How R&D Managers can improve collaboration

Tired of passive video meetings? Discover how R&D leaders can enable more focused brainstorming, better retros, and smarter knowledge sharing.

In today’s high pressure innovation environment, R&D managers face a complex challenge: deliver results faster, smarter and more aligned, across hybrid, distributed teams. That’s no small feat.
 
While video meetings became a lifeline during the pandemic, they often default to one-way presentations. Remote participants struggle to contribute, collaboration becomes fragmented, and meetings feel more performative than productive.
 
It’s time to move beyond passive interaction, especially when it comes to brainstorming, retrospectives, and technical decision-making.

Brainstorming: From fragmented to focused

Classic brainstorming has blind spots:

• A few voices dominate the conversation
• Ideas are rarely captured in a reusable format
• Working on laptops leads to siloed thinking, not team synergy
• Remote participants can’t see or contribute to physical whiteboards

A better way?

Use large, format interactive whiteboards that everyone, onsite and remote, can contribute to in real time. With TeamTablet Flex, any touchscreen becomes a shared collaboration hub.

Start with proven templates like idea clustering or dot voting. Use touch + wireless screen casting to enable simultaneous input. It’s brainstorming that actually works, together.

Retrospectives: Turn hindsight into insight

Retros are critical for continuous improvement, but they often stay at the surface.

• Use templates like Start, Stop, Continue or What, So What, Now What
• Enable anonymous input to uncover hidden issues
• Keep the digital board accessible post, meeting for tracking and follow, up

FlatFrog Board’s always-on digital canvas makes it easy to revisit insights, so retros don’t get lost in the shuffle.

Knowledge sharing: Keep learning visible

In R&D, knowledge is your real IP. But when lessons live in notebooks or disappear after calls, teams lose valuable context.

• Use digital whiteboarding during technical reviews to map decisions and dependencies
• Combine inking, screen sharing, and video to provide full context
• Store and reuse boards across projects and time zones

With TeamTablet Flex, design rationale isn’t just remembered, it’s documented and shared.

Why it matters

R&D teams don’t just need more collaboration; they need better collaboration.

• Moving from passive video calls to active, visual working sessions
• Using intuitive tools that feel like pen-on-paper but work across platforms
• Creating a culture where ideas are visible, feedback is actionable, and decisions are transparent
  
  

See TeamTablet Flex in action

Are you ready to make R&D collaboration seamless, onsite and remote? Book a live demo of Flex today or join our upcoming webinar for R&D leaders on June 11, 2025.

What is Flex?

TeamTablet Flex turns any compatible touchscreen into a plug and play collaboration appliance. It’s like your trusty whiteboard, but always ready, fully digital, and built for hybrid teamwork. Brainstorm, run retros, or map complex systems, all from a single device that connects your team, wherever they are.