In our last blog I looked at how co-working and flexibility within the workforce increases productivity.
I wanted to explore if and how collaboration in the workplace and communal working stimulates inspiration.
It is what all entrepreneurs and managers want for their company and employees, to grow and stay inspired.
Modern society is home to an entirely new way of working. The days of solitary Einstein's frantically seeking that 'Eureka' moment in silence, have well and truly surpassed. In its place are collaborative teams, working together, sometimes in close proximity other times virtually over long distances, to tackle major initiatives and to get the job done.
Network leadership
“'Network leadership' – the ability to help employees collaborate across business silos to strengthen productivity and performance – is a quality that's essential for leaders to possess or develop.”
These bold and decisive words were made in reference to a recent report that was compiled by CEB, a leading global member-based advisory board.
This necessary quality highlighted by the CEB report is lacking amongst many leaders. Out of the 15,000 employees surveyed by CEB just 44% said their managers connect them with co-workers to assist them in their duties.
CEB cites three key approaches to developing network leaders:
. Implementing a different approach: Instead of directing what and how workers carry out their work, leaders need to be trained to show employees how to work more effectively in their networks.
. Develop competencies in network development: According to CEB leaders' 'agility' needs to be built by subjecting them to diverse work experience. The benefits and tools for building networks should also be highlighted.
. Encouraging network leadership in succession plans: When building leadership teams, the importance of network leaders as 'corporate assets' should not be undermined.
Writing for the Journal of Accountability, former Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd. CEO, James Quigley said in order for companies to remain competitive in the new working environment, it is important leaders “build a networked, collaborate team that still is accountable for delivering on strategy.”
Encouraging innovation through inspiring collaborative functions
Further citation of the contemporary push to inspire collaboration can be found in a report made by the global network of professional services firm, KPMG. The report describes how inspiring collaborative functions can encourage innovation. Successful organisations acknowledge the value of, “internal and external networks, and emphasise connecting their people to facilitate collaboration.”
Collaboration and communial working
With prolific advancements in technology and communications, remote working has been on the upswing within companies in recent years. According to Forbes, when hiring new recruits, many of the leading, highly-esteemed companies show they incorporate remote working.
As we explored in our blog titled 'The difference between hot desking and co-working', alongside the growth in remote working has been a rise in popularity of co-working spaces. Put simply, they are environments offer telecommute workers office facilities.
The 'network leadership' CEB dubs as an imperative asset in strengthening productivity and performance within businesses can be acquired in co-working spaces.
By meeting and working alongside a room full of people working on interesting projects connects like-minded and creative people with one another. Some centres there are even community organisers present, who are responsible for knowing what projects everyone at the communal space are working on. These community organisers then make suitable introductions between individuals who might be able to help and inspire each other.
Stimulating inspiration and growth through communal work environments
Asides making new connections that could prove invaluable to a company's growth and ultimately revenue, spaces can stimulate new initiatives and ventures.
Working on a project from the confines of your home office or in a 'traditional' office, in which you are surrounded by colleagues you have long given up working with, can be limiting in terms of utilising and nurturing the creativity and inspiration of others. By comparison, sharing workspaces by people in diverging industries or even those who are working on similar projects, can give businesses, as BlueSky writes, “A huge edge over those in traditional corporate offices.”
A recent international survey compiled by Deskmag Survey, found 71% of those surveyed said that joining a communial space boosted their creativity.
Networking with external companies
Many large multi-national corporations are implementing communal working options to nurture inspiration and growth. Organisations such as Nokia and the Swiss Federal Railways are encouraging employees to work with co-workers on a per project basis. In his book titled 'Coworking Space: A Potent Business Model for Plug n Play and Indie Workers', Mathias Schuermann says these companies are sending their own employees to communal working spaces for a determined amount of time.
“Co-working spaces offer employees of external companies a welcome alternative to working in a home office. Mainly on a project basis, for instance in the area of social entrepreneurship,” writes Schuermann.
With myriad of reports and data testifying the benefits – including major international corporations – citing the contemporary need for corporate collaboration that exceeds 'conventional' office co-action, it is difficult to argue anything other than collaboration and communal working provide stimulation and growth.
We are passionate about delivering first class co-working space in Leeds. Get in touch if you would like to know more.
Perhaps you are a company SEO or manager who actively encourages employees to use co-working models. Or maybe you are an independent worker who recognises to motivation of being surrounded by other co-workers. Either way, we'd love to hear your thoughts on collaborative and communal working and some of the issues highlighted in this blog.
