The New Workplace Weekly Digest 04/15/2016

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Every Friday, we prepare for you a short digest with news covering subjects related to employee engagement, collaboration, organizational culture, knowledge sharing, leadership and the future of work.

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Here’s this week’s brief:

“Specialized knowledge doesn’t go…

…very far all on its own. While the vogue for collaborative tools and workspaces is still in full force, so is the chorus of detractors who argue that too much interconnectedness makes for more distraction than anything else. But the outcomes of our work, more broadly speaking, more often benefit from team effort. It doesn’t matter how smart or savvy we are when it comes to technology, product development, or any single skill we possess. Nobody succeeds for long in a silo. We can simply learn more and apply new insights better when we put our proverbial heads together.” Growth comes through sharing and that’s one of the reasons why the most successful people are top-notch collaborators. To learn what the other reasons are, read Four Reasons Why The Most Successful People Are Great Collaborators by Faisal Hoque for FastCompany.

“We’re creating more and more…

…information and data every day — so feeding it into collaborative networks, finding its intended target and vetting its usefulness is critical to the team of the future. Information won’t follow future teams, it will stalk them. This is a good thing. Useful information will always be attributable to a person, and show a clear trail of who has accessed or read it. Finding the information relating to your team members is more than just efficiency. It’s about making connections, understanding more about them, and learning about what they have worked on. Readily accessible information will spur conversations and interactions. And one thing we know for sure: Conversations, real and virtual, are not going away any time soon.”. Read Andrew Pope’s What Will the Team of the Future Look Like? for CMSWire to get more on the subject.

“Make sure that you promote a…

…collaborative environment, first and foremost. Focus on a culture that values sharing, opinions and open dialogue. No matter the demographics of your workforce, employees succeed when they feel empowered and valued. Make sure you promote a culture that values your employees, their strengths and opinions.” said Jennifer Warawa, Global Vice President of Product Marketing at Sage when asked “What steps can CFOs and other finance leaders take to ensure seamless integration and productive collaboration among their employees, whether millennials or baby boomers?”. There’s a Chinese proverb that says, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The next best time is now.” The same can be said of solid policies and flexibility in an organization, particularly as it comes to tech.” Jeff Thomson concludes in his article How Millennials Are Changing The Accountant Of Tomorrow for Forbes.

Collaboration is one of the four…

…main principles when it comes to diffusing a bomb in the workplace. “Remember, you’re a team! You’re on the same side, not opposing sides. Simply saying that is not enough, so show it. Include the other person in the thinking process and show them that you’re with them not against them. Understand where they’re coming from and then together, come up with solutions about how things can be done differently. In other words, work with them even before they work with you. Don’t judge, don’t shame, and don’t blame. Diffusing an anger bomb can only happen using genuine empathy and being perceived as non-threatening.” Read How to Diffuse an Anger Bomb in the Workplace by Michelle Rozen for Huffington Post for a lesson on how to bring people together.

“When psychological safety is absent…

…from the workplace, teams lose the individual knowledge and expertise each member brings to the table and begin to experience what is known as the Common Knowledge Effect. When this effect is at play, “teams tend to focus on shared information,” and as a result they have “trouble capitalizing on the diversity of knowledge and expertise in the team.” The very same knowledge and expertise those people were recruited for to begin with. This often leads to poor performance, poor decision-making and missed opportunities for innovation.” Cornell professor Kathleen O’Connor, who coaches teams on effective collaboration, says. “While it may be easier to focus on tasks and time management, focusing on team dynamics may just be the key to a more productive and enjoyable working life.”. Read Is Your Team In ‘Psychological Danger’? by Lauren Joseph for Forbes.

Happy Knowledge Sharing!

Looking for a great way to ask questions and build knowledge with your co-workers? Quandora enables simple, efficient knowledge sharing with your team, way more fun than a mailing list or a forum. Try Quandora

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