Training Exclusive PART 3 From Knowing to Sharing How to streamline internal team operations and communications to make daily tasks more collaborative, engaging, and efficient for teams of any size. BY ED BRILL The Evolution of Teamwork: C ulture and technology are the two factors that primarily have shaped the world we live in today. When compared with the world 15 years ago to the world today, it’s nearly unrecognizable. The workplace is no different. Culturally, a shift has oc-curred from an environment where employees were valued for what they knew and the skill sets they brought to the ta-ble to one where value is based on what they share. In other words, the traditional mindset among many employees was that job security meant having unique, yet critical knowledge and skill sets to be deemed “indispensable.” In 2016, with the volume of information and the various mediums available to access it growing at warp speed, this behavior increasingly is becoming a thing of the past. Because of the shift in culture and the influx of data avail-able at our fingertips, employees now exhibit a greater willingness to share so others recognize them as a reliable source of information. While the biggest drivers behind this trend are debatable, there is no doubting one major area that has been affected by this dramatic shift: collaboration. As organizations shift their focus to team-driven results, employees are forced to adapt through new technologies that enable greater, more efficient teamwork. Collaboration in the workplace also has undergone a major shift from a technological standpoint. Information still needs to be shared across teams where not everyone is located within the same office place. To facilitate and en-courage collaboration among employees, new technologies provide the requisite capabilities needed to share informa-tion with colleagues around the globe or across the hall. Perhaps most importantly, the evolution of the Internet into a horizontal technology platform has facilitated collabora-tion in new ways—giving rise to the use of mobile devices from just about any corner of the globe. These technologies have enabled teams to break down physical walls and bridge geographies efficiently without compromising organization-al collaboration. Reducing Barriers with Collaboration Tools To facilitate work streams, teams need to communicate consistently and effectively to work toward common goals. Geographic location is often one of the largest influences on team productivity. Today’s organizational infrastruc-ture needs to limit downtime and reduce frictions. Mobile employees need the support to make them feel (and act) www.trainingmag.com 60 | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016  training