Does this sound familiar? Your team has its routines, the meetings are efficient, and you're hitting your targets. You feel "comfortable." But a nagging feeling persists. Is "comfortable" the same as innovative? Or is it a sign your team has become an insular echo chamber, slowly losing its competitive edge?
In the new era of work, which experts call Industry 5.0, the greatest risk isn't a lack of technology; it's a lack of genuine human connection and outward-looking curiosity. So how do you build a team that breaks free from old habits and thrives?
We explored this exact challenge on the Martian Logic podcast with Associate Professor Catherine Collins, an expert in organisational behaviour and digital transformation at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). She provided a clear roadmap for leaders to diagnose team issues and redesign for success. This guide breaks down her expert advice into actionable steps you can use today.
Before you can fix your team, you need to understand the building blocks: the individuals. The ideal employee for today's workplace is what PwC calls a "tech-savvy humanist."
Tech-Savvy Humanist: A person who not only embraces technology but also deeply values human connection, empathy, and ethical decision-making.
But what's the one trait that empowers this person to add immense value? It isn't a personality type. According to Professor Collins, it's a genuine "love for learning."
In a world of constant disruption, the desire to continually learn is the most critical asset. This isn't about one-off training days. It's about creating a culture where curiosity is a core part of the job.
"I want you to be always sharp that you're so employable that we can lose you," our CEO Anwar shared during the podcast. "I don't want you to be a blunt tool. I want you to stay here because you're sharp, you're learning, and you want to be here."
Professor Collins posed a chilling question: "Do good teams get better and bad teams get worse?"
Often, the answer is yes. A team that gets off to a bad start can get derailed, while a team that finds its groove can reinforce its own success. But even successful teams face a hidden danger: they become insular. The "quality of the conversation" might be high internally, but the team stops listening to the outside world.
This is the echo chamber.
The solution is to build processes that force the team to look outwards. This means systematically gathering intelligence from beyond your four walls.
Great individuals and outward-looking habits can still be crushed by a flawed organisational structure. The solution comes from one of Professor Collins's own funded research projects, providing a real-world example of how a simple, precise structural change saved a company.
An Australasian engineering sales company had flatlined profits. Their frontline branch teams were so consumed by daily emergencies—fulfilling orders, handling complaints—that they had no time to think strategically.
The company didn't fire managers or flatten the hierarchy. They made one brilliant move: they created a "Support Hub."
By creating a role dedicated to fostering strategic, outward-looking conversations at the frontline, the company empowered its teams to innovate. The result? A massive turnaround in gross profit percent, adding tens of millions of dollars.
This proves you don't need a revolution. You need a deliberate design that nudges people toward the right conversations.
Implementing these changes isn't always easy. Here are answers to common challenges.
Start small. Don't announce a massive "collaboration initiative." Introduce one small habit, like the 15-minute "Competitor Watch" at the start of a weekly meeting. When the team sees the value from one small change, they'll be more open to the next.
Track the output. When a team member uses their learning time to research a new software tool, document it. If that tool saves the team 5 hours a week, you now have a concrete ROI. Tie learning directly to business problems and solutions.
It might! Professor Collins shared the story of Zappos, which famously switched to "Holacracy," a radical flat structure. While it initially boosted morale, it eventually led to confusion and slumping profits because there was too much flexibility and not enough clarity. They had to reintroduce some hierarchy.
The lesson: It's about balance, not dogma. The goal isn't to be perfectly flat or perfectly hierarchical. It's to find the right balance of structure and flexibility for your specific team at a specific point in time, and be willing to adjust.
To build a truly collaborative team that can thrive in Industry 5.0, you must operate on three levels simultaneously.
This is an ongoing journey of tweaking and balancing. But by being a deliberate architect of your team's interactions, you can move them from simply being "comfortable" to being truly collaborative, innovative, and ready for the future.
Building a collaborative culture isn't just about mindset; it's about having systems that support these new behaviours. This is where technology, when used correctly, becomes a powerful enabler for the "tech-savvy humanist." The goal of HR tech should be to automate the administrative burden, freeing up time for the strategic, human-centric work that truly drives innovation.
At Martian Logic, our modules are designed to be the backbone for this modern approach to work:
Technology doesn't replace the need for great leadership, but it can give you the leverage to focus on what matters most: your people. By putting the right systems in place, you create the space for curiosity, connection, and collaboration to flourish.
Stop just talking about building a better culture and start designing it. See how Martian Logic's integrated HR suite can automate the admin, free up your time for strategic leadership, and give your team the tools they need to thrive in the modern workplace.
Book a personalised demo today and see these principles in action.