In recent months, high-profile CEOs have made headlines with adamant return-to-office mandates, sparking a renewed debate over which work model works best. Opinions on the matter are wide and varied, but at its core, this conversation illustrates a universal goal: maximizing both productivity and collaboration.
On the one hand, remote workers have fewer distractions and, as a result, are 12% more productive, according to a report by Time Magazine. That ability to focus on tasks is one of the reasons why many employees want the option to work from home. However, some leaders want their teams to work in person because they need to innovate fast, and to do that, their teams need to collaborate. 73% of collaborative employees report improved performance, and 60% say collaboration sparks their innovation, per a recent study by Deloitte. So how do you get the best of both worlds?
Whether you're transitioning your team back into the office or continuing a hybrid schedule, recognize that employee priorities, mindsets, and ways of working have changed since the pandemic. The old way of working may not fit anymore. As a leader, you will need to create a new type of environment that makes the most out of collaboration and innovation, but also allows employees the space to be focused and productive.
So how can you strike the right balance between focused productivity and creative collaboration?
Create the right boundaries
While often more collaborative, in-person work can be distracting, with meetings and coworkers frequently stopping by one another’s desks. Some roles require long periods of deep focus, and these constant interruptions can derail their productivity. When this happens, employees must take their work home with them, potentially doubling their hours, which can lead to burnout. So, help your team set the right boundaries to protect their concentration – especially if you're in an open office space. Consider talking with your team about signals that indicate someone is focusing, like having their headphones on or displaying a "focus time" sign on their desk. Encourage your employees to respect those signs and allow their coworkers to concentrate.
Key question: “How can you help your team protect their focus while still staying connected?”
Make check-ins purposeful
In the spirit of allowing your team time to concentrate, you might think about having designated days for meetings, so that everyone can collaborate on those days and focus on non-meeting days. Also, remember that meetings only support collaboration if they are well-planned. Atlassian reports that 78% of employees attend so many meetings that it’s hard to get work done. Make sure that when you and your team set meetings, they should come with clear goals, outcomes, and an agenda. If meetings in the calendar are missing these elements, they should be tabled and reconsidered as an email or a message. This will help make sure all meetings are as focused and collaborative as they can be, while protecting everyone's focus time.
Key question: “Do your team check-ins consistently spark meaningful conversations that result in better output?”
Clarify roles and shared goals
Ambiguity is often the enemy of progress, especially regarding which lane everyone's working in. When roles and responsibilities aren't clearly defined, employees can't be optimally collaborative or productive because they may be competing for a project or creating duplicative work. To save confusion, try to get as specific as possible when you're kicking off a project. Some teams like to use a "RACI" model, which defines who is "Responsible," "Accountable," "Consulted," or "Informed." By defining lanes, every team member knows what is expected of them and who to go to for questions, maximizing their collaboration and productivity.
Key question: “Does every person on your team understand their role and how it contributes to shared goals?”
Create the right pairings
Collaboration thrives when the right people work together. Gallup research shows employees with at least one collaborative partner are 29% more likely to stay at their company for the next year and 43% more likely to stay for their entire career. Think about pairing people whose skills complement each other, like matching a big-picture thinker with a detail-oriented planner. These intentional pairings can spark creativity, encourage peer learning, and strengthen workplace bonds.
Key question: “Which team members work well together that you could pair together on more projects?”
Use AI to support collaboration
AI is often seen as a productivity tool, but can also strengthen collaboration. Zoom found that 75% of leaders using AI reported better teamwork. You can leverage AI to summarize meetings, suggest next steps, organize shared knowledge, or even match team members with complementary skills for projects. The key is to choose integrated tools (like combining chat, project tracking, and file sharing) and set clear guidelines for their use. When your technology reduces friction, your team can spend less time in the weeds and more time creating together.
Key question: “Which AI tools could make collaboration smoother and more intuitive for your team?”
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