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Collaboration has become a buzzword so common that oftentimes we forget to examine the depth of its definition. In fact, workplace collaboration has increased by over 50% over the past few years, and will only skyrocket in the future. People seek it out because it helps them create meaning in the process of working. Collaborating with coworkers builds a community, where people are working towards a greater goal.

As collaboration becomes an intertwined, elemental component of office life, how can a strong practice be made even stronger? There’s answers in technology.

The New Age of Collaboration

The collaborative workplace is healthier, happier and more productive — collaboration has been on the rise, and ultimately made possible, by an increasingly plugged-in, globally-connected society. But how do we take an even more intentional approach to fostering connections in the workplace? A recent story by Propmodo outlined the four most important technological collaboration outlets. 

1. Workplace Chat

The most seamless way to stay connected with colleagues is through a chatting website or app. Team chat apps keep the whole office up-to-date and able to communicate in real-time, whether that be asking and answering questions or sharing in-the-moment insights. Not only does chatting keep people in communication over their current tasks, but it helps curate real, personal connections between coworkers so they feel more linked to one another, creating a real sense of community. One of the most popular team chat apps is Slack—also the newest resident in Irvine Company’s 71 S Wacker workplace.

2. Digital Displays

Digital displays are the new (and improved) whiteboard. Projection screens and large televisions positioned in offices and conference rooms enable all to share the same screen and the same vision simultaneously. Screen-sharing is a fast, effective way to relay information from one team member to the next, in order to make the collaborative process efficient and easy. At Irvine Company’s venue71, we utilize digital displays to take the conference room, and collaboration, to a whole new level, in a way that’s customized and adaptive to each customer’s specific needs.

3. Video Messaging

While Irvine Company offers state-of-the-art conference rooms to make meeting easy, not everyone is located in the same place. Video messaging and conferencing tools allow employees, both in-office and remote, local or international, to connect face-to-face and communicate in a way that feels personal. 

4. Digital Project Management Tools

Sometimes collaborating is complex. Technology allows people to organize information and communicate transparently. Using digital project management tools compiles all deadlines, progress updates and more in one place, creating a tidy, frictionless and unencumbered collaborative experience. 

Irvine Company focuses on technology-forward solutions that support a friction-free workday, every day. Technology exists to make our lives easier, but a surprising and welcome subset of its invention is that humankind is more connected than ever. We believe that technology can help foster not only productive, exciting collaborations within the workplace, but ultimately create a vibrant workplace community.

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