Intranet software is a powerful tool for businesses looking to improve employee engagement, internal communication and collaboration in the new digital workplace.
By using team intranet software, companies can create online communities where employees can share ideas, collaborate on projects, and communicate.
This article will discuss the steps to building a highly effective team and how an intranet solution is the glue that holds it all together.
6 Steps to building highly effective teams
Effective teams collaborate seamlessly.
But, collaboration doesn’t come easy. It requires conscious, concerted effort. Management and staff must be open, flexible and willing to use the best collaboration tools at their disposal to accomplish tasks.
The following six steps will take collaboration to the next level, resulting in a highly effective team.
Communicate, communicate and communicate
Effective teams communicate and then communicate some more. Open lines of internal communications let you know which employees are struggling with projects and which projects need an extra pair of hands. In addition, providing positive feedback and employee recognition for a job well done boosts morale and encourages high-caliber work.
So, how can a modern intranet platform help you build open internal communications?
Online intranet software lets employees post project updates, questions, concerns and ideas to a central location. Employees can also use intranet software to message one another directly or join group chats for real-time collaboration.
Intranet software enables effective team collaboration by allowing staff to post updates in a central location
Management can use the intranet to recognize staff members that perform well and post company-wide announcements.
Share knowledge and insights
To make the most of a team’s collective intelligence, employees must share their knowledge and insights. Unfortunately, employees spend too much time searching for answers at work, yet, in most cases, their colleagues have those answers.
Knowledge management isn’t easy, as demonstrated by a study by Elastic. The survey found that 60% of employees spend more time looking for documents than replying to email, while 85% spend time searching for documents during the day.
(Image source: Elastic.co)
Knowledge sharing and content management (i.e. an intranet CMS) is best achieved using modern intranet software that allows employees to create profiles, post blogs, upload files, join groups and use an intranet search function. In this way, everyone can see what others are working on and contribute when they have something valuable to add.
This type of information sharing builds trust within a team as employees understand that each member has something unique to offer.
Learn to pivot
For a team to be successful, it must be willing to change course when things aren’t going as planned. This is where the ability to pivot proves essential. It’s not always possible to know what will happen during the course of a project, so employees need to be flexible enough to make changes on the fly.
Modern intranet software can help teams learn to pivot by allowing employees to share updates, post ideas and join groups related to their projects. In this way, employee intranet software becomes a virtual hub for all things related to your project. When employees have everything they need in one place, it’s easy for them to make changes without searching for information.
Identify your time wasters
To be productive, employees need to be aware of their time wasters and take steps to eliminate them. Some everyday time-wasting activities include checking email constantly, surfing the internet and social media, and playing games on smartphones.
Intranet software can help you identify your time wasters through various productivity tools such as time tracking, task management and goal setting. These tools can help you see where you’re spending the most time and identify which activities detract from your productivity.
Start new employees on the right foot
One of the best ways to ensure that a team is successful is by starting new employees off on the right foot. This means giving them all the necessary information and tools to do their job correctly. Intranet software can help with onboarding by providing a central location for new employee orientation materials, policies and procedures, contact information and more.
Use your intranet to centralize onboarding materials for new hires
In addition, intranet software makes it easy for managers to track who is up-to-date on company policy and who still needs training.
Use the best intranet software for your team
Not all employee intranet software is created equal. For example, some intranets are designed for large businesses, while others are perfect for small teams. Therefore, it’s essential to choose the right intranet software for your team to ensure that everyone has the tools to be productive.
The best way to find the right intranet software is by doing a little research. Ask your friends and colleagues which intranet they use and why they like it. Once you’ve narrowed down your options, test out a few of them before making a final decision.
Below are a few tips to help you choose an appropriate intranet solution for your business.
- Decide on the features you want: When choosing intranet software, it’s vital to decide on the features you want. For example, do you want a corporate intranet with a social intranet platform? Do you want cloud based intranet software or an on-premises solution? Do you need document management features? And so on. This approach will help you find an intranet that fits the needs of your entire organization.
- Research to narrow down your options: Once you know what features you’re looking for, research the top intranet solutions to find the best one for your team. One of the best places to start is software review websites like G2.com that provide objective reviews of software products.
- Book a free demo or trial: Ensure the intranet software provider you choose offers a free demo or trial. This will give you a chance to try out the intranet before purchasing.
Intranet software can be a valuable tool for building highly effective teams in the digital workplace. By providing staff with a central location for information, knowledge management, employee communication and collaboration, intranet software can help team members work together more effectively.
When choosing intranet software, it’s essential to consider the features you need and find an intranet that fits your business. Be sure to also test out the intranet before making a purchase.
