When you think of workplace collaboration, one of the first things that comes to your mind is that you need tools or software to help you. Fortunately, there are plenty of collaboration tools on the market to help you achieve your goals. So, how come so many businesses and companies still need to deal with problems with communication, for example?

Let's look at some stats that may help you finally adopt the right mindset with collaboration and put it to work for you.

Teamwork Facts and Statistics

Teamwork is crucial in the workplace. There is no longer an individual performing his tasks alone; there are always teams or groups of individuals who need to work together by combining their efforts. And this is how collaboration comes in. But let's take one step at a time.

1. According to a Statista study, almost 90% of respondents rate teamwork as important or very important in terms of satisfaction at their jobs, no matter if it is between departments and other business units.

2. Nearly 40% of respondents to a Gusto study conducted on employees of small businesses stated that ‘working with a great team’ is their primary reason for staying.

3. According to a Stanford study, employees who prefer collaborative working can focus on tasks for longer (64% more than other workers who don't want collaborative working), show less fatigue, are more engaged, and usually deliver more successful outcomes.

4. Businesses that promote collaboration are, according to an Institute for Corporate Productivity study, fivefold more likely to be considered high-performing.

5. A report from Fierce Inc. revealed that nearly 90% of respondents attribute workplace failures to poor collaboration or ineffective communication, while 97% believe that misalignment across a team negatively affects task or work outcomes.

What Size Should Your Team Be?

Now that we all agree that teamwork is crucial within companies and businesses, which is the right size of a team to make it more effective and productive? What is the ideal size that a team should have?

6. A study published by the American Psychological Association found that groups outperformed pairs and individuals in solving complex problems. Teams of between 3 to 5 people performed best, benefiting from collaborative information processing and the ability to dismiss incorrect answers. In contrast, pairs performed at the same level as individuals, indicating that they were too small to create the systems needed for enhanced problem-solving.

7. A larger team doesn't always lead to better performance. A study published in Joomag, found that four-person teams took 44% longer to build a Lego figure, completing the task in 52 minutes, compared to two-person teams who finished in 36 minutes.

Statistics on Collaboration in the Workplace Environment

When most people think of teamwork, they immediately assume that people with similar skills are working together. And this is true. However, when talking about collaboration, we need to take teamwork one step ahead. After all, collaboration implies that people with different skills need to work together.

8. A Gallup study showed that 84% of U.S. employees work in more than one team at the same time, therefore responding to more than one team manager. In these cases, teamwork and collaboration become even more important.

9. According to Gallup, in today's increasingly digital world, where 8 in 10 people work either entirely remotely or in a hybrid setup, good and effective collaboration has become more essential than ever.

10. But according to a Queens University of Charlotte study, 39% of employees believe people don’t collaborate enough in their organization. In addition, 3 in 4 employees see teamwork and collaboration as ‘very important.’

11. In an HBR study, men and women don't see collaborative work the same way. Men are 36% more likely to provide informational support by sharing knowledge and expertise, while women are 66% more likely to offer assistance that demands greater time and effort.

12. But men and women also see their contributions differently. In a Madeline Heilman (an NYU psychologist) experiment, when a man worked overtime to support colleagues, people rated him 14% higher than a woman who did the same. Conversely, when neither helped, the woman was penalized 12% more than the man.

By looking at these statistics, we can say that we are all, both men and women, motivated to increase collaboration and make it worthwhile. However, it is the job of the senior leadership and managers to ensure that collaboration really happens.

13. According to HBR, the time managers dedicate to collaborative activities with employees in the workplace has risen by over 50% in the past two decades.

14. While 90% of workers believe decision-makers should consult employees’ opinions before finalizing decisions, 40% report that leaders frequently fail to do so.

15. When there’s little incentive, people usually don't collaborate, according to Chapman University.

16. This means that managers will need to offer some kinds of rewards or incentives to promote team collaboration and improve team resilience. This can be achieved by conducting communication evaluations, which only 18% of employees currently undergo.

Remote Teamwork Statistics

Remote work has been increasing ever since we had to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Many employees, from all over the world, were forced to work remotely for some days, weeks, and months. When the end of the pandemic was announced, some companies were so happy with the results that they decided to maintain some of their employees working remotely. As you can easily understand, this has changed the workplace as we all used to know. As a result, collaboration also needed to change.

17. Hybrid and remote work options influence in a positive way employee happiness and satisfaction, according to 71% of leaders on a Morning Consult Survey commissioned by Zoom.

18. According to FlexJobs, despite its benefits, 36% of employees believe remote work negatively affects workplace collaboration and 28% of workers feel their workload is heavier when working remotely compared to working in the office.

What do Workers & Team Managers Think about Collaboration?

19. According to a Morning Consult Survey commissioned by Zoom, 75% of leaders that have teams using AI state that their teams collaborate better.

20. Most of the time office workers are at work is spent collaborating with others—says this Gensler report.

21. According to Project.co, almost 1/3 of employees state that communicating with team members and customers will become more challenging in 2023. With this in mind, 75% decided to use new tools to meet the business goals.

Benefits of Workspace Collaboration

There's no question that collaboration within teams at the workplace is crucial and that it brings a lot of benefits. Some of the most important ones include:

22. A 41% increase in customer satisfaction, according to the Institute for Collaborative Working.

23. 21% higher profitability since engagement is bigger, says Gallup.

24. When asked, 70% of employees share that an improved collaboration can positively affect not only employee productivity but also save resources and energy, according to this Alludo report.

Statistics on Workplace Collaboration Using Technology

No matter if your company or business has a remote workforce or not, having tools to improve collaboration is crucial nowadays. You want to make sure that everyone is on the same page and in touch to ensure that the company's goals are met. Therefore, using technology is critical. Let's delve into some research and stats:

25. According to Zoom, 54% of the employees who use more than 10 apps report issues with communication while only 34% of the employees who use less than 5 apps report the same issues.

26. While 55% of people use email to communicate with clients, 26% of employees use an online chat tool in 202, refers Project.co. According to the same source, only 7% use their phone to communicate.

27. The use of tools of digital or mobile collaboration has increased between 2019 and 2021 by 44%, states Gartner.

28. When only using a PM tool to communicate with clients and teammates, 83% of professionals state they can clearly see the state of the project they're working on. (Project.co)

29. According to HubSpot, 32% of employees received guidance on how to use both collaboration and communication tools.

30. Rocket.Chat states that 65% of workers say that using instant messaging and video conferences on just one platform is crucial.

Challenges to Team Collaboration

Just like everything in life, it's not all roses. And with collaboration, some challenges that need to be addressed include:

31. According to Project.co, 65% of employees feel their time is wasted in meetings.

32. Both employers (82%) and employees (72%) reported to Zoom that it is difficult for them to complete tasks due to the lack of time between meetings.

33. According to Alludo, nearly 64% of workers stated that they usually lose 3 hours each week just because of poor collaboration.

34. DDI stated that only a very small percentage of leaders (21%) are actively recruiting and promoting from diverse talent pools.

35. 41% of employees are so unhappy with the company or business they are working for that they would like to see an improvement in the engagement and culture of the company. (Gallup)

36. About 36% of people have dealt with communication problems that led to missing files. But worse than this is that 53% of workers have suffered from fatigue, stress, and burnout, all due to poor communication. (Project.co)

37. According to HubSpot, even though there are many advantages of remote work, 40% of these workers miss spontaneous, in-person connections with their teammates.

Bottom Line

To make a company or business a success, teams need to exist and they need to work well. All employees need to understand the importance of teams for the business or company and the last one needs to promote collaboration.

As you can see by the statistics we showed above, collaboration is crucial since it has a huge impact on the quality of companies and businesses. It doesn't only allow your employees to be happier and more productive as you can easily retain talent and drive more profits and revenues, while doing so. Making the turnover of the mindset from individuals to teams is a huge part of success. A company improves as its teams improve and move towards goals.