It's well understood that the way
in which employees work together can make or break an organisation. A collaborative culture – where staff
actively draw upon others' respective skills, positive communication is encouraged
and conflict eschewed – is one that all businesses strive to foster given the
advantages it brings.
The reality, however, is that
even the most collaborative of organisations are finding it almost impossible
to maintain this kind of healthy culture in the midst of a recession. Which,
for at least the time being, is here to stay.
So how does the current recession
effect collaboration within an organisation?
The main breaking point is the stress that it creates for
employees. Sales may be harder to come
by whilst organisational costs sky-rocket due to the increased costs of fuel
and other commodities. In short the
pressure is mounting and it sits firmly on shoulders of those who should be
leading collaboration efforts – management.
As a result, it’s hardly
surprising that any focus on collaboration pales in comparison to the need to
generate sufficient cashflow to secure the survival of the organisation. On the
flip side, neglecting to nurture an engaged, motivated workforce will generate
its own financial drains, whether it be through increased conflict to deal with
(the more formal the more costly), high turnover and absence, low productivity,
and loss of key talent, to name just a few.
Our advice? By all means focus on improving and
maintaining the business figures, but remember that your workforce is a key
part of your business and ultimately its survival through the recession. So get
everyone working collaboratively in
the direction of your business objectives.
