not the personalities, and by using respectful, assertive, and collaborative communication. Avoid blaming, criticizing, or avoiding the conflict, as this may worsen the situation or create resentment. Instead, try to understand the other person's perspective, acknowledge their feelings, and find a mutually acceptable solution.

6 Reflect and evaluate

The final step for improving your collaborative work is to reflect and evaluate your process and outcomes. Reflection and evaluation help you assess your strengths and weaknesses, identify your achievements and challenges, and recognize your learnings and growth. Reflect and evaluate your collaborative work by asking yourself and your team members questions such as: What did we do well? What did we struggle with? What did we learn? How can we improve? What are our next steps?

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?