Australian leaders struggle with collaboration inefficiency

New research has highlighted the productivity challenges faced by Australian leaders due to ineffective collaboration.

According to a study commissioned by Zoom in collaboration with Morning Consult, ineffective collaboration costs organisations globally over USD $16,000 per manager annually. The study, which surveyed nearly 8,000 leaders and employees across 16 countries including 750 respondents from Australia, revealed that collaboration inefficiencies significantly impact leaders' time management.

Australian leaders spend considerable amounts of time on collaboration tools such as meetings and emails. Specifically, 44% believe their time is overextended on in-person meetings, while 46% and 45% identified such pressure regarding emails and virtual meetings, respectively. The situation appears more pronounced for fully remote leaders, with over 40% dedicating three or more hours daily to virtual meetings.

Furthermore, the research found that approximately one-third of Australian team leaders spend over an hour each day resolving collaboration challenges, such as attending unproductive meetings. A significant portion, 40%, frequently spend more than an hour addressing misunderstandings within their teams—a problem reported by only 19% of employees.

Many Australian leaders, around 56%, believe that their time could be better spent on more strategic activities if it wasn't occupied by meetings. They suggest that more effective use of asynchronous collaboration formats, such as instant messaging and project management tools, could help balance collaboration efforts.

"By using other collaboration formats, organisations can optimise their in-person meetings, helping to ensure that face-to-face interactions are reserved for critical discussions while routine tasks are handled efficiently. This strategic approach maximises overall productivity and empowers teams to work smarter, not harder," said Bede Hackney, Head of ANZ Zoom.

The utilisation of AI was spotlighted as a significant tool to enhance productivity. The report found that 74% of leaders globally leveraging AI reported improved productivity. In Australia, 63% of leaders use AI daily or several times a week, compared to 29% of employees.

Notably, 68% of Australian leaders believe AI has the potential to boost productivity, while this view is shared by 44% of employees. Australian leaders integrating AI report better productivity outcomes than the global average, with 84% noticing productivity enhancements using AI, compared to 83% globally.

"AI is revolutionising productivity for Australian leaders. By seamlessly integrating AI into daily workflows, organisations can significantly reduce miscommunication, allowing leaders to reclaim precious hours lost to inefficient collaboration. This shift not only enhances productivity but also helps drive better outcomes across the board," added Hackney.