I frequently get asked to facilitate team building. Team leaders contact me with “Team morale is down”, “Communication is a problem – there was a row between those two and we’re still experiencing the fallout”. They know something is not working and they need to act to correct the situation, but often wonder if they are part of the problem.
I enjoy running team-building workshops, I particularly like being able to confront assumptions and poor habits that prevent the team from performing consistently well. As the facilitator, I make sure I build enough trust and get permission from all to address these issues. The team members usually appreciate the opportunity to deal with the obstacles, whether it is ‘the elephant in the room’ or small niggles between individuals.
My purpose is to enable others to perform well with confidence, and to fulfill their potential. Only a team that is equipped to deal with challenges can achieve its potential. You may know Timothy Gallwey’s formula, “Performance = Potential – Interference”. I like to equip people with the tools to deal with Interference.
Let’s look at two aspects of teamwork that make a difference to team morale: Cohesion and Commitment
Cohesion
When team members don’t feel joined up, they lack the trust that oils the wheels of teamwork. This can show up in misunderstandings, differing priorities and timelines, fear of conflict, and other interference.
What does cohesion look like?
- We understand each other individually and as a team working towards a shared outcome.
- We communicate with respect, openness and transparency, and willingly address issues.
- We rely on each other, knowing each person is contributing, we ask for and offer support as needed.
What can we do to build strong cohesion?
- Get to know each other. Spend some time chatting about life to get to know the whole person, their context, background, skills, and strengths. Hopefully this will build liking, it should generate understanding and empathy for the person. In the hybrid work environment, we haven’t replaced those ad hoc moments in the open plan office, by the water-cooler, in the kitchen, etc when we would chat. Make sure you build such moments into your work routines, eg. At the beginning of a meeting, connecting one-to-one for a short chat, having coffee or lunch together.
- Fast-track team building by all doing a psychometric profile and sharing the results, looking for commonalities and differences in work style. Discuss openly and develop team norms, that all are happy to work to. (This is an approach I often use in team building. There are some simple profiling tools available that could be used by the team without professional support. Do take care to create psychological safety first, so people are open to sharing.)
- Build an open team culture, featuring norms such as: ‘Assume positive intent’ – ie. The person wasn’t trying to be difficult, there’s just a lack of understanding. ‘It’s not failure, just a possibility that didn’t work and a lesson for us to learn’ – so mistakes are seen as learning and not covered up.
- Encourage feedback and support. In a competitive workplace these can be high-risk areas that people shy away from. Create a trusting climate where team members are focused on supporting each other to achieve peak performance. This means asking for and sharing suggestions to make things even better, and asking for and giving support when needed.
Commitment
When team members lack commitment, they ‘drop the ball’ and don’t put in the effort required to achieve good results. If poor performance from one person is tolerated, this infects the others, and no-one is willing to ‘go the extra mile. Team leaders should never let things slip as this sends signals that standards are lax and people needn’t bother.
What does commitment look like?
- We are invested in delivering good results and put in the effort required, willing to do that bit extra when needed
- We work on our relationships with empathy to keep us working well together.
- We take pride in our team outputs and enjoy belonging to this team.
What can we do to build strong commitment?
- Commitment is founded on capability and confidence. Ensure that team members have the skills required to do the job – provide training, coaching or buddy support from more skilled colleagues. Build confidence by chunking the task down into small component parts, which feel achievable. Identify any Interference and minimise or get rid of it, to enable team members to perform their best.
- Mutual accountability. Ensure standards and expectations are clear and well understood and that each person is accountable to deliver on their promises and expectations. Make it the norm that we hold each other accountable to deliver as expected, rather than just the responsibility of the Team Leader. Eg. If you know you won’t meet a deadline, let people know in advance, so they can adjust their work accordingly. If you haven’t heard from a colleague whose work you need to complete your task, it’s ok to follow up with them.
- Be supportive. When you know that your teammates have got your back and they can rely on you in the same way, you will be more courageous in taking action. Make sure everyone is comfortable with the communication channels and is using them consistently. Eg what is shared on the project platform, what’s for Slack, when to email, when to talk… Make the purpose ‘understanding’, whether that is about the relationship or the task.
- Build a strong team identity. A team with a good reputation engenders pride in the team members. Talk up the team with stakeholders and represent them with confidence, team members will want to live up to those expectations. Celebrate successes as a team, both acknowledging steps along the way, and celebrating big wins. Reward good teamwork and the results as a team.
Conclusion
Positive team morale is a product of team members feeling individually capable and confident, plus cohesive as a team, committed to team results and success. It doesn’t happen overnight and needs constant attention. If you create the right conditions for cohesion and commitment it will develop positive momentum for high team morale.
Please share your comments or questions below. If you’d like to discuss further with Amanda, please contact her or send an email.