If you're feeling a little lost, the following tips can come in handy:
1. Ensure Open and Transparent Communication
Communication is the lifeblood of business collaboration, the driving force that allows companies to be on the same page and reach the same goals. In other words, when communication is bad, collaboration is also bad!
Ensuring open and transparent communication in all of your business's internal and external connections is easier said than done, but you can start by:
- Setting clear expectations when dealing with other team members and businesses.
- Establishing a collaborative environment to encourage team members and partners.
- Being open to the feedback of other businesses and team members.
- Creating safe channels of communication. Depending on the company's size, these channels can be weekly meetings, one-on-one discussions, and open-door policies.
- Promoting and practicing active listening.
- Treating others with mutual respect.
If you happen to be a leader, please lead by example: be extra respectful and available, follow your own rules religiously, and try to connect at a deeper level with each team member.
2. Respect the Local Workplace Culture
For instance: if you're a U.S. national who has just opened a business in Portugal, learning Portuguese will vastly facilitate communication with your Portuguese employees and team members—even if they all know how to speak perfect English!
3. Explore Networking Opportunities
Team collaboration isn't everything! Entrepreneurs are also expected to be masters at external collaboration, which involves reaching out to potential partners or other businesses.
Networking events are also perfect for discussing industry-related topics, learning about new ideas, pooling resources, and checking out your competitors.
4. Don't Forget About Internal Collaboration!
Internal collaboration can be enhanced by transparent communication, as previously discussed, but also by setting up a team collaboration structure that truly reflects the needs of your team members.
Consider collaborative tools, feedback mechanisms, and business software. Collaboration tools are like metaphorical roads and highways that allow team members to communicate better. Feedback mechanisms help them continuously improve collaborative processes. Finally, business software can be useful in countless situations; business translation software, for instance, can help break language barriers experienced by international teams.
Many businesses (especially larger businesses) may also benefit from creating clear structures for employee scalability. From managers to sales teams, let all the different departments in your company know that there are systems in place to reward them for all their hard work.
5. Incorporate Collaborative Project Management Techniques
Every single person in your business matters, but management is usually where the big decisions take place. In a nutshell, collaborative management is about allowing everyone in your company to sit at the decision-making table.
Who's better prepared to find solutions about a specific job than the person who does that job? By tapping into the collective intelligence of your company instead of leaving all of the decisions just to the managers, you can improve productivity, onboard different perspectives, and find new innovative solutions for your business.
6. Set Clear Exit Strategies
Sadly, there's a darker side to business collaboration and partnerships. Sometimes, you may cut a deal that will expose you to a lot of risk and leave you hanging. For that reason, it's very important to be extra professional and set clear exit strategies.
This is how you do it:
- Determine specific triggers or conditions that would indicate the need for an exit in a business deal, employment contract, and so forth.
- Formalize those triggers or conditions in a termination clause that outlines the circumstances under which the collaboration can be terminated.
- Clearly define the responsibilities and liabilities of each party in the event of an exit.
- Establish a communication plan for notifying relevant stakeholders, employees, or clients about the collaboration's termination.
In the end, exit strategies aren't a matter of trust, but rather risk. It's about leveraging all existing mechanisms to make your business agreements safer.