If you truly recognize the importance of grooming a team that contribute collaboratively toward the achievement of organizational objectives, you, first, need to turn around the hiring practice hitherto followed in your organization. Such a consideration will drive you evaluate the candidates, beyond their academic or professional achievements. Canvas whether the candidates’ talents, drives and ambitions are married to a willingness to work collaboratively with others. Put the candidates for lengthy interviews, where more than 10 people interviewing the candidates at different stages. This will reduce personal bias and will give you a better idea of the candidates’ networking skills.

Facilitate an environment conductive for your new employees to work collaboratively with each other and with senior team members. This will help them follow the group norms, including how to dress, speak and interact with their new team, in the shortest time.

Mentoring achieves its true objectives in the organisation under a set of three circumstances: When the mentor is mastered in active listening, when the mentoring process is set started voluntary by the parties involved in it and finally, when the mentoring programme includes seniors as mentors, who can stand as role models for the new employees. This will also induce the protégés to take on similar responsibilities and nurture leadership skills.

If you go for rewarding individuals as part of a performance management process by ignoring team accomplishments, it will only result in destroying the team synergy. You could reinforce the culture of collaboration by recognising their team work. This is pragmatic, only if the measurement system, in itself is collaborative.