How to improve team collaboration
Practical Tips for Busy Teams
Most teams don’t struggle because people don’t get along, they struggle because no one’s clear on how to work together, what’s expected, what’s OK, and what’s not.
If you’re a manager or team lead, improving collaboration means building habits that make everyday work easier, clearer and fairer.
Here’s how.
1. Set Shared Team Norms
Team norms are the invisible rules that shape how your team operates, but if you haven’t talked about them, they’re probably misaligned.
Start by answering together:
What do we each need to do our best work?
What helps us collaborate, and what gets in the way?
What are our shared expectations regarding communication, responsiveness, and decisions?
Write the answers down. These become your team agreements, not just good intentions, but real norms you can refer back to.
2. Build in Regular Feedback Loops
Feedback shouldn’t be a once-a-year form. Great teams talk about what’s working and what’s not, as part of everyday work.
You can start with one question: What’s one thing we should keep, stop or start doing to work better together?
Make it regular, a question you ask at the end of a sprint, project or monthly meeting. It builds reflection into your rhythm, not just when something goes wrong.
3. Create Working Agreements That Reflect Real Needs
People aren’t robots, and the best collaboration happens when teams understand and work with each other’s actual needs.
That means making preferences visible:
How do I like to receive information?
When do I do my best work?
What helps me focus, and what stresses me out?
This is where Working With Me™ comes in. It’s a new team operating system that includes a half-day workshop to help small teams create shared manuals for their best work. There are no personality tests or one-off team-building tasks, just honest, structured conversations that turn into team agreements.
Collaboration is a Practice
Team collaboration isn’t something you fix once and forget. It’s a set of habits you build over time, clarity, communication, and shared expectations.
Start small and make one norm visible.
Ask one feedback question.
Have one conversation about how someone works best.
That’s how collaboration gets easier, and performance gets stronger.
Want a structured way to do this with your team? Enquire about booking the Working With Me™ approach for your team or arrange a discovery call.
FAQs on Team Collaboration
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Start with clear team norms, regular feedback loops, and visible working agreements. It’s about structure, not just good vibes.
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They set expectations and reduce confusion. When everyone knows what’s OK and what’s not, collaboration gets smoother.
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It’s a written document that outlines how your team works best, including communication styles, work preferences and shared expectations.