Are you stymied by the collaboration void in your workplace? Wonder why, when you’ve struggled to hire the best and the brightest, tempers flare and productivity often grinds to a halt?

Your workplace may be a “Red Zone” - an environment where turf is guarded and defensiveness abounds.

Red Zone organizations are made up of individuals who are short on “Green Zone” qualities such as trust, optimism, and goodwill. When a project fizzles or fails in a Red Zone workplace, people turn to shame and blame - focusing not on what went wrong, but on who did wrong.

No fun
A Red Zone organization isn’t a fun place to work. People aren’t excited to be there. Most people favour victory over solutions. And they waste more time and energy on self-preservation than they spend on bottom-line priorities.

To stand a chance of keeping their stars, Red Zone organizations often dangle carrots such as bigger-and-better pay, perks, or bennies. Still, productivity and morale suffer because Red Zone attitudes fog the corporate culture.

Greener pastures
A Green Zone environment, in contrast, is a fun place to work. Employees work together to pursue a shared vision. They value collaboration and get the job done with a strong sense of teamwork and excellence.

Sure, Green Zone qualities can’t save a company that makes lousy products or offers crummy customer service. Yet, studies show when all else is equal, Green Zone organizations enjoy long-term profitability and growth, while their Red Zone counterparts suffer in all areas. Some companies even “Red Zone” themselves right out of business.

Changing colors - and cultures
So can Red Zone organizations move into the Green Zone? And can employees at all levels learn to collaborate? Absolutely!

Collaboration isn’t magic. It’s a mind-set and a skill-set - both of which can be learned - that can make a big difference to a company’s bottom line.