The New Rules of Collaboration in the Workplace

Collaboration is at the heart of innovation, and it’s happening more than ever. The Harvard Business Review reports that employees collaborate 50% more today than they did a decade ago. It’s also a key driver of success: according to Asana’s Anatomy of Work report, 55% of employees in highly collaborative workplaces report revenue growth.

However, the way we collaborate is changing. The rise of hybrid work has made spontaneous interactions and building new relationships more difficult, leaving many leaders concerned about a decline in team connection. On top of that, many managers aren’t equipped to support effective collaboration in this new environment. The old playbooks are gone, and a clear model for success in hybrid teams has yet to emerge.

True collaboration is more than just sharing a virtual space; it requires a new mindset. Here are five key trends that are redefining how we work together:

• Importance of Connection: With less in-person interaction, organizations must prioritize reigniting team connections and creating opportunities for new relationships to form.

• Equity in Technology: As hybrid meetings become the norm, digital tools and environments must ensure that all participants, regardless of their location, can contribute equally.

• Coordinated Collaboration: Spontaneous in-office interactions have been replaced by the need for intentional planning. Organizations are now using data to coordinate schedules and spaces for optimal impact.

• Meeting Moderation: To combat collaboration overload, meetings are being redesigned to be more focused, intentional, and aligned with different work modes to protect both productivity and employee well-being.

• Meeting Efficiency: With AI as a new creative partner, ideation is increasingly happening asynchronously. Meetings are shifting from brainstorming sessions to places for alignment and decision-making.

These shifts highlight the need to be more deliberate about how, when, and where we collaborate.