Teamwork is one of the most important behaviours to facilitate in any organisation, demonstrated by the wealth of research linking it to the below outcomes:
- + Significant improvements to creativity, efficiency, accountability, and adaptability[1].
- + Higher organisational commitment among employees[2].
- + Lower employee turnover rates due to higher organisational commitment levels[3]
- + Preventing failures – 86% of employees in leadership positions cite a lack of teamwork and collaboration as the top reason for workplace failures[4].
You would be hard-pressed to find a business owner or manager who would not like to see these outcomes in their organisation.
Failure to coach and develop high-performing teams also carries unwanted effects such as the below[5][6]:
- + Imbalance in work allocation – some team members may find themselves doing most of the heavy lifting
- + Lack of accountability – there are no consequences for poor performance, meaning team members can get away with not performing or collaborating to the required standard
- + Poor communication – failure to promote clear and concise communication can result in reduced quality of output and additional stress for team members. It can also lead to inadequate conflict resolution.
- + Misaligned goals and priorities – resulting in reduced efficiency, performance, and collaboration.
Therefore, it is critical organisations actively invest and build their teamwork capability if they are to be a competitive, high-performing, and sustainable organisation.
Adding to the importance of building teamwork capability is the commonality of the hybrid working model, where employees alternate between working from home and face-to-face in the office. This benefits employees in the sense of flexibility and work-life balance, however, it also reduces the total amount of face-to-face contact and increases reliance on software such as Microsoft Teams to communicate.
This leads to reduced opportunity for connection between team members (and therefore reduced rapport), a reduction in nonverbal communication, and fewer impromptu interactions that build collaboration and idea generation. In today’s world, managers must therefore make a conscious effort to replicate these interactions and build rapport among team members to reach high levels of performance[7].
If you are reading this article and have noticed conflicts between your team members, poor communication, low productivity, and a reduction in the effectiveness of teamwork since moving to a hybrid workforce, you may be wondering what you can implement to boost teamwork. Below are a few suggestions:
Regular team meetings
Team Meetings are where employees are provided the opportunity to share what they have been working on, to catch up with team members, and to raise any concerns they may have. These are far more effective if you ensure they turn their video on, as this will add a level of nonverbal communication and familiarity.
Psychometric Testing
Using an assessment such as Profiles International identifies how candidates and existing employees fit in with the team culture. It also identifies their preferred management styles, their approach to collaboration, and how likely they are to assert themselves where required. In a hybrid working model, there is less opportunity to observe these traits in person, therefore implementing psychometric testing adds objective data to supplement this.
Team Workshops
Conducting a team workshop involves assessing all team members with an objective psychometric assessment. This generates a Team Management Report which provides an aggregation of each team member’s respective trait. A Peoplogica consultant then conducts the workshop itself, which identifies team approach, dynamics, strengths, and challenge areas. These are highly useful for resolving clashes and conflict and optimising work approaches and learning strategies. They also highlight the best approach to structuring hybrid working models, and which employees will require more support and training.
Engagement and Culture Surveys
These surveys identify which areas of teamwork the organisation is performing in, and which areas need further development. They also ensure all team members are receiving the resources and coaching they need under hybrid working arrangements.
Employees themselves realise the importance of teamwork and are therefore likely to encourage any programs or efforts made to boost the effectiveness of this within the company[8].
If you would like to discuss how Peoplogica could assist you in building higher-performing, more collaborative, and more successful teams, please feel free to contact our Head of Organisational Psychology, Michael Mancinone at michael@peoplogica.com.
[1] https://au.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/why-teamwork-is-important
[2]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042816310758/pdf?md5=ab1911fb3f1237506ce51bf73c28e548&pid=1-s2.0-S1877042816310758-main.pdf
[3] https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/55914361.pdf
[4] https://www.zippia.com/advice/workplace-collaboration-statistics/#:~:text=About%2075%25%20of%20employees%20rate,top%20reason%20for%20workplace%20failures.
[5] https://www.forbes.com/sites/karenwalker/2021/03/30/why-do-low-performing-teams-still-exist/?sh=7455fc955d1d
[6] https://www.monash.edu/learnhq/collaborate-with-others/collaboration-essentials/challenges-of-teamwork
[7] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/08/10/how-to-build-connections-team-building-in-a-hybrid-workplace/?sh=6d020b6430e3
[8] As above
Written by Michael Mancinone
