While it might be intuitive to assume that smaller organizations have stronger teams due to their smaller size, this is not necessarily the case in the era of virtual teams and regular home work. Multinational companies have often been early adopters of tools like Microsoft Teams, which have helped them to develop a stronger culture of collaboration between people who may not necessarily work physically together. As a result, these larger organizations are often better prepared for the future of remote work.
The Impact of Individualized Communication Tools on Virtual Teams
Today, many smaller organizations still rely on Outlook and other individualized communication channels to coordinate their work. This often results in a more dispersed and isolated way of working, with employees lacking a sense of connectedness to their colleagues and teams struggling to collaborate effectively. Emails are sent back and forth between individual employees, and the work is done in a serial rather than parallel fashion. As a result, colleagues often have little knowledge of what each other has done, where documents have been modified, or what stage a particular part of a project is at.
Remote work has become increasingly common in recent years, both in smaller and bigger organizations, and this trend has been largely driven by the Covid pandemic. Tools like Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Zoom have played a key role in enabling the trend towards increased remote work and collaboration. Teams has gone a step further by effectively restoring the concept of real team work that was previously fragmented by individualized communication tools like Outlook
The Benefits of Microsoft Teams for Team Cohesion and Collaboration
Microsoft Teams not only helped to create stronger professional bonds among team members, but it also brought teams together on a deeper level by fostering a sense of psychological and emotional connection. Working closely and collaboratively on projects can help team members feel more invested in each other’s work and success, leading to increased social well-being and personal satisfaction.
The easiest way for small businesses to transition from Outlook to Teams
Implementing Microsoft Teams takes time and effort, but it is as crucial for smaller businesses as for bigger ones.
Without the same IT support and learning and development culture as larger organizations, small businesses may face additional challenges in making the transition from Outlook to Teams for internal communication and collaboration. Fortunately, there are ready-made training programs that allow you to quickly get up to speed on the capabilities of Teams and the requirements for a smooth implementation. For more information, click on https://gunnarmichielssen.com/how-to-really-use-microsoft-teams/.
