Returning to the office doesn’t guarantee collaboration

Dorothy Kudla is the founder of Full Circle Connections and author of the book Six Functions, One Vision. She helps modern leaders simplify leadership, build alignment and drive results.

You can bring employees back to the office and still have a team that doesn’t know how to work together.

People can sit a few desks apart, protect their own priorities and make decisions without involving the colleagues affected. They can attend every meeting and contribute nothing beyond an update.

I once asked a participant at a client’s project kickoff why they were there if they had no plans to contribute. “Because I was invited,” they said, “and I don’t know why.”

We’ve spent considerable time debating where people should work, but have we paid enough attention to how we expect them to work together?

In its simplest form, collaboration means working with others to create something of value. Standups, updates and huddles need to happen. But sharing updates alone isn’t collaboration.

Working together is harder than it sounds. We assume we can bring people together and they’ll figure it out. A 2024 Gartner survey of nearly 18,000 employees found that only 29 per cent were satisfied with collaboration at work. Returning to the office won’t change that on its own.

Leaders need to set people up to collaborate. That starts with clarity on the four Ps: purpose, people, process and performance.

Purpose: Why are we collaborating?

Are we generating ideas, gathering information, establishing direction or making a decision? Be clear about that at the start of the collaboration.

When clients bring me in to design a leadership program, I explain that I’m looking for their ideas and context such as what objective are they looking to achieve, what has worked in the past and what are leaders struggling with. I’ll use that input to make the final decisions about the course design. After all, that’s what they’ve hired me for.

Without a clear desired outcome, people will assume they’re working toward a joint decision. They start narrowing the options to arrive at a decision when they still need to explore ideas. Trying to reach a decision creates a very different conversation from generating possibilities.

When using a meeting to collaborate, be explicit about what you need and how the input will be used. Include the purpose in the invitation so people can arrive prepared.

People: Who needs to contribute, and why?

Be deliberate about whom you bring into a collaboration. Consider what expertise is needed and who would add the greatest value.

Sometimes we invite people because we don’t want to hurt their feelings or make them feel left out. Let’s be honest: most people won’t be upset about having one fewer meeting to attend. But we do need to be clear about the purpose of the collaboration and why particular people are included.

Think back to the participant who didn’t know why they were at the kickoff. We can’t expect meaningful contributions from people who don’t understand what we need them to contribute.

Process: How will we work together?

People bring different habits and expectations to collaboration. Some think aloud. Others need time to consider ideas. Agreeing on a few norms up front helps people understand how to work effectively together.

A norm such as “Be curious, not critical” turns “That won’t work” into “Help me understand how you see this working.”

Disagreement and conflict are natural parts of collaboration, so establish how the team will work through them. Teams don’t need consensus on every issue, but they do need room to challenge assumptions and consider different views. Normalize productive conflict. If everyone agrees quickly, ask what hasn’t been said.

As a leader, model these behaviours yourself. When someone challenges your idea, get curious. How you respond will tell the team whether disagreement is genuinely welcome.

Performance: How will we know the collaboration is working?

Reaching the goal is only part of the picture. I look at three things: the value created, the efficiency of the work and the state of the relationships. How willing are people to work together again?

We can deliver outstanding results, but if they come at the cost of burnout or damaged relationships, we need to ask what that means for people’s willingness to bring their best to the next collaboration. A quick health check at the end of a meeting can help. Ask participants to rate these statements using green for yes, yellow for partly and red for no:

• Everyone contributed
• We addressed the difficult issues
• We made progress toward our purpose
• I felt heard

Share the results at the next meeting and discuss what needs attention. Agree on an adjustment and check whether it helps. Asking for feedback only makes a difference if the team uses it.

Getting people into the office is a question of attendance. Helping them do something worthwhile together is a question of leadership.

This column is part of Globe Careers’ Leadership Lab series, where executives and experts share their views and advice about the world of work. Find all Leadership Lab stories at tgam.ca/leadershiplab.