Excerpts from the “Collaboration 2021” study
Even before COVID-19, the topic of collaboration was in need of improvement. Because of the pandemic and especially in the period after COVID-19, the topic will be existential. When the wind shifts, the team must know how to act. During the COVID-19 lockdown, collaboration has changed dramatically in many companies.
Working from home, modified shift schedules, and distance and hygiene regulations have turned once busy factory halls and office floors into non-communication zones in many places. The truth is, however, that even before that, not everything worked well in terms of collaboration. In our study “Collaboration 2021,” we took a closer look at “collaboration as a factor for success.”
COVID-19 Stress Test
Megatrends such as digitalization, flexibilization and internationalization, as well as increased cost pressure have significantly changed the requirements for collaboration in companies. The crisis acts like a magnifying glass here.
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PUTS THE COLLABORATION AMONG COMPANIES TO THE TEST
In three out of four companies, collaboration is currently noticeably suffering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only one in five companies can at least come close to maintaining the pre-crisis level. In one in four companies, on the other hand, collaboration as in the past is only possible to a maximum of 50 percent at the moment.
The most important reason: lack of informal exchange. Cafeterias and kitchens are no longer used as communication centers; short discussions with a colleague or a spontaneous trip to the office next door are obviously difficult to replace virtually.
Key Factor: Leaders
Leaders play a central role when it comes to collaboration. How would you rate the following skills of your leaders?
Recognizing and remedying such deficiencies are clear management tasks. However, most companies do not give their managers a good report card when it comes to collaboration. Only in around one in two companies do the majority of managers excel in their communication skills. There is still great room for improvement when it comes to teamwork. On the positive side, supervisors in three out of four companies are open to digital tools. In order to leverage this potential, however, a cultural shift is needed in many companies. Because every second manager fears losing their sense of authority due to working from home and other similar measures.
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