Recent research from Zoom shows that ineffective collaboration costs organizations hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. The report, “Global Collaboration in the Workplace,” examined the experiences of nearly 8,000 leaders and employees in 16 countries.
One striking finding is that more than one-third of executives spend an hour or more daily solving collaboration problems. This ranges from participating in meetings for no clear purpose to chasing colleagues for project updates. Converted, this costs organizations with 1,000 employees more than €874,000 in wasted time annually.
The causes lie primarily in app overload and meeting culture. Teams using more than 10 apps are twice as likely to have collaboration problems than teams with fewer than 5 apps. It also shows that 47% of executives feel they spend too much time in physical meetings, while 82% say they don’t have enough time between meetings to get work done.
Generational differences also play a role. Whereas baby boomers prefer physical meetings, younger generations prefer to use instant messaging and project management tools. This requires a varied approach to communication within teams.
The solution lies in cleverly combining synchronous and asynchronous communication, where AI can play an important role. Of the executives using AI, 85% report faster task completion and 84% higher productivity. By being more aware of different forms of communication and using technology smartly, organizations can significantly reduce the hidden costs of poor collaboration.