Companies today love to put their employees in various teams to inspire creativity, increase cohesiveness and create a stronger office culture. It’s all part of the more collaborative work environments that are cropping up in many companies. The leaders at these companies also hope that employees who are working in a team will be more productive compared to when they work on their own. But this is not the only way.

Here are some different ways your company can increase teamwork productivity.

Offer a Shared Workspace

When we talk about a shared workspace we don’t mean a physical desk or office. Instead, we are talking about a digital workspace where employees can access data, documents and share ideas with each member of their team. The shared workspace should be accessible from anywhere, allowing the team members to work on a project from home, on the road or from a mobile device when necessary.

Reduce Emails Sent to Team

If one of your teams is not producing as well as you hoped it would, take a look at how many emails you are sending the team. Emails are a major time-killer in the workplace today due to the time spent to read and then reply to them. Try to reduce the amount of emails sent to the team so they have more time to focus on the task at hand. If an email must be sent, do so at the same time each day and make sure it has all the info in it you wanted to bring to light.

Encourage Open Discussion

As a leader, you need to encourage discussion at the office in order to increase teamwork productivity. Encourage all forms of discussion between team members; including phone, face-to-face, email, forums, video conferences, microblogging and chat programs. If discussion must be held one-on-one, be sure to keep it short. Some of the best meetings are short and to the point.

Work in 40-Minute Periods

Consider having your team work in 40-minute periods. The 40-minute period should include uninterrupted work, which means they cannot respond to emails or take phone calls. By working together in a 40-minute period that is free of interruptions, your team’s productivity should skyrocket.
Schedule Collaborative Time

As a team leader, consider scheduling collaborative time for your team. When the 40-minute work period is complete, sit down for 20 minutes of collaboration. When the 20 minutes is up, have all of the team members return to individual work so they can achieve their goals.

Increasing team productivity is a concern of every company today. Teams can become distracted easily, which is why you should consider using one or more of the tips outlined above to increase team productivity. Work with Staffing Resources in Atlanta, GA to build and augment your present work teams.