Teamwork and Cohesion: Keys to Well-being at Work
17 December 2012
Read by 2100 persons
In these difficult and uncertain times, managers have limited means to improve the increasingly tough working conditions and economic situation. However, they can have a decisive influence on their employees’ well-being by developing team cohesion and spirit. This is a way for them to more easily overcome current difficulties. Here are some suggestions.
It’s a process, not just good intentions
You’ve probably already noticed: when people are required to work together without really choosing to, cohesion and team spirit aren’t always natural. Tensions and disagreements can be common. This is a normal human phenomenon, and nice speeches about team spirit won’t fix things. However, targeted actions can be very helpful. Managers, get to work building a positive work environment. You’ll only gain in efficiency.
Dare to reconsider your management style by asking yourself these questions
Do you have strong and influential leadership? A team needs a captain!
Do you cultivate personalized relationships, using concrete methods to adapt to each person and avoid awkwardness?
Do you allow each person to give their best, to find and keep their place?
Do you acknowledge your employees’ efforts in a concrete and specific way? Indeed, if everyone feels recognized as an individual, and not just for their professional activities, and feels essential to the team’s success, then each employee will naturally be motivated to participate in the team’s collective life, for their well-being and that of others.
Develop a collective life that allows for better teamwork
Again, it’s not enough to wait for good intentions. Practical actions can be taken. Here are some examples:
Allow everyone to be aware of the collective operating system for a given objective or project: who is useful for what? Who is responsible for what? Who makes the final decision? Who absolutely needs to be informed? Who can be the competent expert in case of a problem? Who controls…?
Reach a sufficient agreement on collective time management rules. As you know, good individual intentions in this area run up against the constraints of others, hence the usefulness of such rules.
Encourage feedback, giving everyone the opportunity to benefit from the successes and difficulties of their colleagues. A best practices white paper can be drawn up. Analyzing difficulties helps to find solutions for the future.
Establish a mutual aid charter, with each person asking for what they need and offering what they think they can contribute to others.
Organize discussions on strategies followed or to be followed to achieve objectives, pooling everyone’s thoughts on strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities. Action plans can be derived from these discussions.
These actions are very effective if they are well prepared and carried out with precise methods. An outside person can also be an effective catalyst. But know that there are many other possible actions. If you are short of ideas, find out more!
Team cohesion and spirit help develop both well-being and efficiency. It’s a process that never ends, because human problems are too complex to have definitive solutions. They require continuous and attentive care. It is the difficult and ongoing role of the team leader to respond to this irrepressible need for “living well together”.
Dominique Chalvin.
Bien-etre-au-travail.com
Posted on December 17, 2012.
It’s a process, not just good intentions
You’ve probably already noticed: when people are required to work together without really choosing to, cohesion and team spirit aren’t always natural. Tensions and disagreements can be common. This is a normal human phenomenon, and nice speeches about team spirit won’t fix things. However, targeted actions can be very helpful. Managers, get to work building a positive work environment. You’ll only gain in efficiency.
Dare to reconsider your management style by asking yourself these questions
Do you have strong and influential leadership? A team needs a captain!
Do you cultivate personalized relationships, using concrete methods to adapt to each person and avoid awkwardness?
Do you allow each person to give their best, to find and keep their place?
Do you acknowledge your employees’ efforts in a concrete and specific way? Indeed, if everyone feels recognized as an individual, and not just for their professional activities, and feels essential to the team’s success, then each employee will naturally be motivated to participate in the team’s collective life, for their well-being and that of others.
Develop a collective life that allows for better teamwork
Again, it’s not enough to wait for good intentions. Practical actions can be taken. Here are some examples:
Allow everyone to be aware of the collective operating system for a given objective or project: who is useful for what? Who is responsible for what? Who makes the final decision? Who absolutely needs to be informed? Who can be the competent expert in case of a problem? Who controls…?
Reach a sufficient agreement on collective time management rules. As you know, good individual intentions in this area run up against the constraints of others, hence the usefulness of such rules.
Encourage feedback, giving everyone the opportunity to benefit from the successes and difficulties of their colleagues. A best practices white paper can be drawn up. Analyzing difficulties helps to find solutions for the future.
Establish a mutual aid charter, with each person asking for what they need and offering what they think they can contribute to others.
Organize discussions on strategies followed or to be followed to achieve objectives, pooling everyone’s thoughts on strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities. Action plans can be derived from these discussions.
These actions are very effective if they are well prepared and carried out with precise methods. An outside person can also be an effective catalyst. But know that there are many other possible actions. If you are short of ideas, find out more!
Team cohesion and spirit help develop both well-being and efficiency. It’s a process that never ends, because human problems are too complex to have definitive solutions. They require continuous and attentive care. It is the difficult and ongoing role of the team leader to respond to this irrepressible need for “living well together”.
Dominique Chalvin.
Bien-etre-au-travail.com
Posted on December 17, 2012.
