Common Barriers to Team Collaboration

In today’s world, team collaboration is not a new concept, and neither are the obstacles that face team coordination every day. Some of these barriers range from poor communication, unclear goals, an absence of managerial support, and ego on the part of the teams. Another common barrier that is likely to affect team collaboration is a lack of timely exchange of information. This is especially common especially for people with different work schedules, which makes it hard to coordinate deadlines. Communication is critical to the success of any team collaboration and to realize the potentials of the group, common barriers such untimely exchange of information must be eliminated.

Overcoming Barriers

In modern day scenario, team collaboration has become increasingly critical as more and more projects are taken with the coordination of groups. Different schedules should not hinder synchronization of deadlines especially with the various technological tools available to aid in effective information exchange. For instance, as Derks and Bakker (2010) note, emails allow individuals to communicate quickly and efficiently with their team members. In this case, emails can be used to remind team members of their obligation as well as schedule a quick follow-up to ensure that teams are on the same page. This allows people to work together despite their location and work schedules. Another way to ensure team collaboration is in the use of project management software. The software enhances the team’s ability to monitor and track a project as it progresses (Oliveira, Tereso & Machado, 2014). Depending on the program the team is working on, the software allows individuals to enter estimation, scheduling, and other aspects of the process. Along with that, the software comes with a calendar component to keep on reminding teams on their progress. 

References

Derks, D., & Bakker, A. B. (2010). The Impact of E-mail Communication on Organizational Life, 4(1), Retrieved from: https://cyberpsychology.eu/article/view/4233/3277

Oliveira, J., Tereso, A., & Machado, R. J. (2014). An Application to Select Collaborative Project Management Software Tools. New Perspectives in Information Systems and Technologies, 1, pp. 467-476.