Let’s turn this article inside out. 

We often describe Microsoft Teams on how different companies use it to their advantage. How about we go behind the scene and see how Microsoft is using its product—Microsoft Teams. 

Well, how do they do it? 

Microsoft started its admission with the fact that they are using Microsoft Teams and Microsoft (Office) 365 together and extensively. Also, they understand that “mobility is the key component of the modern workplace.” “We’re tailoring our Microsoft 365 environment to offer efficient collaboration across the organisation. (This is) regardless of location or device—and Teams is a big part of that,” Microsoft continued. More than that, the company added: “The successful adoption of Teams is not just about technology. It represents a behaviour change. Teams are more than a product—it changes the way we work, and that change is about people. We found that increasing adoption was as much about social and cultural changes and challenges as it was about technology and skills. Teams is a different journey than we’ve asked our people to take in the past.” 

What is the most fantastic part of this piece of information is this it was published in 2018. That is at least two years before the coronavirus pandemic struck. That is before most of the labour force is working from home. 

To say that “mobility is the key component of the modern workplace” is fascinating. For this, what we are dealing with right now, to say the least. 

Facilitating Teamwork and Collaboration

In the effort to eliminate any biases, materials for how Microsoft Teams facilitate teamwork, collaboration and much more are from elsewhere. Below is the list of how to improve teamwork and collaboration:  

1. Optimise use of MS Teams

Besides paring it with Microsoft (Office) 365, maximising the use of Microsoft Teams will be beneficial, to say the least. You are using all available and appropriate applications for your business. 

2. Communication Made Easy

Microsoft Teams brings the attention-grabbing to a new level. With the prefix @ then typing the name of the person you want to call their attention, this has skipped a lot of barriers. Gone are the days that productivity is hindered by the lag time when the email was seen and acted upon.  You can also customise any one-on-one communication, group chat and even conference calls to a designated group for improved cooperation. 

3. Make Virtual Meeting Highly Engaging

We can now express our thoughts more freely than ever. However, if anyone is having a hard time expressing their emotions, there is a solution for that.  Express yourself with the use of GIF, avatars, emojis and others.

4. Use Helper Bots

Primarily MS Teams Helper Bots are there to give a lending hand. Need to be connected with clients that use a different teams collaboration software other than MS Teams? That is what the Bot Mio is for. There are many more bots that can help increase teamwork and collaboration. 

5. Master the Tools of the Trade

Therefore, it is vital to learn more about this tool to even have much better collaboration. Undergoing proper training is the key to mastering the tools of the trade. With these many benefits to the organisation, Microsoft Teams pricing will not be an issue. 

The Much More Part

Taking a cue from our intro earlier, that Microsoft Teams is not just about technology; it represents a behavioural change too and much more. 

For it to truly “change the way we work,” here are some caveats that are needed to be considered: 

• Work Under One Central Team

As an organisation, it should move and behave as one organism. Though it is compartmentalised, it still needs to be considered as one. The different departments from within the organisation ought to work with each other to accomplish a single vision for the company. 

• Increase Employee Job Satisfaction

Since there will be some behaviour changes due to the utilisation of MS Teams, or any tool for that matter, it should be beneficial to the employees. Their satisfaction must be the barometer. 

• Allow Employees to Be More Flexible

The absence of rigidity must always be considered. Employees should not feel that they are being boxed in and constraint because this will impede their growth and creativity. 

• Develop Interdependency with the Organisation

Going back to the first point, an organisation though it has many departments, must work for a shared vision and goal. To achieve this, one department must work with the other departments. This also applies to other industries like the healthcare sector, engineering, finance, utilities, legal. It will also help if you include Microsoft Teams planner in the mix. That will help tie up some loose ends. 

Benefits of Team Collaboration to Individuals

Besides benefits to the company, there are also some gains to individuals who allow collaboration and teamwork to transpire. These include: 

• Dealing with Diverse Jobs produces Proficient Leaders: Managing a group of people with different personality types can produce better leaders. That also goes for handling how to best motivate everyone as a group.  
• Learning From Others’ Experience: Gaining new information in the process of completing real work is another form of knowledge transfer. Learning from others past mistake is another. Moreover, actively absorbing facts while on the work and adjusting on the fly is another by-product of learning. 
• Saving Time: Because there is a transfer of knowledge during collaboration, precious time is saved. Trial and error are just no longer necessary. When others already have the answer, this will speed up the process.  
• Creative Disruption: This happens when different mindsets turn up with different solutions to the same problem. This results in having the best solution for the company. 

At any rate, it is impressive that we get this piece of information from Microsoft. Particularly those discussed earlier on how they use Microsoft Teams and pairing it with Office 365. Rarely do we read something that breaks the third wall. It is also rare to see any admission that this new technology has some behavioural change to those who utilise it.  Furthermore, it gives a peek at how these innovations also affect individuals. Truly, there is much, much more. Switch Connect will continue to provide you access to these kinds of insights and more.