Summary
A team dedicated to working together through mutual understanding is a cohesive team. Individuals on a cohesive team usually do not feel that they are working for themselves but for the team as a whole, which is the result of working together.
Cohesion can be developed through skills and competencies where managers and employees can be motivated to have a common goal. According to Van Der Lippe and Lippényi (2020), cohesion can also be developed by having clear goals, organization and planning, individual contributions to team goals, and sharing behavioral norms and values. Another way cohesion can be built is by creating a sense of belonging and a shared vision to achieve these goals (Van Der Lippe & Lippényi, 2020). Managers and employees can build team cohesiveness in the workplace by promoting an effective communication strategy that will be used to communicate the organizational goals and visions.
People are not successful and effective in the workplace because they do not establish a cohesive team, and their collaboration is weak. Pollack and Matous (2019) asserted that this is caused by not working together towards the same goals, not sharing behavioral norms and values, not having clear goals, and not having organization and planning. As a result, the team members in this situation feel they are working for themselves instead of the team.
Cletus et al. (2018) showed that there are some steps that everyone can take to support team cohesion within their workplace. It will enable people in the workplace to see the vision of better company culture, and people will be able to accomplish goals to get to the company goal and benefit from it (Cletus et al., 2018). If a team is not cohesive, the organization will not effectively achieve its goals. The main purpose of this paper is to identify how team cohesiveness in the workplace is built, its importance and how it correlates to the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Background Information
How a Team Cohesion is Formed
Team cohesion is formed when the team members have developed a sense of belonging and are committed to each other in achieving the team’s goals. Moreover, according to (Van Der Lippe & Lippényi, 2020), incentives are given to employees included in teams, such as flexible work hours, performance bonuses, appreciation luncheons, and a job that provides satisfaction for carrying out such duties. It will help develop team cohesiveness since managers and employees will be less stressed at work. Team-building games can also be an incentive for building cohesion among people due to the excitement it offers (Pollack & Matous, 2019).
An organization must understand the importance of team management and team-building activities to build a cohesive team. Based on individual preferences and work styles, this enables teams to comprehend how they can communicate and collaborate most effectively (Pollack & Matous, 2019). As a valuable team-building activity and a more efficient means of communication, teams should encourage leaders to include team-building activities.
In addition, a manager can develop an understanding of what is working with each individual and what is not working with each individual. This way, a cohesive team can be built within the workplace because of the different approaches, ideas, and thoughts. The managers can develop clear goals for the team, such as setting mission statements (Mutonyi et al., 2020). A key performance indicator of a cohesive team is the level of employee commitment in engaging in both the work and the following aspects of their personal lives. It is determined by several factors, including how the members perceive their training, supervision, and feedback from supervisors.
Encouraging employees to be good colleagues is another strategy to improve workplace cohesion. The workplace becomes more cooperative and cohesive when employees respectfully treat one another. An employee who encourages coworkers, makes an effort to create relationships with others does an outstanding job, and is upbeat, reliable, and honest is a good colleague. Establishing relationships, treating others with respect, and fostering a sense of trust among employees are further suggestions for being a good colleague. Building trust requires employees to honor their pledges by promptly responding to emails and phone calls.
Additionally, being truthful and giving credit where credit is due for contributions and thoughts can help coworkers grow in their ability to rely on and trust one another. Employees who support others’ growth and are inclusive in their behaviors and conversation can increase trust and make them better coworkers (Pollack & Matous, 2019). Additionally, engaging with coworkers at all employment levels, even those who hold positions lower than their own or who support it, and offering suggestions for solutions when problems arise can help improve workers’ productivity.
Importance of Team Cohesiveness
Team cohesion is at the base of group phenomena, such as interaction, norms, pressure, conformity, group identity, groupthink, performance, power, and leadership or group atmosphere. The greater the cohesion, the greater the pressure or influence of the group on its members, both in socio-emotional aspects and in those related to tasks. On the other hand, the attraction that gives rise to cohesion and the ability to influence can be an attraction fed by the members’ characteristics, objectives, or group tasks (Pollack & Matous, 2019). Thus, interaction and cohesion help an organization achieve its goals due to increased productivity.
SWOT Analysis
SWOT analysis studies the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats. The SWOT analysis was used to develop strategic ways to build team cohesiveness in the workplace. Super (2020) outlined the internal strengths and weaknesses of building team cohesiveness in the workplace. The following table summarizes the SWOT analysis for team cohesiveness.
References
Cletus, H. E., Mahmood, N. A., Umar, A., & Ibrahim, A. D. (2018). Prospects and challenges of workplace diversity in modern organizations: A critical review. Holistica–Journal of Business and Public Administration, 9(2), 35-52. Web.
Mutonyi, B. R., Slåtten, T., & Lien, G. (2020). Empowering leadership, workgroup cohesiveness, individual learning orientation and individual innovative behavior in the public sector: empirical evidence from Norway. International Journal of Public Leadership, 16(2), 175-197. Web.
Pollack, J., & Matous, P. (2019). Testing the impact of targeted team building on project communication using social network analysis. International Journal of Project Management, 37(3), 473-484. Web.
Super, J. F. (2020). Building innovative teams: Leadership strategies across the various stages of team development. Business Horizons, 63(4), 553-563.
Van Der Lippe, T., & Lippényi, Z. (2020). Co‐workers are working from home and individual and team performance. New Technology, Work and Employment, 35(1), 60-79. Web.