“Team collaboration” is one of the biggest business buzzwords out there, but just because everyone at your organization is talking about it all the time doesn’t mean they are doing it successfully. Team collaboration requires more than good intentions, employees need the right technology and spaces to truly work together in a productive way.
5 Team collaboration must-haves
Every organization has different goals, objectives, and end-users, but when it comes to productive team collaboration, there are some tools that every company needs. Here are five solutions to help you get team collaboration right.
- Cloud-based communication software. Your employees are working from everywhere—home, coffee shops, the bleachers at basketball practice, as well as your offices. That means they need the ability to communicate and collaborate with other team members, no matter where they’re working. Cloud-based communication and conferencing solutions such as Zoom and GoToMeeting can be accessed from any device and let users collaborate effectively when they’re not in the same room. Solutions such as Skype for Business can integrate with your existing scheduling software and Microsoft Office apps, and others like Cisco Webex Teams allow you to keep collaborating with a specific group of people through chat, direct and team messages, and content sharing even after your meeting is over.
- Project management software. A giant project timeline taped to the wall doesn’t do your team much good if not everyone works from the same office, and spreadsheets and sticky notes are a cumbersome way to keep track of critical progress and deadlines. Project management software gives everyone visibility into what needs to be done and when. There are a myriad of project management solutions that can meet a variety of needs, including Slack, Asana, and Trello. Whatever solution you settle on, be sure it's intuitive for your users, that it integrates with your existing systems and solutions, and that it's something everyone in your company can access and use easily.
- In-room or local content sharing. While remote work is common—and getting more common—there are times when teams are in the same place at the same time and need the tools to share content for effective and productive in-person collaboration. Wrestling with a pile of tangled cables or spending 10 minutes of your 30-minute huddle getting a laptop connected to the display cuts in to that valuable collaboration time. Wireless presentation systems like Barco ClickShare let you share content from any device—or multiple devices—with just one USB connection. The Crestron AirMedia2® solution allows you to share content to a meeting room display without any wired connections at all, meaning you can collaborate in any room from any device. Using Kramer’s VIA wireless collaboration system, teams can share content, and edit in real time. And don't forget the Microsoft Surface Hub 2S all-in-one digital whiteboard that brings the power of Windows 10 to any workspace. ClarkPowell is a Microsoft partner and can answer any questions you have about this team collaboration solution. The Surface Hub 2S will be available in June 2019.
- Spaces for impromptu collaboration. Spaces that spark creativity and collaboration are especially important for dispersed teams because coworkers don’t see each other very often. You need rooms that capitalize on togetherness when it happens, and that allow for immediate and impromptu collaboration before the inspiration has passed. Huddle spaces with simple video conferencing and content sharing tools, open spaces where people can connect their own devices, and common spaces like break rooms that bring people together, can all accommodate and encourage impromptu collaboration whenever the next big idea strikes.
- The right display sizes. When it comes to displays, there is no one-size-fits-all. The environment and size of your room will influence the size of your display and having a display that is too big or too small for your space can impede productivity. If your display is too small, some people will struggle to see small type on a faraway screen, and if your display is too big people sitting up close won’t be able to see the whole screen comfortably. Smaller rooms like huddle spaces, where the tables are pushed up close to the screen, require a wide view camera and a smaller screen so the room and the people in it won’t be overwhelmed. Larger rooms need bigger displays and standard 90-degree field of view cameras. If you’re up for a little math, the most common equation to determine the ideal display size is screen height = distance to furthest viewer divided by six.
catapult your collaboration today
Are you getting ready to upgrade your team collaboration spaces or technologies? Contact us today to learn more about how to apply these solutions to your workplace.