Working together makes the world go around. But pulling together to achieve a common aim isn’t as easy as it looks on paper. A dysfunctional group dynamic can quickly sour the atmosphere and lead to all manner of infighting.
So what makes a team more than the sum of its parts? And how to build a strong team?
Every group has its own distinctive culture. Group culture is the relationship between people working together to achieve a common aim. Not all group cultures are alike, though. Some work well, while others are dysfunctional.
You can spot a poor group culture a mile off. If you have worked in an office or lived in a house with a defective group culture, you will the atmosphere is so thick and tense that you could cut it with a knife. That is often the result of group members focusing on the wrong thing.
Below is a comparison of effective and ineffective approaches to creating tandem with your colleague or your client.
Effective VERSUS deffective ways
- To pay attention to the quality of your interaction in a group. Interaction determines the outcome and not what was said. / To reconfirm your position and your power within the group and to spend time worrying about your own status. To watch what was said.
- To work on work at hand. / To work on whose ideas can be criticized and which rules are open for debate.
- To focus on teamwork. / To quietly keep establishing a hierarchy.
- To huddle together and start to experiment. If one attempt fails, we try something else. / To figure out who is responsible for what and to set the project to be delivered perfectly.
- To focus on interaction and to cooperate to achieve a shared goal. Shared goals are the collective aspirations of employees that promote a sense of shared destiny with others. They define the shared purpose of an entity based on the values and mission, giving employees a guide as they pursue individual goals and complete daily job responsibilities. Examples of shared goals: enhancing consumer well-being through quality products, reducing the company’s carbon footprint by 5 percent within three years. / To compete amongst teammates to deliver the task on time at any cost to yourself and those around you.
- To cultivate a sense of safety and belonging in order to create a foundation of a strong group culture: to counter bad attitude with warmth and positivity so for others to feel safe and comfortable; to send belonging cues that bolster our perceptions of safety; to have eye contact with the speaker; to establish physical proximity; to tilt your head towards the speaker; to raise your eyebrows and hardly blink, use affirmations like “right”, “yes”. / To remind others about their duties.
- To cultivate a sense of familiarity and connections to boost individual performance. / To exercise power and respect subordination between each other.
- To let people know that you listen to them. / To draw the attention of others by speaking loudly or cutting others out in a conversation.
- To let people know that you know you are not perfect and to demonstrate that you are aware of your own imperfections. / To pretend to be perfect and respectful.
- To make others feel like you need their help. “I might be wrong”, “Did I miss anything?”. / To dazzle others with your competence.
- To admit out loud that vulnerability bolsters cooperation and to share your vulnerabilities so the other will do the same and to generate a sense of closeness. / To exaggerate your know-how and get to great lengths to demonstrate your competence.
- Call for help so the other will do the same to regain control over the project. / Resolve the issue by yourself.
- To provide help to open willingness to cooperate and to create a sense of trust and safety. / To do everything independently.
- To communicate your expectation that people will cooperate and lead the way by showing your vulnerabilities. To say that you want to cooperate with someone is another way of saying that you need his or her help – which is also a way of sharing vulnerabilities. / To assume that people know what they are to do.
- To let people know that you are reliant on their help. By doing so, you let people know that they can also feel comfortable admitting their shortcomings. It creates an environment in which no one is expected to go it alone and manage everything by himself or herself. / To demonstrate that people are expected to go it alone and manage everything by themselves.
- To role model the right behaviour and approach. The role of a leader is essential in team collaboration. By admitting their vulnerabilities and imperfections, leaders help foster a healthy environment in which everyone can admit mistakes and work with others on solutions. / To look for what is wrong and who to blame.
- To establish a common sense of purpose is the secret to unlocking great group performance. A common sense of purpose is a sum of gifts, passion and values that employees share to do the job done. To build a sense of purpose, repeat it again and again, and don’t shy away from corny slogans. / We often assume that priorities and sense of purpose have been communicated to others – but they are often as clear as mud.
- To communicate and share a strong vision of how to play together and what you want to achieve. Example: “This is where we are today and this is where we will be tomorrow”. / To micromanage people and check if and when they are at work.
- To tell stories of good and bad practices. This tactic will help you to get close to each other and give it a human touch./ To keep ideas for yourself or to circulate information (not knowledge!).
- To invite people to actively engage and to encourage them to reflect on and even challenge the company’s goals. / To restrict / control the right to speak or contribute to the conversation.
- To use short and snappy catchphrases. This will make the experience memorable and give a taste to get together again. / To make the atmosphere very official and deadly serious.
Whether you are working with your colleagues or holding meetings with third parties these guidelines will set you on the path of healthy group dynamics. Openness and attention to detail are key. It may not work out immediately, albeit the more you practice and the more recommended parameters you include, the more you will become advanced in acting in tandem with your colleague or your client.