Effective Collaboration

We've traded physical proximity for flexibility in the hybrid workplace. While this shift offers immense benefits, it also presents a challenge: creating the conditions for effective collaboration. The watercooler moments, shared lunches, and casual hallway conversations that naturally fostered friendliness in traditional offices are gone. But the need for psychological safety, shared understanding, and a sense of collective purpose remains more critical than ever.

​

Friendliness is not just about being nice; it is a strategic approach to building trust and collaboration in the workplace. It goes beyond superficial greetings and forced camaraderie. Instead, it involves consciously cultivating an environment where people feel safe sharing ideas, offering constructive criticism, and supporting each other.

​

In this environment of friendliness, the focus is on what is right rather than who is right. Diverse views are accepted and valued, even if they are not necessarily agreed with. Interdependencies are actively recognised and appreciated. It's a place where your friendly colleague can tell you that your deodorant isn't working, and you listen because you know they have good intentions.

​

By fostering friendliness, we create velocity in understanding, reliability in execution, and, most importantly, the psychological safety to voice even difficult truths. This psychological safety is crucial for individuals to feel comfortable speaking up, preventing costly mistakes and fostering better decision-making.

Friendliness at work doesn't require being best friends with your colleagues. Rather, it involves operating with the assumption of positive intent that encourages the open expression of uncomfortable truths. An environment where these truths and diverse views are valued, accepted and explored together with courageous curiosity.

​

The Hybrid Workplace and Friendliness

Creating and maintaining friendliness becomes even more crucial in the hybrid workplace, where physical proximity is replaced with flexibility. It helps to bridge the distance and foster a sense of connection and collaboration. By actively cultivating shared goals, clear roles, and intentional communication, we can create a strong and engaging environment that fosters a sense of proximity even when physically apart.