Working together and building trusted relationships

As we all work in a more collaborative way in our BSW Together Integrated Care System its important to remember that collaboration has always been at the heart of great health and social care.

We all want to work more closely as a partnership – but how can we develop our ways of working in order to see things from each others perspectives? Here’s a quick guide to five skills we can all put into practice for better collaborative working:

1. Goal setting

When you’re working with a team, everybody must understand the purpose and vision behind the project, as well as how success will be measured. Being open and honest from the start of the project will help to  build trust and ensure everyone is committed to success and aligned with a common purpose.

2. Communication

Before you begin a collaborative project, make sure are clear about intentions and intended outcomes from the start. Let your teammates know what you’re doing and set realistic expectations for when you’ll get done.

3. Listening

When you’re working closely with others, make sure you work as hard as you can to listen closely to each team member’s ideas, feedback, and advice—and be considerate and respectful when responding.

4. Problem-solving

If problems arise, remember to calmly analyse the issue as a group without attributing blame to any one person. Instead, focus your energy on working together to find solutions. This helps build trust between team members and makes sure everyone feels comfortable communicating and being transparent with each other, even if they do something wrong.

5. Time management

Collaborating with others means you need to be accountable to not only yourself, but also your group members who are dependent on you. This is where time management skills come in. make sure you can prioritise your tasks and schedule them out accordingly so you can meet deadlines and complete the work that your team is counting on you to deliver.