How to Improve Team Collaboration (9 Strategies)

True collaboration is about being both helpable and helpful

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Teams do their best work when they work collaboratively. Successful teams are greater than the sum of their parts. So, why do so many organizations struggle with collaboration?

The answer is straightforward yet complex. Teams often fail to collaborate not because they don’t want to but due to a deeper psychological barrier: our flawed relationship with asking for help.

The irony is stark – despite collaboration being celebrated as a cornerstone of innovation, many of us hesitate to seek help. This paradox isn't merely an individual issue. It's a cultural problem where seeking help is viewed as a sign of weakness or incompetence.

As I discussed in my previous piece, driving successful collaboration requires reframing our relationship with help. We must be both helpable and helpful. This requires overcoming three barriers: recognizing when we need help, openly asking for it, and trusting those who offer it.

Above all, creating a culture of vulnerability requires expert f…