"Leadership is based on inspiration, not domination; on cooperation, not intimidation.
" -William Arthur Ward Workplace cooperation ensures performance and helps people work together with team spirit.
Cooperation begins with effective coordination and helping each other from doing small tasks to facilitating decision making.
Partnering with your colleagues Partnering with your colleagues in the workplace is essential to business success.
The Cambridge Online Dictionary defines a partner as "a person or organization you are closely involved with in some way.
" Although employers and employees in modern workplaces are closely involved with each other, they often define their relationships through rights and contracts rather than partnerships.
Cooperation and partnership can only work in an environment of mutual respect and acceptance of each party's needs.
Creation of cooperation Companies have a responsibility to create the atmosphere of cooperation among the employees.
Employers may need to let go of the middle ages command and control model because it ultimately does not work.
Equally, employees need to let go of the industrial age suspicion of employers' intentions.
Creating cooperation means taking up the opportunities to get involved where and when they are presented.
Listen A crucial tool to build cooperation in the workplace is listening.
A true partnership means listening to each party's needs, desires and contributions and treating them with respect.
To facilitate active listening in the workplace, organizations need to construct opportunities for employers and employees to meet in an environment that encourages openness and a preparedness to act upon the contribution of each party.
Cooperation leads to performance As workplaces become more cooperative and truly focused on the needs of both employers and employees, they become more productive.
Cooperation among employees If one employee knows how to use photocopy machine, he has to help others in using it.
In the same way, you can help others to enhance workplace cooperation in using other gadgets like fax machine, e-mail writing, letter drafting, maintaining library books, utilizing minimum stationery for maximum results and facilitating decision making through following good document filing systems.
Decision making demands details and all the documents required for a good decision making should be maintained well either soft copies or hard copies.
Finally, cooperation among employers and employees, between managers and subordinates, bosses and lower level employees, with female colleagues is essential for success in the workplace.
Let me end with an ultimate quote by Bertrand Russell "The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.
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