Just like sports, teamwork has equal importance in the corporate world. A strong team bond is required to come up with great products and deliver excellent services. Let’s take the example of volleyball as a sport. This is a sport in which one cannot win without a team. Volleyball has six members on the court with different roles to play. Some are called receivers, who shoulder the responsibility of receiving hard smashes. Blockers form a human wall to block the spikers playing a defensive role. And then you have spikers and setters who work in tandem to score points. Similarly, people have different roles to play at the workplace, but you need to work in sync to taste success.
For instance, when we consider a sales team, some organizational structures will divide the roles to rope in more clients and generate revenue. A team will have divided roles, where one will be responsible for generating cold leads, one member will become the first point of contact and take the conversation forward, and at the end, a senior resource will come to close the deal. That’s what teamwork is, right?
There are some great brands that have set excellent standards on team collaborations. For instance, Apple, since the time Steve Jobs took over, the brand’s philosophy has been to work in a collaborative environment. All the teams, from product development to sales executives, work together to build great products and sell them in the market. You could not afford to work in isolation at Apple. This is why it is a great brand; we have seen their success too!
Why teams fail to build cohesiveness?
Companies do face challenges in creating a bond among team members. There are multiple reasons a team might need more unity or consent. As a result, work suffers, which is a loss for the organization. A team’s common challenges are a need for more communication, interpersonal conflicts between team members, differences in approach, etc.
Interpersonal conflicts
At a workplace, people come from diverse backgrounds, such as different cities and states, educational backgrounds, and areas of work. Disagreements are bound to occur, which can harm the team.
Lack of leadership
The leader binds the team together. He guides the team, gives them a purpose, and motivates them during a crisis. If the leader is ineffective in his or her role, the team will lack the zeal and motivation to succeed. That is why the involvement of the team lead or the manager is important, and the members should feel secure around their manager.
Communication gaps
Communication gaps between team members is a very common reason which causes conflicts among team members. At the workplace, if individuals are working in silos and there is no sense of collaboration, building relationship with other team members gets difficult. Moreover, since many companies follow a hybrid model, this would be a significant concern for many.
How to build team cohesiveness
The above challenges are real and certain processes can be adopted to overcome these hurdles and achieve our goals.
Workplace culture
Team building does not only come with dedicated processes and efforts. We will have to introduce values that promote behaviors that align the missions and values of the employees with the company mission. The leaders are pivotal in leading these values and binding the team members under one purpose. They will have to lead from the front in making it possible to create harmony among team members.
Open communication channels
For better collaboration, we will have to develop communication channels where employees can have effective communication. Dedicated communication platforms, chat groups, etc., will improve collaboration. More than this, it is essential that employees are encouraged to have chats and communicate with each other. That is why facilitating casual conversations and meetings is also important. It allows people to open up with each other.
Team building activities
Team bonding is not just about collaborating for work. It is also about developing a relationship and lighting the mood and air between team members. Team building activities are the best ways to achieve that. For instance, there are certain team bonding games that are fun and also serve a purpose. For example, the team can organize a fun activity called ‘Two Truths & One Lie.’ In this, every member shares two truths and one lie. These can be quirky and funny. It eases the mood in a stressful environment and serves the purpose. This activity can allow each member to know each other better and build a relationship.
Encourage and appreciate team efforts
Projects where collaborations, such as cross-functional tasks, must be encouraged in the organization. On top of that, team efforts need to be recognized and appreciated to enhance team bonding further. For instance, the sales team must be appreciated for closing a deal, and team targets must be designed. When a team hits their target, they need to be rewarded for the same. This way, work will be more fun, and success will be achieved as a team while individual stars will keep contributing on the side.
Peer-to-peer recognition
There is no better way to promote team bonding when peers appreciate each other. Digital recognition platforms enable an organization to drive peer-to-recognition. Employees can send appreciation to each other through icons and digital badges, which further enhances the bond between each member. Moreover, peer-to-peer recognition needs to get embedded in the office’s culture.
Yes, it is important to have individual performers and star employees. But these stars shine more when they get support from their team. Like in football, you have a star striker; you also need others to create gameplay to create more scoring opportunities for their star players. When we have a strong team bond, the work never suffers. If colleagues have trust and belief in each other, they will pitch in for each other when the time comes. There might be days when one of your colleagues might fall sick, and the other person will pitch in for him. This way, the show will never still be, and productivity will be constant.
