Implement Social Rules to Boost Collaboration

Team collaboration leads to new ideas, innovation, and performance improvements. Modern workplaces are increasingly diverse, which means that ordinarily, work groups will be composed of both men and women. Previous research has shown that mixed-gender teams can often feel inhibited in their expressiveness and can be afraid to offend the other group, leading to less collaboration and less effective teamwork. However, research from Cornell University, Haas School of Business (University of California, Berkeley), The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and other prestigious business schools, shows that imposing ‚Äúpolitically correct” rules on a mixed-gender team boosts idea generation and increases collaboration. What does hinder the collaborative exchange of ideas is uncertainty. When people aren’t sure of the rules, they hesitate before volunteering thoughts and opinions. If you feel uncertain as to how to manage delicate work group dynamics, this course will help you on the path to defining guidelines for appropriate conduct.