For your team to be productive, effective, and successful in pursuing shared goals, they need cohesiveness. When you can cultivate cohesion in your team, everyone is motivated and excited to work together to achieve a common goal. How, exactly, can you cultivate this type of cohesiveness, though? Is it possible to transform the dynamics of a team that is struggling to work and act in a unified manner?
For your team to be productive, effective, and successful in pursuing shared goals, they need cohesiveness. When you can cultivate cohesion in your team, everyone is motivated and excited to work together to achieve a common goal.
When teams don't feel like they're united in their effort, you're going to run into many problems. Communication can suffer, you'll struggle to create a positive work environment, and there's a good chance that employees aren't nearly as satisfied with their jobs as they could be.
On the other hand, when a team can work together like a well-oiled machine, pretty magical things can happen. They can achieve the objectives and goals you set for them, are far more capable of working autonomously without micromanagement, and are significantly more motivated to show up to work and put their best effort forward.
How, exactly, can you cultivate this type of cohesiveness? Is it possible to transform the dynamics of a team that is struggling to work and act in a unified manner?
Let's take a closer look at how you can reap the benefits of team cohesion.
Team cohesion refers to the degree of unity, camaraderie, and shared commitment among team or group members. It represents the strength of the team's bonds, relationships, and connections, contributing to its overall functioning and effectiveness. Team cohesion is critical in determining how well a group can work together to achieve common goals and objectives.
There are a lot of different factors that can influence the cohesiveness of a team, including effective leadership, clear communication, shared values, and a positive team culture. It's also possible to measure and assess cohesiveness using surveys, interviews, and observations to understand the level of unity in addition to the areas that may need improvement within a team.
Building and maintaining team cohesion isn't a one-and-done type of thing– it's an ongoing process that requires effort from both team members and leaders. Through this collaborative effort, it's possible to create an environment where individuals can work together harmoniously and achieve their collective goals.
Team cohesiveness significantly impacts a team's performance, well-being, and success.
The more cohesive your team is, the more you can expect to enjoy the following benefits:
How can you know if your team is cohesive or if there is work to be done in this regard? What signs can you look out for to understand the level of collaboration, unity, and effective working relationships within your team?
One of the most obvious signs of a cohesive team is that they are aligned around common goals and objectives.
They clearly understand what they are working to achieve together and are genuinely excited to climb the mountain together.
Cohesive teams are made up of individuals who communicate openly and regularly with each other.
They share information, updates, and ideas without fear of judgment– they are motivated to frequently engage with one another and aren't dissuaded from doing so for one reason or another.
A strong sign that your team is working together in a unified fashion is that they share high trust and mutual respect.
Even in the smallest interactions, this trust and respect is evident. There aren't spats about each other's intentions, abilities, or reliability– everyone generally understands that the entire team is putting their best efforts forward to reach shared goals.
Conflict is inevitable in the workplace. Even the most cohesive teams are going to encounter bumps in the road from time to time.
If your team experiences conflict, this doesn't mean they aren't cohesive. What will indicate whether your team is unified is how they handle conflict.
Cohesive teams address conflicts constructively by engaging in open dialogue, seeking compromise, and working toward resolutions that benefit the team.
Cohesive teams rarely emerge in highly competitive or cut-throat environments.
One indication that your team is unified is that members are more than willing to offer support to each other, both professionally and personally. They don't hesitate to lend a hand, provide assistance, and offer encouragement to their fellow team members.
Do your team members seem to have an "every person for themselves" mentality, or do they identify strongly with the team? When discussing projects, do they refer to themselves as part of "we," or are they more likely to use "I"?
An essential component of any cohesive team is that they take pride in being associated with the group and see themselves as one component of a larger, well-oiled machine.
High team cohesion often correlates with lower turnover rates— after all, team members are more likely to stay with the team and the organization when they feel a sense of camaraderie with their team.
If it's clear that your employees are happy to show up to work and engage with their co-workers, there's a good chance you're already dealing with a highly unified team.
Team members generally feel satisfied and content in their roles when teams are cohesive. Furthermore, they experience lower levels of stress and burnout due to the support system provided by the team.
If your employees constantly look like they're at the end of their rope, it's possible that a lack of team cohesion is contributing to an instability in their emotional well-being.
If a team is unified and cohesive, it usually means they have their own rituals and traditions. This might mean hosting a regular weekly team lunch, team-building activities, or having shared inside jokes. As a part of these team traditions, they are constantly creating shared memories that help forge stronger relationships and contribute to a positive and supportive culture.
For remote teams, creating and maintaining these types of rituals can be a bit more difficult. Since co-workers aren't spending time in the office together every day, shared memories don't have the same opportunity to occur organically. However, by hosting special events like pizza parties, virtual live trivia, or virtual happy hours, you can create the space for your team to get to know each other better and become more cohesive.
When there's constant gossip circulating within your team or cliques forming, your team is likely not as cohesive as it could be.
While it's hard to totally escape office politics, more unified teams will focus on positive interactions and collaborations while deeply respecting everyone on their team.
Something pretty magical can start to happen when teams are truly unified. The whole turns into more than the sum of its parts, and productivity can surpass what you would have expected was possible.
Cohesive teams are motivated to work together toward common goals and are less likely to be distracted by internal conflicts while also being able to understand how they can each put their best efforts forward to achieve and surpass their shared goals.
No matter how awesome the individuals are on your team, they're going to struggle to truly morph into a cohesive unit without strong, effective leadership.
Leaders can tremendously impact team unity by helping create a supportive environment and prioritizing team dynamics.
Now that we've looked closely at what team cohesion is and how to spot it, let's quickly take a gander at some tips you can incorporate into your management to help cultivate team cohesion:
Improving team cohesion isn't something that happens overnight– to truly unite your team and create a well-oiled machine that chugs forth toward your shared goals is something that requires continual attention.
One of the best ways to bring your team together is to give them opportunities to get to know each other better and develop their teamwork skills– particularly when working remotely. At PizzaTime, it's our mission to help remote teams create shared memories and hone their most vital skills, all while having a great time. Whether you choose to throw a catered party, treat them to a fun virtual experience, or both, we're always here to help.
Does that all sound good to you? If so, you can start your order today!
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