Working together is an art form. Whether it’s engaging in dialogue to unlock new opportunities or bringing people together to achieve a shared purpose, the art of collaboration ought to be high on every business agenda as we collectively set foot into a new calendar year.
In the modern-day workplace that is fast-moving and often flexible, collaboration can help put the pieces together and ultimately foster a more purposeful and driven work environment. Knowledge sharing between employees and colleagues, pooling resources among partners both internal and external, all of which stems from a company that considers collaboration critical to its long-term objectives.
In collaborating, we make space for new perspectives and opposing views. We strengthen each other’s areas of weakness and, in so doing, empower teams and partners to set their sights on bigger and more complex goals that they simply could not have achieved otherwise. There is truth to the saying that many hands make light work. Especially when that work requires a multidisciplinary approach.
Such as the four strands woven into the fabric of the WiB Group’s mission: to help create an inclusive, prosperous economy for Northern Ireland.
Our collaborative teams across Women in Business, Diversity Mark, Timely Careers and Centre of Learning specialise in networking, accreditation in equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), employment opportunities, and professional skills development to fast-track fresh talent for the local economy.
In recapping 2023 and with it, our 21st year, the WiB Group now reaches and inspires a community of 250,000 people, hosts 120 annual events and programmes, accredits more than 175 companies committed to progress in EDI, and supports and motivates over 36,000 women across Northern Ireland in their career journeys.
None of this would be possible without collaboration. Tangible, long-term progress isn’t achieved by any one person, but a team of people or partners fused together with a common aim, a common purpose. Where meetings and work sessions prioritise dialogue and innovation as part of a combined effort to not just streamline tasks, but to enable the right people to achieve the best results.
Collaboration has the power to be a lightning rod for business, simultaneously expanding our knowledge base and capability to achieve more. So that, when we look to the year ahead and all the many challenges we must confront, remember true collaboration is a very important tool.
In 2024 the WiB Group will continue to lead the way in collaboration with our partners and stakeholders bringing the economic benefit of inclusion to all.
:: Roseann Kelly is chief Executive of the WiB Group
