Is AI improving challenges to collaboration?
Team leaders in Singapore are reporting challenges when collaborating, resulting in overdue tasks and wasted time.
The Zoom poll, which was carried out by Morning Consult, surveyed 750 full-time knowledge workers in Singapore to determine the current state of collaboration.
It found that team leaders in Singapore are carrying the burden of collaboration challenges, as their tasks involve more people and more cross-functional interaction than most employees.
Among the challenges team leaders reported when collaborating are:
- Difficulty in finding time in their own schedules to connect (85%)
- Difficulty finding time in others' schedules to connect (85%)
- Not enough time in between meetings to get things done (85%)
Impact of collaboration challenges
As a result of these challenges, 45% of team leaders said they spend at least an hour a day catching up on overdue tasks.
This is much higher than the 32% of employees who said they spend time catching up on similar tasks, and much higher than the average experience among leaders in the Asia-Pacific region (32%), according to the report.
In addition to overdue tasks, the report further found that 44% of team leaders also spend at least an hour a day participating in meetings with no clear outcome or that do not solve a problem.
This is also experienced more often by leaders than their own teams (33%).
Addressing collaboration challenges
To address the problem, Zoom's report said leaders need to focus on finding the "just right" amount of time for synchronous and/or in-person collaboration, a strategy that most of the respondents agree with.
According to the report, 77% of leaders in Singapore prefer to engage with employees in real-time, not asynchronously. This is much higher than the APAC average of 70%.
In fact, around three in 10 leaders even said that in-person meetings lead to the following positive outcomes:
- Makes them feel most connected to colleagues (30%)
- Leads to the highest level of engagement from colleagues (29%)
Other forms of asynchronous or non-face-to-face communication can also help foster a more balanced approach. These forms include:
- Instant messaging or chat
- Collaborative documents and whiteboards
- Project management software
The findings come as the Singaporean government continues to advocate for hybrid work arrangements in a bid to champion mental health. Starting in December, employers in Singapore will be mandated to formally consider employees' requests for flexible work.
AI's impact on collaboration
Artificial intelligence can also benefit leaders when it comes to collaboration, according to the respondents. Among the gains they cited are:
- Better brainstorming ideas (89%)
- Better communication (87%)
- Makes it easier for colleagues to work in different locations (86%)
Ricky Kapur, head of Asia Pacific at Zoom, said AI will "revolutionise the future of collaboration."
"Our data shows that many Singapore leaders and employees are already embracing AI, with a growing recognition of its ability to save time and drive productivity. However, there remains untapped potential to expand AI's use and maximise its value in the workplace, particularly in enabling and improving collaboration efficiency," he said.
"Moving forward, organisations need to assess how AI is currently being integrated and ask the right questions around where else AI can be implemented to create real impact on both collaboration and productivity."
