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Communication vs. collaboration: The truth about getting things done

The global workforce is changing.

 

As remote and flexible working opportunities emerge around the globe, organisations need to look beyond the standard voice call and email to keep their teams connected. After all, around 75% of employers rate collaboration and teamwork as crucial to their success.

 

Unfortunately, the word “collaboration” isn’t as simple as most people think. Countless businesses struggle so much with the definition of this term that they think it’s the same thing as “communication.”

 

The fact that many collaboration tools offer solutions for communication, like instant messaging and even video calls, means that the line between collaboration and communication has grown increasingly blurry. The question is, which do you really need to get stuff done?

The difference between collaboration and communication

Communication and collaboration are so closely connected in the modern world that it’s difficult to see the difference between them at times.

 

The important thing to remember is that there are many different types of communication, including one-way announcements, two-way conversations, many-to-many discussion streams and more. “Collaboration” exists in the space of “two way” communication, but it goes far beyond a simple discussion.

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The best way to describe collaboration is an act in which people join to create or accomplish something. Rich communication is required to make this activity a success, but that doesn’t mean that collaboration and communication are the same things. While communication is all about the sharing of information, collaboration relies on the use of that information to unlock crucial targets.

Understanding the purpose of communication and collaboration

Businesses thrive on positive action, and that’s what collaboration is for.

As organizations around the world become more globally dispersed, collaboration tools ensure that people can continue to work effectively together, regardless of where they might be in the world. However, collaboration isn’t a replacement for communication; it’s a side-effect of it.

It’s impossible to collaborate on anything without a shared stream of knowledge to keep people moving towards the same, shared goals. Rather, communication is just about opening the door to collaboration; action is what turns communication into collaboration. For instance, you might connect with someone over a video call to talk about a project – that’s communication. Whereas, if you use a file-sharing service to work on that project at the same time, then you’re collaborating.

Collaboration can’t exist without communication

Ultimately, while communication can easily exist without collaboration, collaboration is nothing without rich and clear communication. If you want any chance of getting things done in your business, then you first need to build a foundation for effective unified communications.

Today, many companies have found that the best way to enable strong collaboration in the workforce, is to make sure that everyone works on the same communication platform. After all, you wouldn’t expect your teams to be at their most efficient if they were working from different sales databases or work delivery systems.

Streamlined and unified communications create a cohesive hub where knowledge can be shared and accessed in the business, without the worry of constant segmentation. Once you’ve got your communication strategy perfected, you can begin to bring life to an effective collaboration campaign too.

Rob Scott is the founder of leading Unified Communications and Collaboration publication UC Today. He’s a respected blogger and speaker with extensive knowledge of the telecommunications industry. You can find Rob on Twitter @robscott_uc.

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Business Insights and Ideas does not constitute professional tax or financial advice. You should contact your own tax or financial professional to discuss your situation.

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