A recent survey finds cross-functional corporate teams waste a full day out of every work week trying to find information they need while three-quarters of workers suffer from poor communication that affects the speed and quality of their work.
The impact of these problems is alarming, according to the survey by Atlassian of 200 Fortune 1000 executives and 12,000 knowledge workers. A mere 7% of executives express confidence that they know exactly how the work their company’s teams are doing supports the organization’s biggest goals. Nearly three-quarters (74%) say poor communication slows both speed and quality. At the same time, 89% of the executives say their organization must move more rapidly than ever to keep up with the competition.
Many issues contribute to the problem, with communication being chief among them. Team members come from different corporate lines of business distributed across geographies and time zones, making coordination difficult. Siloed groups may use different tools to accomplish similar tasks, which can make it difficult to find and share information effectively. Real-time meetings chew up time that could be better spent pursuing goals.
The role of AI in effective collaboration
A practical remedy is a platform that serves as a common knowledge base and collaboration workspace, with a single set of integrated tools to improve access to information. Such a platform consolidates data, helps employees plan work, sets and tracks goals, integrates existing tools, and — importantly — embraces artificial intelligence agents as teammates.
AI agents acting as virtual team members can enhance data by finding relevant insights within it and summarizing information to make it more digestible. They can answer questions via search and chat and make recommendations based on each employee’s specific role. The agents can also save time by tackling simple organizational tasks that would otherwise fall to human team members.
“People who strategically collaborate with AI – meaning they’re building it across their different workflows – are already saving nearly a full workday every single week,” says Molly Sands, head of Atlassian’s Teamwork Lab. That is no stretch given the report’s finding that executives and knowledge workers alike spend 25% of their work week just searching for the information they need.
Elements of an effective collaboration platform
A consolidated work platform can also mean companies need fewer discrete tools, thereby lowering costs. It should help employees manage tasks while keeping their focus on important goals, including a view that shows what tasks have been assigned to whom and due dates for completion. AI agents can even assign tasks, generate Jira tickets, and send reminders to keep team members on track. The result is better workflows and timely delivery of results.
Versatile communications solutions can save time and keep everyone in the loop while reducing the number of meetings. Team leaders can record videos outlining goals and setting priorities, then leave them for the rest of the team to view during work hours in whatever time zone they reside. When meetings become necessary, AI can take meeting notes and highlight action items.
The bottom line is a collaboration package with tight integration of essential tools enhanced by AI provides corporate teams with an effective environment that can reclaim wasted time. And that’s a goal worth pursuing.
Learn more about how Atlassian’s Teamwork Collection combines the power of tools including Jira, Loom, and Confluence with AI agents that help keep your teams focused and productive. Visit the Teamwork Collection site.
