COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE AND COMMUNAL CONSTRUCTION
Collective intelligence means using a group effort to perform a task or achieve a goal. In professional situations, involving employees in company growth or transformation means making them an active player in this change. Collective intelligence leaves everybody feeling appreciated and with a tangible role within the company. Furthermore, each employee brings their own expertise and specific skills to the collective table. By calling on this wealth of expertise, exchanges and brainstorming will be considerably more fruitful. This system of shared, communal goals also allows different teams to work in a de-siloed fashion. The result is a perfect setting to develop skills and talent within the company.
A FEELING OF BELONGING
The broad success of remote work has radically changed the way in which employees feel as though they belong to a company community. It is now essential to create synergies within teams, both in person and remotely. Just as important is the need to share the company’s culture in the same way and at the same level with remote workers as with onsite workers, to ensure that a balance is maintained. A clear vision, regular information exchange, reciprocal confidence, an appreciation of everybody’s effort and a core focus on collective time are the foundations on which this feeling of belonging is constructed. To ensure this feeling is long-lasting, it must be embodied by the managing teams before trickling down to the employees.
INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE RESILIENCE
Excellence is often one of the key values for companies. However, one aspect of this is often overlooked: excellence cannot exist without risk… which implies the odd failure. Taking risks is part of employees’ lives and it is a driving force for the company; without risks, it remains static. By taking risks, teams learn more and become stronger. Hurdles and obstacles are inescapable within a company, and they should be seen as opportunities. By overcoming them, teams become more resilient and therefore show their true value. However, the essential condition to foster this resilience is confidence. Confidence is the foundation that allows obstacles to be turned into sustainable opportunities, all while protecting the mental workload of employees. This confidence must be fostered and developed on a daily basis, both in person and remotely.
A CULTURE OF LEARNING AND INNOVATION
Employees, just like managers, must be continually learning to develop and expand their skillsets alongside their companies. To do this, management must be available to respond to its teams and foster their innovation capabilities. By having an understanding of training needs, strengths, and weaknesses within their teams, managers can draw up a roadmap to turn every employee into an asset with exponential value. This constant skill-building is also associated with a feeling of professional satisfaction among employees. In short, this culture of learning and of being listened to fosters innovation, which is the key for a company’s success.
