23 Collaboration Skills you need Today (plus examples for your resumé)

Today’s technological advancements mean more and more businesses are going digital. So does mastering the technical skills needed in a modern environment mean you’re headed for the top?

Not necessarily.

Technical skills, while still very useful, can no longer guarantee success in the long term. Technology is developing rapidly, and the skills required in the workplace are changing along with it. Your technical skills may still serve you today, but they may no longer be enough in the future. 

To future-proof your career, you must now also develop soft skills, aside from technical skills. Soft or transferable skills allow you to adapt to changes and work better with colleagues or partners, regardless of the industries or hemispheres you are in.  

Given this scenario, it’s clear that one of the most essential soft skills to master is collaboration. This refers to how people can achieve work goals, particularly by leveraging human connections. Communication and collaboration go hand in hand. As such, these cannot be replicated by artificial intelligence (AI). 

• What are collaboration skills?
• Foundations of collaboration skills
• Collaboration skills to list on your resumé
• Collaborative tools and techniques
• Cultivating a collaborative mindset
• Conclusion
• Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What are collaboration skills?

Collaboration skills refer to the capabilities that allow people to work effectively and synergistically with others toward a common goal. Collaboration happens when people share knowledge, skills, and expertise. 

For example, the International Food and Water Research Centre (IFWRC) in Singapore is making its labs available to promote the collaboration of scientists worldwide. This way, scientists can work together in finding solutions to ensure food security and sustainability. Another example of collaboration is between different government agencies, such as initiated by Singapore’s Public Service Division, when they worked together remotely at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Examples of working collaboratively are reaching a consensus about goals and how to achieve them, sharing information and updating each other about the progress of a project, or writing documents and creating slides together. Team members can also track progress in a shared calendar or a project management application, communicating ideas and feedback through chat rooms or video conferencing. 

The importance of collaboration skills in the modern workplace

Collaboration is what links people on a human level. It involves making every member feel valued and heard. When it’s done right, collaborators can feel connected with each other, despite being seen only in digital avatars and emails. They can all feel that they are genuinely part of something.

Collaboration also makes workplaces more efficient. There are many collaboration and teamwork examples. Team members working together can produce faster results, a broader base of experience, and more unique solutions, even with complex projects. They can also catch and remedy each other’s mistakes and hold each other accountable. 

How collaboration skills can enhance your career and personal growth

When you collaborate with other specialists, you open yourself up to other perspectives and ideas. You can also leverage the experience and expertise of everyone on the team to achieve your desired results. Not only will you learn from the people you collaborate with, but working with others will help you develop skills like a sense of responsibility, mindfulness, and teamwork.  

Collaborating also widens your network, opening up richer career opportunities for you. 

Foundations of collaboration skills

Here are the key skills you need to develop to be a better collaborator:

Communication

Communication is the glue that holds a team together. Great communication is characterised by active listening, clear expression, and open discussion.

• Listening actively: Active listening is about listening to understand, not just to respond. It means paying attention to and recognising the team members’ perspectives. 
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  ⁠When you value the ideas and perspectives of the people you work with, everyone will be more open to making authentic contributions to the project. You can empathise better and enjoy closer interpersonal relationships if you listen actively to others.
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• Expressing ideas clearly: This means speaking concisely and in a way that your team will understand. It doesn’t mean speaking simplistically or condescendingly. Rather, it’s about communicating why your idea is relevant to the discussion and the project in a way that leaves no room for misinterpretation. 
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  ⁠When you express your ideas clearly, people will have confidence in you and be more open to supporting your suggestions. 
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• Asking open-ended questions: Questions that you cannot answer with just a yes or a no encourage discussion, especially in meetings where people are hesitant to speak up. 
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  ⁠People who don’t speak up may end up harbouring negative feelings because they are frustrated about being unable to share their ideas. This frustration can be manifested as not wanting to cooperate, bringing down team morale and negatively affecting productivity. Draw everyone into the discussions using open-ended questions.  
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  ⁠With such questions, you can encourage better team engagement. You can boost each team member’s self-esteem, leading them to work harder for the team’s goals.  

Emotional intelligence

Dealing with people with various temperaments and personalities requires emotional intelligence and maturity. We all go through a range of emotions throughout the day. Some people express their emotions openly, while others don’t. 

Your emotions affect your behaviour, such as your actions, facial expressions, and how you relate to people. Likewise, other people’s emotions can affect your mood and how you behave.

Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and use emotions constructively. It involves not just your emotions, but also those of other people. 

Learn how to develop your emotional intelligence by recognizing its components. 

• Empathy: The pressures of work can leave you caught up in your own issues. When you get trapped in this way of thinking, you fail to empathise or understand what other people are experiencing. 
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  ⁠Empathy means you comprehend why someone feels a certain way based on their unique positions and perspectives. You are then more likely to behave with compassion and consideration, both of which are important for smooth working relationships.
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• Self-awareness: This is about being aware of and monitoring your stress, thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. It is also about recognising your fears, false attitudes, and bad behaviour.
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  ⁠When you see yourself clearly, you can understand why you succeed and fail, and why your interpersonal relationships are either good or problematic. You can also recognise opportunities to leverage your strengths.
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  ⁠Being self-aware lets you communicate more effectively with people because you understand how your words and actions can affect the relationship. 
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  ⁠The more comfortable you are with yourself, the more open you are to accepting other perspectives and opinions. And the more open you are, the better you collaborate with others.      
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• Self-regulation: The American Psychological Association (APA) defines self-regulation as the “control of one’s behaviour through self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and self-reinforcement.” 
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  ⁠When you regulate your behaviour, you avoid acting impulsively. You become mindful of people, regardless of how you feel at a particular time.
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  ⁠Self-regulation aids collaboration because it helps you become mindful and considerate of your team members and partners. 

Trust-building

Working with other people means risking judgement, criticism, or failure. This is why building trust is important.  

• Honesty and transparency: How honest are you at work? Do you take responsibility for your mistakes? Do you give an underperforming colleague truthful feedback? Do you give your best with every project?
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  ⁠Being honest and transparent at work will make people see you as sincere and trustworthy. If you can own up to bad decisions and missed deadlines without shifting the blame, you will be someone people will want to keep collaborating with.
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  ⁠Being honest at work also means working with integrity. This involves not taking risky shortcuts or making promises you can’t keep.
• Dependability: To collaborate effectively, you must become someone people can count on to deliver quality work. People will trust you when they are confident that you will do your part well. Make sure you create the right impression.
• Respecting confidentiality: Collaboration often requires keeping your work confidential. The group may have its reasons for maintaining secrecy. Perhaps they may not want the information to reach a rival group, or they don’t want the details to come out before the project is completed. 
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  ⁠Practise discretion, especially when you come across personal information about the people you work with. By building trust among your colleagues, you can work comfortably together.

Collaborative problem-solving

If you’ve ever hit a roadblock in a project, you’ll understand why having a team is best. Collaborators can bring fresh eyes to the effort. Plus, with more minds at work, you can find innovative solutions.

Collaborative problem-solving occurs when people exchange ideas, experiences, and expertise to solve a particular issue.They also share resources and strategies to come up with the best solution. 

How exactly does collaborative problem-solving work?

• Identifying common goals: Collaborators should first agree on the goals of a project and how they will achieve them. By having shared goals, everyone becomes invested in the work and is committed to seeing it to completion. 
• Brainstorming and idea generation: True collaboration means every member of the group has a chance to be heard. Brainstorm and let team members contribute as many ideas as they can. You can then sort through the list and find the winning ideas together.
• Divergent thinking: Creativity is about connecting things you didn’t know you could. When you allow for divergent thinking during brainstorming sessions, collaborators suggest unique and unpredictable ideas. Ideally, it’s no-holds-barred and unstructured so that people also have fun!
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  ⁠When the process is light-hearted and free-flowing, ideas can get very creative. Sometimes, unorthodox solutions work best.
• Convergent thinking: After divergent thinking sessions, it’s time to put on your critical thinking hats and choose the best solutions. For this, you need convergent thinking. 
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  ⁠Convergent thinking involves applying logical deduction to find the best solution among those suggested. Review the list to see which one is more aligned with your goal and which is more feasible, but also creative.  
• Evaluating and prioritising ideas: Not all ideas are created equal. At the end of your brainstorming sessions, you have to evaluate and prioritise. Which ideas will help you best achieve your goals?
• Developing action plans: An idea is worthless if it can’t be executed. To get the solution off the ground and solve the problem, plan the steps you’ll take. Make sure to assign roles to all the members so everyone is accountable for the result. Set deadlines so that you can tell if you’re on track or falling behind.
• Implementing solutions and monitoring progress: This last step is when the proposed solution is put to the test. Keep tabs on the progress so that you know if the solution works, or if you need to make adjustments. 
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  ⁠As with all the previous steps, this needs everyone’s participation. After all, you all share accountability.

Adapting to different team dynamics

As author John C. Maxwell wrote, teamwork makes the dream work. And to make the team work, recognise how team members interact and form relationships. This is where collaboration skills come in.

Understanding team roles and personalities

Your personality can predict how you’ll approach tasks and relate to your co-workers. It can also determine how you'll instinctively manage stress and handle conflicts. This also applies to your team members. And the reality is, some personalities complement each other, while others clash and interrupt the work.

Aside from conflicting personalities, another factor you have to pay attention to is that people play certain roles in a team. For instance, some naturally gravitate to leadership roles, while others may be better suited to taking charge of schedules and logistics.  

It is important to accept and understand these differences so that you can minimise the potential for conflict. This is essential to collaboration and teamwork. Read on to learn about the different roles and personality types and how teams can collaborate effectively – even with conflicting personalities involved.

Belbin Team Role Theory  

According to Dr. Meredith Belbin’s research, nine roles must be present for successful teamwork:

• Resource investigator: finds ideas and resources for the team
• Teamworker: gets things done
• Coordinator: makes sure everyone contributes
• Plant: the creative brain
• Monitor evaluator: provides a strategic and logical perspective
• Specialist: brings specialised knowledge and expertise
• Shaper: challenges and motivates the team to move forward
• Implementer: organises the team and plans out the implementation strategy
• Completer finisher: provides quality control for the completed project

Dr. Belbin believes that high-performance teams, regardless of size, include these roles at appropriate times. This means members can take on different roles throughout the project cycle when needed.  

For her, a team without all nine roles represented can be unbalanced. For example, too many specialists can deliver a high level of knowledge, but not enough motivation to make decisions and keep to deadlines. 

Understanding people’s strengths and weaknesses and tendencies to take on particular roles in a team allows you to build a team that will suit your needs.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Another way to understand people is through their Myers-Briggs Type. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality assessment framework that looks at personality preferences in four areas: 

• How do you direct and receive energy? By focusing on the outside world, interacting with people and taking action? Or by focusing on your inner world and reflecting on ideas, memories, and experiences?
• How do you take in information? By focusing on what you perceive using your five senses? Or by seeing the big picture and looking for relationships and patterns? 
• How do you decide and come to conclusions? By logically analysing the situation? Or by considering what’s important to the people involved?
• How do you approach the outside world? In a planned, orderly way? Or in a more flexible, spontaneous way? 

Your answers to such preference questions classify you under one of the 16 personality types. 

Knowing your MBTI personality type and those of the people you work with can provide rich insight into how you can work together. For example, introverts need time alone, while thinkers like logical solutions. Knowing this information helps the team respect differences and make adjustments for each so that work will flow more smoothly.  

Managing conflicts and disagreements

There will be times when collaborators won’t see eye to eye. Part of teamwork is controlling the situation and finding resolutions that satisfy all parties concerned. 

When everyone is committed to completing the task and achieving the group’s goals, they will be willing to compromise and reach an agreement faster. 

Conflict resolution strategies

There are several strategies you can use to resolve conflicts as they arise. Here are five conflict resolution strategies suggested by Harvard Law School:

1. Recognize that we all have a biassed perception of fairness. Both parties may feel wronged or fear getting the short end of the stick. When this happens, call in an outsider to mediate. 
2. Avoid using threats and provocation. These escalate tensions and lead the other party to retaliate.
3. Avoid the “us vs them” narrative. Rather than taking arguments to the extreme and demonising the other party, bring the conversation back to your shared goal.
4. Look for the deeper cause of conflict and creatively address it. Sometimes, it’s not the action in question that is upsetting, but the perceived disrespect. When you address the deeper cause, you can better reach a suitable agreement. 
5. Address the non-negotiable or sacred issues. People get stubborn when their moral code, religious beliefs, political views, and familial bonds are at stake. Diffuse the situation by showing empathy. Find a workaround that both parties can agree on.  

Maintaining a positive atmosphere

People perform at their best when they are in a positive work environment. And according to an article in Forbes Magazine, the five key elements of a positive work environment are: 

• Belonging – A sense that you belong in a company leads you to perform better.
• Contribution – Knowing that you contribute to the organisation’s success makes you happier at your job.
• Flexibility – When the company is flexible enough to accommodate different working styles, this fosters positive feelings because each employee feels valued and respected.
• Equity – When an organisation is equitable, every employee is treated fairly and equally. Equitable companies are also inclusive and diverse. 
• Growth mindset – Environments that foster a growth mindset encourage people to improve themselves through lifelong learning and collaborative exchanges. With a growth mindset, you can bounce back stronger from a setback and inspire others to do the same.

Supporting and motivating team members

When people feel ineffective, they tend to lose interest in their job. To support and motivate your team members, express your appreciation for their efforts and let them know they are contributing. 

Support also means making members feel safe even when they make mistakes. Help them get back on track, instead of dwelling on the problem and making them lose focus.  

Giving constructive feedback

You may feel uncomfortable telling a colleague what they did wrong. It’s necessary to give regular and constructive feedback for effective collaborations. 

Being honest and transparent about issues shows that you value the person and you want them to improve. When giving feedback, focus on what they can do to perform better. Being constructive with your feedback means you are providing them the tools they need to improve.

Recognising and celebrating achievements

Celebrate each other’s good work and achievements. When people feel successful, they are more willing to contribute to a shared goal. Just as you share the responsibilities of a project, make sure you also share the rewards.

Collaboration skills to list on your resumé

If you have the following collaboration skills, make sure to list them on your resumé to highlight them to potential employers. 

1. Active listening
2. Teamwork skills
3. Flexibility and compromise
4. Interpersonal relationships
5. Conflict resolution
6. Open-mindedness
7. Constructive feedback
8. Organisational skills
9. Remote collaboration
10. Collaborative tools
11. Project management
12. Meeting facilitation
13. Task delegation
14. Team motivation
15. Conflict management
16. Creative problem-solving
17. Data analysis
18. Communication skills
19. Empathy and understanding
20. Decision-making skills

Collaborative tools and techniques

These are some tools that can help you organise your team, accomplish tasks systematically, and communicate better:

Project management tools

• Trello – organises projects through Kanban-style lists
• Asana – work management software
• Basecamp – real-time collaboration tool designed for simplicity and ease of use 

Communication platforms

• Slack – lets you communicate through text messaging, voice, or video calls 
• Microsoft Teams – a business communication platform with file storage and app integration
• Zoom – a video conferencing tool

Document sharing and collaboration

• Google Workspace – lets you do all your work on the cloud using Google products and software
• Microsoft 365 – cloud and productivity tools by Microsoft
• Dropbox Paper – a document co-editing tool

Cultivating a collaborative mindset

Now that you know collaboration brings about smoother working relationships and better performance, you may want to cultivate a collaborative mindset for you and your team. 

Recognising and overcoming personal barriers

To develop a collaborative mindset, first, conquer personal obstacles such as your fears or contrary attitudes.

Fear of failure

Fear of failure is common and can be paralysing. It can stop you from trying new things and following through on your goals. Worse, it can make you put yourself down, insist on perfection, or avoid collaboration for fear of exposing what you believe is your incompetence. 

To overcome the fear of failure, you can go over all the possible outcomes and determine if you can survive the worst-case scenario. Chances are, you can!

You can also enlist the help of others. Trust your team. Remember that you have a shared goal, so it is also in their best interest to help you succeed.

Resistance to change

There are many reasons why people resist change. These include fearing the unknown or losing control, or not trusting that management has your best interests in mind. 

But remember that change can also bring positive outcomes. For instance, a new environment can make work processes flow smoother, and new processes can make you more productive. 

To overcome your resistance to change, you need courage. Draw on your fellow collaborators for strength. Change may require you to struggle at first, but you can overcome it together.

Ego and competition

While it’s good to have confidence and self-esteem, when you let your ego rule, you could develop a superiority complex and undermine the team.

Ego at work is apparent when someone constantly criticises others and puts their ideas down, grabs credit, and takes over discussions. There could also be competition within the team because everyone wants the spotlight. When this happens, team members lose sight of their shared goals.

To conquer egos, build team spirit, and refocus on the team’s objectives. 

Promoting a collaborative culture within your organisation

Build and nurture a culture of collaboration in the organisation by providing opportunities for it to flourish. Collaborative communication can make this possible.

Encouraging openness and inclusivity

Singapore is a cultural melting pot. However, biases still exist. An article published by todayonline.com even states that Singaporeans define themselves in racial terms, highlighting differences rather than similarities.

To develop a culture of collaboration, put aside biases and recognize that all team members can contribute equally, regardless of gender or race. 

According to research on inclusion in Singapore by the London School of Economics, “Leaders who will have the edge are those that can bring together divergent perspectives and identify innovative solutions, products, and ideas.” 

Providing opportunities for team building activities

Make your team cohesive through activities that build team spirit. Explore esports or gaming facilities; crafts workshops such as art, flower arrangement, or perfume-making; bowling; VR play; or laser tag. Remote teams can come together for virtual workshops for leather or clay craft-making. 

Weekly check-in meetings can also be used for team-building when members are encouraged to share and get to know each other. For instance, a member may engage in a “show and tell” of her urban gardening skills. 

Rewarding and recognizing collaborative efforts

Nothing bonds a team together better than shared success. So, remember to celebrate team efforts, big and small.

Collaboration in action

Let’s take a closer look at how good communication and collaboration can lead to better outcomes at work. 

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has embedded the importance of teamwork and collaboration in their training programmes. Casey Ow Yong, VP of talent management and development of SIA, says, 

“The emphasis of teamwork or team building in our company is evident as all employees are encouraged to embrace and exemplify it from the moment they join us.”

Through their team building programme, employees get a deeper understanding of their colleagues’ roles and challenges, and learn how to work better with different departments. The result of this collaboration has been collaborative action, great execution, and impeccable service that have earned recognition and accolades from customers.

Conclusion

Collaboration skills are even more necessary now that businesses are becoming more digitalised and globalised. People can no longer succeed with technical skills alone. Your ability to collaborate with people from other departments, organisations, and hemispheres is your key to a future-ready career.

Mastering collaboration skills has long-term benefits, such as stronger partnerships, greater resilience, and the capability to change with the organisation’s needs. Collaboration continuously improves the way we work. It also teaches us how to stay adaptable in this rapidly changing world. 

So, if you haven’t yet, start honing your collaboration skills today! Not only will it help your company reach its goals, but it will also be advantageous for your career.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

1. How can I improve my collaboration skills?
   ⁠To develop collaboration skills, learn to communicate better. Boost your communication skills through active listening and expressing your ideas clearly. Practice empathy when interacting with your co-workers. Also, develop openness and honesty because collaboration requires trust. 
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2. What are some common challenges faced when collaborating with others?
   ⁠A common obstacle to collaboration is people’s attitudes. People usually fear losing control of the result of the project when doing collaborative work, or they don’t trust the people around them. Another common challenge is organisational silos and turfing. Internal competition may stop people from exchanging knowledge and ideas, thus stifling collaboration. 
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3. How do you handle difficult team members in a collaborative setting?
   ⁠Communication is key. When people act out or cause trouble, there is usually an underlying cause, such as insecurity or frustration. Talking to the persons involved and practising empathy can help you find a creative solution. Before conflicts even happen, get to know the personalities and work preferences of the people you work with.This way, you can plan out the work assignments and schedules that work best for the team.  
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4. How can introverts excel at collaboration?
   ⁠If you’re an introvert, don’t feel the need to join in on the shouting when the group is brainstorming. Instead, write your ideas in the online chat or directly on the shared document. When required to present to the group, take time to prepare not just your ideas but also yourself emotionally. Remember to distance yourself from the group when you need to recharge or work in a quiet place with no distractions.  
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5. How can remote teams enhance their collaboration skills?
   ⁠Remote teams can collaborate better by meeting regularly and engaging in team building activities. Weekly check-ins help people feel connected and motivated to work, while team building activities build trust. Such teams can also use online tools such as Trello or Slack to help manage the project and facilitate communication.