Creating a collaborative culture with Adam Galinsky, Columbia Business School

When compared side-by-side with the year prior, 2020’s workplace is practically unrecognizable. Not only has the physical space in which we work changed, but naturally, so too have the day-to-day procedures that previously felt as though they were set in stone.

So, with co-located working almost a thing of the past, the need for effective teamwork and collaboration is now more urgently felt than ever before. However, the fact is that, due to the abrupt change, many businesses are simply not yet equipped for this. As a result, it is vital that leaders equip themselves to help their organizations pivot, and establish strong cultures of collaboration.

That said, one should expect this to be a less than straightforward procedure, so in the latest edition of the HRD Live Podcast, we picked the brains of Adam Galinsky for a comprehensive guide. Author, speaker, and Columbia Business School Executive Education professor, Galinsky has spent more than 20 years studying power and leadership in the context of the workplace, and used this expertise to offer us an outline of what leaders should and shouldn’t do in attempting to bolster collaborative culture in the modern workplace.

In doing so, Adam explained the importance of collaborative culture, what components are required to cultivate it, how leaders can adopt ‘double-edged thinking’ and become more aware of their ‘blind spots’, the importance of cultural aspects such as diversity, and transparency, and much more.

Our hope is that this podcast will offer you some valuable guidance on responding to the disruption caused by COVID-19, and creating a healthy, collaborative culture in the virtual workplace.

0:50 – The importance of creating cultures of collaboration in the workplace

2:45 – Adam’s idea of ‘doubled-edged thinking’, and how this can benefit leaders

4:23 – The three components of collaborative culture (empowerment, diversity, and transparency), and how they can be both good and bad

8:30 – ‘Blind spots’ in leadership

12:15 – How leaders can take steps to become more aware of their blind spots

13:39 – The importance of diversity, and what organizations need to be wary of when implementing it

15:30 – How can leaders be more aware of the potential pitfalls that come with increased diversity?

19:27 – How transparency can influence workplace culture

23:51 – Where to start when it comes to building a collaborative culture

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