The buzzword “synergy” that was at one time a derogatory term applied to corporations, is now returning to the conversation as companies seek ways to collaborate across departments in remote or hybrid settings for example. It’s not being used as a pejorative corporate term but instead to describe the process of collaboration that is still highly desired.
Synergy is built on the idea that the whole is greater than the totality of its components. The positive synergy of teams allows them to achieve greater results than they would be in their on their own. It also gives team members a chance to express themselves with their unique perspectives, skills and communication styles.
Negative synergy, on contrary, can bring down teams and lead to subpar deliverables despite the individual strengths of each member. This is typically due to miscommunications or conflicts over responsibilities, roles and schedules.
To avoid these problems to avoid these issues, it is essential that teams create the foundation of trust and collaboration by clearly defining the goal for the project and clearly defining the role of each team member in this. The easiest way to do this is by using an interactive role mapping process, where every team member collaborates together with their peers to create clear documentation of who’s accountable for what and when. This saves teams lots of time, energy, and conflict by reducing confusion at the beginning. It makes it easier for managers, when needed, to take over and coach.