Future of teamwork in America : Remote work on the rise but connectedness lacking

NEW YORK and BOSTON and RENNES, France, July 16, 2019 :  Klaxoon today announced the results of a new study “Klaxoon’s Teamwork in America Survey”, a study conducted by Propeller Insights among over 2,000 workers across the US aiming to get to the heart of trends in teamwork happening in America today. Results show that the future of teamwork will be centered on efficient collaboration driven by an increase of multiple touch points across an organization, from formal meetings to managing of projects via digital tools, between various teams and at distinctive times.

“With nearly a billion people around the world working as a team daily, it was important to study how teams work together within organizations, what are the latest trends, their needs, and preferences. This study is unique, it highlights the transformation taking place in the world of work and the need for teams to find the right tools, the right methods to synchronize, move forward together,” says Matthieu Beucher, CEO of Klaxoon.

Meetings matter: While overall meeting satisfaction is increasing across America, rising meeting frequency and number of participants in attendance have the potential to sidetrack daily efficiency. 41% of workers attended more meetings in the last year while only 14% took part in fewer meetings. More meeting invites but also more people in the room with 63% of employees agreeing that there are more attendees present in meetings. Meeting trends that are more pronounced in certain cities. San Francisco, Washington DC, and NYC lead the way in the US with the greatest increase in meetings attended over the past year, while Austin saw the biggest upswing in meeting participants.

Collaboration & decisions making : When asked about team collaboration and if the conversations and most ideas were driven by one or two team members, an overwhelming 79% in America agreed. A pattern of poor collaboration that is most rampant in San Francisco and Seattle, 88% and 85% respectively. A collaborative pattern that impacts the group debate and by extension the decision-making process. When asked about what factors influence decision-making the most, 38% use the best ideas, 29% responded Group Think (group members refrain from expressing doubts and judgments or disagreeing with the consensus) and 25% Upper-management, with only 9% relying of Team-Vote.

Remote work on the rise but connectedness lacking: The survey indicated that 21% of workers currently spent over +60% of their time working remotely. And 52% of US workers feel like they’ll work more remotely in the next year. But it also highlighted that getting everyone engaged and involved can be challenging. When working remotely 63% of employees feel they are less informed than when working from the corporate office. A detachment that could lead some to forgo collaborative team projects.

Multi-team projects: 46% of those surveyed saw an increase in collaboration on team projects when only 20% indicated a decrease. When surveyed how many teams, other than their own, do they interact within any given week, 42% answered between 3 – 8 different teams.

Teamwork still matters: 82% of US workers agree that working in a team helps to bring out more creative ideas. Adding to 59% of employees say they need help from their colleagues to succeed in their job. When asked if they preferred working as a team or working alone, 61% answered working as a team.

Benefits of digital tools: 75% of employees agree that they collaborate better with others on team projects because of collaborative tools. Digital tools that become vital as more and more companies allow remote working and flexible work schedules. The research shows the where, when and how teams are working together today and as technology evolves and transforms the way we work the question about how teams create alignment and synchronize becomes a determining factor in enhancing innovation, creativity, and productivity across a whole organization.