Behind every unified collaboration, there’s a team

By Microsoft in Business Team

October 1, 2018

The modern work environment is an exciting place. It’s not the same briefcase-carrying, stuffy-office-building scenario many of us grew up witnessing in real life or watching on television. Today, your office can be at home, the coffee shop around the corner, a cubicle in a high-rise, or a combination of any of these. You can dial-in remotely from St. Louis to your clients in Seattle, or you can communicate solely through e-mail and never see your coworkers’ faces. But, no matter your situation, you’ll need to be in communication with your business colleagues, and thanks to modern technology, it’s never been easier.

According to Evan Rosen in his new book, The Culture of Collaboration: Maximizing Time, Talent and Tools to Create Value in the Global Economy, there are several key trends driving the changes in how employees interact:[1]

Technology—workers are more comfortable with using technology in communication and its business applications
Flexibility—companies are hiring talented workers no matter their location
Immediacy—employees want feedback as soon as possible
Regulatory—compliance with federal, state, and local laws are a constant concern.[2]

Changes in business operations are ever evolving, but one thing is constant: no work is created in a vacuum—people need each other to get it done. But with more companies hiring remote, freelance, and part-time employees, how do companies encourage fluid, consistent communication in these evolving times? The key is adopting modern collaboration technology. Collaboration technology not only connects people across any distance, but it also provides the immediate feedback people desire. With constant updating, it can easily comply with any changing laws and regulations.

Collaboration technology breaks down silos

A recent study found that innovative business collaboration techniques can improve your company’s productivity by 20-30 percent.[3] That’s a huge improvement, but how can something as simple as implementing a new technology result in such an enormous gain in productivity? Collaboration technologies break down workplace barriers, empowering employees to speak with management and receive immediate feedback, and enabling departments to reach out for insights whenever necessary—no need to wait for an email or phone call. When an organization has a culture where any employee can reach out to anyone else via chat, send or receive files, make a phone call, or communicate through other devices, there’s a feeling of unified collaboration where everyone is on the same team.

Microsoft Teams is the technology in communication solution

Microsoft Teams, the collaboration technology in Office 365, breaks down silos in the workplace and follows the four trends fueling the workplace innovations Rosen talks about in his book. Microsoft Teams allows employees to communicate in real time through chat, video calls, and meetings. It provides full customization options with application integration and allows users to connect across devices. Microsoft Teams is also fully integrated with the Office 365 applications most organizations are already using—Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Incorporating Microsoft Teams into a unified collaboration experience with these familiar applications makes it feel intuitive and familiar. With regular updates from Microsoft, your organization never has to worry about being compliant with the latest regulations.

If you’re interested in learning more about Microsoft Teams and what it can do for your modern work environment, check out the hands-on Microsoft Teams Workshop at Microsoft Technology Centers around the country.