TEAMWORK

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4 min read

Working effectively as a team with non-collaborative colleagues

 

Not every employee is a team player but sometimes you still need to get things done with them collaboratively. Some employees are driven more by competition while others may not have enough trust or psychological safety to work with others effectively. Collaboration sometimes requires time and resources, which some people may not have the luxury of.

These factors prevent some people from engaging in teamwork, and it may be tough if you are on the other side trying to get these people to work with you together. However, there are some actions that you can take to break some of these barriers to teamwork. Some broad strategies include making the collaboration less daunting and more about assisting the other party.

 

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Even before you try to take steps and refine the working relationship with non-collaborative colleagues, there are some considerations you may need to make to ensure that the final outcomes will be beneficial:

 

  1. What is your own definition of collaboration? How would you describe your collaboration style? Based on past experience, what are some strengths and weaknesses of this style? How can you best communicate about your collaboration style to others for more effective collaboration in the future?

  2. What does a successful collaboration look like to you? E.g., positive collective outcomes, getting help to serve individual interests

  3. For each person you are trying to work together with, has there been prior collaboration experience? Was it positive or negative? Why was that the case? Is there something you need to change to enhance the teamwork experience?

  4. Have you noticed anyone who was able to collaborate well with the specific colleague you are trying to collaborate with? What are some key areas that played a part in making the collaboration a good one?

 
Let’s put this in
work context

 

At the base of collaboration, there needs to be trust. Trust can be built in a few ways, here are some ways you can do so and open the door to collaboration one inch at a time:

  1. Think about how the collaboration can benefit the other party whom you are collaborating with and convey it clearly to him/her/them

  2. Start with small and specific requests (e.g., sharing a report with you) instead of big tasks/projects (e.g., creating reports together)

  3. Lay out the unique value you can bring to the table (e.g., subject matter expertise) that would complement well with what the value the other party can bring to the table (e.g., process knowledge).

 

 

“

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success

 

– Henry Ford

 

 

 

 

It is helpful to think about how to set better goals and how goal setting motivates you.

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