Last updated: 1st July 2026
Collaboration in the workplace isn't new. But it looks different today than it did a decade ago.
Cloud computing and faster internet connections changed how teams work together. Employees now collaborate with colleagues across offices, cities and time zones, often without ever meeting face to face. The shift to remote and hybrid work sped this up. Organisations had to find ways to keep teams connected, informed and productive, no matter where people sat.
This article looks at why collaboration matters, the tools that support it, and how your organisation can build a stronger collaborative culture.
Online workplace collaboration means using digital tools like intranets, team workspaces and video conferencing to help employees work together regardless of location. It boosts productivity, keeps knowledge flowing between teams, and helps organisations retain staff by creating a more connected, engaged workforce.
What are the benefits of workplace collaboration?
Workplace collaboration gives teams access to a wider range of skills, faster problem solving, and a stronger sense of community across the organisation. When employees from different departments work together, they bring different perspectives to the table. A marketing team member might spot a customer insight an IT specialist would miss. An operations lead might solve a logistics problem a finance colleague hadn't considered.
Collaboration also builds a more knowledgeable workforce. When employees share expertise and learn from one another, they grow professionally and understand the wider business better. This exchange builds a stronger, more versatile team over time.
There's a clear link between engagement and business performance too.
Gallup's meta-analysis of more than 183,000 business units found that highly engaged teams are 23% more profitable than teams with low engagement, and low-engagement teams see 51% higher turnover. Source: Gallup, State of the Global Workplace
Northcott, one of Australia's largest disability service providers, found this out first hand. After rapid growth expanded the organisation to 160 locations across NSW and ACT, frontline staff needed a faster way to find critical information. A connected intranet gave every location access to the same up to date resources, cutting down on wasted time and confusion.
How do you build a strategy for online workplace collaboration?
A strong online collaboration strategy starts with the digital workplace: a connected set of tools, platforms and environments that let employees, teams and partners share information with little friction or delay.
Step Two Designs defines a digital workplace as a holistic set of workplace tools, platforms and environments delivered in a coherent, usable and productive way. It empowers individuals, teams and partners to communicate and collaborate without friction, so every stakeholder can do their job more effectively.
Organisations can choose from a range of digital collaboration platforms and tools, from standalone enterprise collaboration tools to a full content management system with built-in social intranet tools. A good enterprise social networking setup typically includes:
- Team workspaces
- A company wiki
- Forums
- Blogging
- Instant messaging
- Staff profile pages
Encouraging staff to use these tools helps avoid common intranet mistakes. Employees from different departments can add to company wiki pages, creating a shared resource everyone can access. Internal blogging works in a similar way. Staff with expertise in a particular area can share what they know, helping colleagues find answers fast and building a positive company culture through shared news and achievements.
Online team workspaces let staff share the latest documents, join conversations and collaborate from any device, wherever they're working. If your organisation shows any of these signs you need a social intranet, these tools are worth prioritising.
An all-in-one platform brings collaboration, communication and content management together in one place. That means less tool sprawl and fewer logins for staff to juggle, and one less system for your IT team to maintain.
How to start improving workplace collaboration
- Audit the tools your teams currently use and identify overlap.
- Choose a central platform that supports document sharing, workspaces and communication.
- Set clear guidelines for where different types of conversations happen.
- Train staff on the tools you introduce, not just the technology.
- Review usage and gather feedback after the first few months.
Why should you invest in enterprise apps for collaboration?
Enterprise apps give employees a branded, mobile way to access company information, tools and communities from anywhere. Mobility reduces admin overhead and helps staff get more done with fewer resources tied up in manual processes.
Microsoft's 2025 Work Trend Index found the average worker receives 117 emails a day and is interrupted by email, chat or a meeting roughly every two minutes. Source: Microsoft WorkLab
Tool sprawl and constant interruptions add up fast. A single platform that brings apps, content and communication together cuts down on the noise and gives staff one place to go, instead of switching between five or six systems throughout the day.
Many reputable app developers now build white label apps that plug straight into your CMS, complete with your branding and content.
How does remote work support flexible collaboration?
Remote and hybrid work give employees more control over where they do their best work, and that flexibility supports better collaboration when it's backed by the right tools.
Frontline and deskless staff are often left out of this shift. GJK Facility Services manages more than 2,500 field staff without a single corporate email address between them. Moving to a connected intranet gave every field worker mobile self-service access to rosters, forms and company news, creating a single source of truth the whole team could rely on, regardless of device or location.
For guidance on choosing the best online collaboration tools for your organisation, look at what your remote and frontline teams actually need day to day, not just what head office uses.
Why is knowledge management important for collaboration?
Knowledge management keeps information retained within the organisation and shared among employees so they can work together more effectively. Gartner defines knowledge management as an integrated approach to identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving and sharing an organisation's information assets, including databases, documents, policies and the experience held by individual staff.
Giving employees the tools to access and share what they know leads to faster, better decisions and easier collaboration across the business. For more detail, see what knowledge management is and why it matters.
How does branding improve collaboration tools?
Consistent branding across collaboration tools helps employees feel connected to the organisation, no matter which office or location they log in from. A strong brand communicates your organisation's culture instantly and can inspire staff to go the extra mile.
Collaboration tools within a CMS should carry your logo, colours and tone of voice throughout. If you operate across multiple offices, consistent branding means every employee gets the same experience. Read more on essential internal branding strategies.
How does document sharing support collaboration?
Cloud based document sharing lets teams access, edit and store files in one place, without emailing versions back and forth. Wondering why your workplace needs a document management system? Version control, indexing and built-in search all save staff time they'd otherwise spend hunting for the right file.
This matters even more when teams and partners are scattered across different locations. For practical guidance, see these document management best practices.
Why does video conferencing improve workplace collaboration?
Video conferencing lets remote and hybrid teams see each other, read body language and build stronger working relationships than chat or email alone.
Microsoft's 2025 Work Trend Index found that 30% of meetings now span multiple time zones, and meetings starting after 8pm have increased 16% year over year. Source: Microsoft WorkLab
As global and distributed teams become the norm, tools like video conferencing help bridge the distance. They support board meetings, webinars and everyday collaboration, and they can meaningfully reduce travel costs for in-office staff who'd otherwise fly interstate or overseas for meetings that can now happen from a desk.
Conclusion
It can’t be emphasised enough how much the right tools can benefit workplace collaboration. They save time and money and lead to better growth for any organisation which uses one.
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