Why are communication and collaboration important?

The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard) requires leaders to be competent to manage, lead and supervise team members in a way that is psychologically safe. One of the core aspects of psychologically safe leadership relates to how we communicate and collaborate with others.

What are communication and collaboration?

Effective communication involves the clear, timely and transparent exchange of information that supports workers’ success at work. Respectful and inclusive collaboration engages every team member in ongoing conversations related to their work.

Why are communication and collaboration important?

There are many benefits to having people leaders effectively trained in communication and collaboration:

  • Workers have clarity about what they need to do.
  • Tasks are more likely to be executed correctly.
  • There is enhanced clarity around priorities, at both the team and individual level.
  • The chances of miscommunication and errors are reduced.
  • Each worker’s potential is optimized.
  • Challenges, when they exist, are identified and resolved in a timelier manner.

So, how do leaders improve their communication and collaboration skills with their workers?

  1. Be in touch with team members. Ensure that lines of communication are open, and the workers feel comfortable asking questions and raising concerns.
  2. Don’t just simply assign tasks. Take the time to ensure that roles, responsibilities and priorities are communicated clearly.
  3. Engage in two-way communication with workers. This includes collaborative discussions of goals, priorities and expectations.
  4. Encourage and recognize team members for their efforts, as well as their outcomes.
  5. Take an interest in the growth and development of the team. This includes providing opportunities to develop skills and maximizing potential.

Consider your individual and organizational strengths with respect to communication and collaboration, and steps that can be taken to enhance them.

Communication and collaboration is a key aspect of psychologically safe leadership from the Psychologically Safe Leadership Assessment (PSLA), an assessment tool developed by Dr. Joti Samra, MyWorkplaceHealth’s CEO & Founder, made for leaders to self-assess how they fare across five key domains of leadership, which align with the requirements of the CSA National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. These five domains are: communication and collaboration; social intelligence; problem solving and conflict management; security and safety; and fairness and integrity.