The Tribe Report 9. The Collaboration Issue | Page 9
IS BEING IN THE SAME ROOM ESSENTIAL FOR
COLLABORATION?
A lot of people seem to think so. Tribe recently fielded
a national survey with employees of companies with
workforces of more than 5,000. Only 8 percent of our
respondents agreed with the statement that face-to-face
communication is “not at all necessary” for collaboration.
More than 80 percent said it was “extremely, very or
moderately necessary.”
Unfortunately, getting people face-to-face is often
impractical when trying to collaborate across divisions,
departments or business units that might be located
in more than one building, if not in different countries.
That’s where internal communication can help.
When we discuss collaboration without the benefit of
face-to-face contact, there are a number of hurdles to
cross. One element is providing practical ways to engage
in the collaborative process, so that two or more people
who are not in the same place can actively work together
to create a new solution or scale an existing one.
For the collaborative process, our respondents named a
range of useful technologies, including video conferencing,
intranet forums, idea-sharing software, internal social
media, instant messaging and plain old email. According
to one comment, “There’s no need to meet face-to-face
with all the technology we have available.”
But before engaging in the collaborative process, people
prefer to know each other as humans. Collaboration is
easier when people feel a personal connection. Sharing
ideas carries with it the risk of rejection, or at the very
least of vulnerability. It’s human nature to be more
comfortable sharing when there’s a level of trust and
familiarity. Comments from employees in our study
included:
“It’s easier to be open with people you have a more
human connection with.”
“Much easier to collaborate with those whom you feel
connected to.”
“(You need to build) trust and respect.”
“Sometimes I’ve only met people in a kickoff meeting
and the rest of the communication happens over the
phone or via email. But those kickoff meetings really
help to establish a relationship.”
Yet being in the same room isn’t the only way to create
a human connection. Some employees, particularly
introverts (who also tend to be creative and innovative
personality types) may find it easier to connect online or
via email. The lack of face-to-face exposure makes some
people feel more comfortable sharing ideas and making
themselves vulnerable.
Internal communications can help open windows into
other silos as well. Simply seeing the face of co-workers,
whether it’s in the online employee directory, an internal
magazine or a video, helps people connect. Knowing
they enjoy salsa dancing or rock climbing or dog agility
competitions or whatever it is they do for fun can build
a sense of connection. Even sharing a funny comment
on a conference call can help connect remote colleagues.
FALL 2014 | 9