Collaboration changes the experience of work

Expertise has got commoditised. The problems have become more complex. Collaboration has become more important than ever before.Technology has changed the way we experience work.

Technology has made so many things accessible to everyone. Think about how photography has changed. The smartphone camera is getting better with each passing year. It has turned an average photographer into a shutterbug. The amateur photographers have access to different lenses in their phones. The phone uses computational photography to create images that are stunning. We all feel comfortable posting photos on Instagram thanks to the range of filters we can choose from to enhance the look of the photograph. Expertise has been commoditised. Amateurs are using technology to force experts in every field to move up the value-chain.

"Being human is consciously to bring judgment, intuition, creativity, empathy and values into play. In business, it is the domain of entrepreneurial thinking and innovation, of weighing decisions, of collaboration and trust – qualities that are utterly different from the machine logic of networked sensors and processors."- The End of Expertise by Bill Fischer, HBR

The problems have become more complex. Even though there is plenty of information available on every subject online, the need for experts has increased. Most problems now need a multi-disciplinary lens to solve. Organizations are using this to break down hierarchies and build a terrific experience of work.Here are three ideas you can implement to deliver an amazing experience of work while solving complex challenges.

Find the right problemThe best problems to solve in cross-disciplinary teams are the ones that involve solving a problem for a group of consumers or a large customer. These are powerful unifiers that bring diverse groups together.

Coach the teamWorking in multi-disciplinary teams which have diverse expertise needs coaching. It is not something most of us are used to. Having a coach who can improve the team’s effectiveness can be a powerful way to ensure success.

Review progressSome CXO teams review progress of all such cross-disciplinary teams. The teams know that what they are working on, is of importance and the business impact is being tracked. The review with the CXO team helps people to bring in additional resources if needed.

Leverage technologyTechnology is a big driver of the experience of work. Investing in collaboration tools can help team members share documents, make updates, get it signed and approved without even having to be in the office or even in the same time zone. Investing in such collaboration technology has a massive improvement in the experience of work.People don’t buy products and services anymore. They buy experiences. People want the same experience at work. Make it easy to collaborate on challenging business problems. It can be the best team building exercise you have invested in.======

First published by my blog on Times of India and Economic times on 27 Nov 2019