Successful collaboration is important for efficiency and productivity in a company. With emerging work models, the collaboration aspect is being lost. What does this mean for team development?
A team is characterized by working towards a common goal. Forming a unit not only leads to more productivity, but also increases motivation and well-being at work (see Wellbeing in the workplace). A well-functioning interaction brings some advantages: The people bring in new perspectives through their different experiences and knowledge. Thus, the work performance can be multiplied, compared to individuals. Through the common focus, the employees bond and a WE - feeling is created. Thus, something existing can be changed and improved or something new can be created. Furthermore, the human need for belonging can be satisfied. If you feel well taken care of and understood in a team, the probability that you will leave the company decreases. Through goal-oriented work and mutual support, employees constantly develop themselves further. Important factors for a successful team are, in addition to a common goal and suitable people, a competent leader.
Changing world of work
Globalization and digitization have changed the world of work, and consequently the requirements and needs of employees are different. The focus is on the meaningfulness of a job and the inner motivation to want to do it. Self-determination and creative freedom play a central role. The concept of New Work has given rise to alternative forms of work that are oriented toward a knowledge and information society and differ from the original work in the sense of an industrial society. Spatial and temporal conditions are changing, as is the case with home office or remote working. Corporate and process structures have also changed in the direction of agile teams and Leadership 4.0 (see Agile Leadership). Agile working includes an attitude of dynamic collaboration, the elements of voluntarism, self-organized teams and high value orientation. The possibility of doing one's work outside the office promotes productivity in some cases and can also bring certain financial advantages (less gasoline costs, meals away from home, etc.). However, the difficulties become apparent in the area of self-organization and self-discipline. In addition to new sources of distraction, there is a particular lack of social contact and a clear demarcation between work and leisure.
As a result of the change in working life, the feeling of loneliness can rise sharply and the employee's identification with the organization can decline. Interpersonal interactions are indispensable for successful team building. The share of non-verbal communication should not be underestimated. Physical contact plays a central role here. Small gestures or a brief spontaneous small talk in the hallway do not take place when communicating via online meetings or e-mail. Due to the increasing shift to the virtual world, such little things are lost. It is therefore important that the team concept is promoted and negative effects of change are offset with the help of team development and encouragement.
Tips for promoting teamwork from the manager's perspective
Team development according to Tuckman
When it comes to team bonding, it is important to involve every person, regardless of their skills and personality. It is about a longer-term development to optimize the processes and structures within a team and to increase productivity. Recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of individual team members and promoting social skills and interpersonal relationships play an important role. According to Tuckman, team development can be divided into five phases. Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning. The first phase, the testing phase, is about getting to know the team members. This is quickly followed by the combat phase (Storming). Getting to know each other better can lead to confrontations between the members. Only through the organizing phase do rules crystallize and an open and solution-oriented discussion takes place. Performance, efficiency and autonomy is part of the fourth phase, the high performance phase. In this phase, interaction is characterized by appreciation and respect. The last phase is the dissolution phase, where the project and the collaboration is terminated. New working models such as home office present new challenges for employees and also for management, since personal contact is not always a given. The team spirit can be promoted by virtual coffee breaks or organized joint lunches. Communication should also not be underestimated in terms of the sense of belonging. Access to the manager can have a great influence, especially in the second phase of the Tuckman cycle, as he is strongly challenged as a mediator but also as a driver. Even everyday meetings and feedback can be understood as measures for team building. By assuming perspectives in the form of role examples, team events, employees can get to know each other better. The after-work drink or the running group over lunch can also be understood as a team-building measure.
Conclusion
Simply bringing together different people in a work context with the same goal is not enough to achieve top results. It takes a common goal to which all team members are committed. Team building is an active and continuous process, not a one-time action. It needs trust and regular touch points. The Corona pandemic in particular has shown how difficult it is to maintain and promote cohesion among employeesso that personal exchange with work colleagues is maintained. In principle, the development of work models represents a positive trend, but the "human" aspect and exchange should not be neglected in the future.
At Batterman, we value personal interaction not only internally, but also in our recruitment processes. Especially in Platinum Search, we value personal on-site interviews with each candidate before we can recommend them to others. If you are currently planning to add to your team, we will be happy to assist you as a partner in the recruitment of executives and specialists.
Batterman Consulting Basel AG
Executive Search,
Byfangweg 1a, CH-4051 Basel
T +41 58 680 55 55
basel@batterman.ch
