Connectivity is one of the Mega trends of today. It describes the new organization of humanity in networks. One of the aspects of this connectivity is the aspect of collaboration. Collaboration today means the cooperative collaboration of a company with its customers, partners and suppliers as part of internal and cross-company business processes. Collaboration is therefore a part of "digital transformation" or is realized through it - and has already established itself as an integral part of everyday life. This first part of our series of articles sheds light on the basics of collaboration, the challenges it faces and the means used to overcome them, and answers the question of how you can ensure successful collaboration.

Collaboration: What collaboration really means

As the cornerstone of connectivity, collaboration encompasses the communication, exchange and distribution of data and information as well as their shared use. The areas affected include supply chain management, supplier relationship management, customer relationship management and cross-company product development. Collaboration uses modern communication software and hardware and Web 2.0, i.e. the interactive elements of the Internet, and is taking the next steps towards Industry 4.0.

In the age of the Internet and globalization, cross-company and internal collaboration is no longer conceivable without collaboration.

In some companies, the topic is still treated with neglect or taken for granted. After all, employees, customers and suppliers still work together today. Of course, Internet bandwidths are being expanded, telephone systems are being converted to new technologies and computers are being equipped with the latest collaboration applications provided to companies by large software providers such as Microsoft or Cisco. What is often missing, however, is an overarching collaboration strategy geared towards business processes and support for these processes.

In this three-part series of articles, we want to present the various collaboration scenarios, shed light on the current state of the art and illustrate how the topic can be approached strategically within the company.

Types of communication

In order to approach the concept of collaboration, it must first be clear which criteria the associated communication must fulfill. A basic distinction must be made between synchronous and asynchronous communication.

Synchronous communication

The term synchronous communication is used in different ways. It is primarily used in IT or network technology, for example, but also refers to communication between people. For people, synchronous communication refers to direct exchange, i.e. an exchange of information in a direct temporal context. Examples of synchronous communication are

• personal discussions
• Video or telephone calls
• Chats.

Asynchronous communication

If the term asynchronous communication is used in relation to the exchange between people, the flow of information is not directly related to time. Information is provided without receiving an immediate response or reaction. Examples of asynchronous communication are

• Letter
• e-mail
• SMS
• WhatApp messages
• Discussion forums
• Conversations in applications (such as Teams or Yammer).

Various collaboration scenarios

In the next step, we will look at the various collaboration scenarios in companies.

The virtual project team

Virtual project teams are temporary teams that can be set up at different locations and often at different times. Work offset. They usually include employees from different companies and freelancers. The members of a virtual project team are often not in their own office, but on the road on business and have to collaborate with other team members on the move.

In his blog post "Virtual teams: leading and working in agile times" our colleague Thomas Riemann-Seibert recently described some of the challenges of virtual project teams very clearly, such as the aspects of time zones, culture and language. In the following, we will look at the specific interfaces of collaboration and the criteria for its success.

Cooperation within your own company

In the course of globalization, many companies have established branches or subsidiaries all over the world. This has long since affected more than just large companies: More and more SMEs are also operating globally.

Accordingly, some companies have adapted their organizational structure so that employees from one organizational unit are distributed across different locations and countries. Jim in the USA, for example, is no longer separated from Stefan in Germany by several hierarchical levels. Instead, the two work together for the same supervisor - despite the time difference and geographical separation.

In other cases, certain departments are not represented at every location. For example, if the local specialist department needs a new IT application, it often has to work together with the IT department at one location or even in another country when selecting and introducing it.

In general, it can also be observed that employees are beginning to make effective use of the improved collaboration options. A simple example of this is that they sometimes work from home on individual days.

Cooperation with suppliers

Large companies have also optimized their supplier communication: they determine the process for purchasing or awarding contracts and therefore also the tools used. Documents for tenders and subsequent project work must be made available to suppliers or are requested from them. The processing of orders should be as simple as possible. The trend-setting wish is for fully automated order processing across several organizations and/or legal units. Amazon is a good example of this: The order is placed by the customer via Amazon and is forwarded directly to the relevant suppliers. However, such marketplaces and similar platforms are also on the rise in B2B business.

Cooperation with development partners

When development partners work together, the larger partner will usually specify its process structures and IT tools to the smaller partner. However, many collaborations today also take place between similarly sized companies. Car manufacturers, for example, develop vehicles together or develop new innovations with other technology providers. Here, the question of process flows and tools arises anew with every new collaboration, as there are still no cross-company standards for such collaborations.

Cooperation with customers

At a time when many transactions are concluded electronically, it is important to involve the customer in the collaboration. This is particularly important when the customer needs advice in order to select the right product. Customers who are used to being advised when buying a product in a store or by a sales representative are overwhelmed when they are now asked to book online. Often, too many products to choose from even leads to uncertainty on the part of the customer and to the purchase process being abandoned.

The moment the customer is guided or has the opportunity to ask questions, the provider significantly improves the chance of closing a deal. Some companies now have websites and web stores where the customer is offered a chat with a sales representative after initial activities that indicate an interest in buying.

Customer support is even more important for products or services that still need to be configured to customer specifications. Online configurators have been around for many years - they are now often enhanced with 3D visualization functions. These help to give the customer a better impression of the product.

If the customer wants a customized product, the collaboration must even include the Possibility of specifying the product include. The advantage here is that the customer makes a decision in favor of the company at a very early stage. The challenge for the company, on the other hand, is to provide the customer with optimal support throughout the entire process.

Collaboration in transformation projects

Transformation projects require intensive communication. The optimal prerequisite for this is working at the same location. However, many transformation projects are caused by mergers and carve-in projects - both nationally and internationally. Here, the parties involved are in different locations and still need to be included in the transformation process if you don't want to provoke their resistance to the change. Efficient collaboration is a basic prerequisite for the success of the transformation.

Cooperation in IT projects

There is hardly a project in the IT sector that can do without collaboration. This becomes particularly clear in an example scenario: on the one hand, low-cost development resources from Eastern Europe and India need to be integrated as part of nearshore and offshore projects, while on the other hand, the expertise of a system manufacturer or consulting firm is required. On the other hand, the internal customers of the IT solutions are usually spread across several locations. These numerous different perspectives make it clear that the more partners are involved, the more inconsistent the approach is, for example with regard to conference tools and document storage.

Conclusion

Collaboration has become an integral part of our everyday working lives. Every company uses collaboration in a wide variety of places - even if most companies have not undertaken any special projects to enable the company for this collaboration.

In the second part of our article, we will look at collaboration technologies.

(Cover picture: © Patrick Müller)