Introduction. Building Team Cohesiveness in the Workplace
A team dedicated to working together through mutual understanding is a cohesive team.
Through the development of skills and competences, managers and employees can be inspired to work toward a common objective (Mutonyi, Sletten & Lien 2020)..
Clear objectives, planning, individual contributions to team objectives, and a common set of morals and values can all help to strengthen cohesion.
Through fostering a sense of belonging and a shared vision to attain these objectives, cohesiveness can also be increased.
How to Form a Team Cohesion
Team cohesion develops when members feel a shared sense of purpose and are invested in working together to reach their goals.
Employees that are part of a team are rewarded in a variety of ways, including but not limited to more favorable working conditions, financial incentives, social recognition, and other perks (Cletus et al., 2018). Since both managers and employees will be experiencing less stress, this will aid in the growth of team cohesion.
The shared experience of a fun team-building activity may be a powerful motivator for people to work together.
This helps groups learn how to communicate and work together most efficiently based on the preferences and habits of individual team members.
As an added bonus, managers can learn to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of their employees. As a result of the diversity of perspectives, methods, and ideas that are brought to the table, a strong team can be formed at work.
The extent to which team members are invested in their work and the following facets of their personal lives is a significant performance indicator of a cohesive team.
Forming a Team cohesion Continuation…
One way to boost unity at work is to encourage employees for being cooperative with one another. When people in an organization treat one another with dignity and respect, it fosters an environment that is more collaborative and united.
Employees can earn customers’ trust if they keep their word and reply quickly to messages (Lippe & Lippйnyi, 2019).
Colleagues’ capacity to rely on and trust one another increases when workers are genuine and give credit where credit is due for contributions and ideas.
Worker productivity can also be increased by talking to and working with coworkers of all ranks, not just those above or below oneself, and by proposing solutions to issues as they emerge.
Importance of Team Cohesiveness
Although there are many teams that operate well together, the key to real success is being on a team that is cohesive (Spinoza, 2020). There has been a correlation between enhanced team cohesion in the workplace and increased achievement, increased work satisfaction, increased self-esteem among team members, and lower anxiety.
A cohesive team achieves its goals and makes each member feel like they made an important contribution. Cohesive teams have members who look out for one another and are driven to work together to achieve a common goal rather than their own personal objectives.
How to Improve Group Cohesion
It’s not always the case that bigger is better. In reality, increasing the size of the team can have a negative impact on productivity. It leads to relational loss, which occurs when an employee feels that there is less support available in the team as the size increases (Spinoza, 2020). This perception causes an employee to leave the team.
There is never a time when friends are not required in the office (Spinoza, 2020). Allies keep things interesting, provide a way to blow off steam, and assist us in overcoming the challenges that are faced on a day-to-day basis.
Regular performance reviews are essential since teams are only as good as their weak link (Spinoza, 2020). This is crucial if there is need to increase productivity and efficiency by strengthening group unity.
Objectives should be established early on for both individuals and groups. Lacking them, the team unity that the organization has worked so hard to establish would be quickly destroyed by rivalry and conflict.
There are only so many hours in the day, so it is important that the team is making the most of them. In the same way that having no priorities is as bad as having many, having fewer goals means less distractions and a higher chance of accomplishment (Spinoza, 2020).
It is helpful to think about the project’s eventual goal every so often. The time and effort spent on eliminating roadblocks and improving teamwork will be well worth it in the long run (Spinoza, 2020).
Company morale is lowered when successes are ignored. Whether the team’s accomplishments are large or small, they should all be celebrated.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT)
Analyzing the positives, negatives, and potential dangers is what SWOT analysis is all about. By analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, the team was able to devise a plan to improve workplace cohesion and described the advantages and disadvantages that lie within the team itself when working to improve teamwork (Mutonyi et al., 2020). The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to team cohesion are listed above.
Reasons for Group Cohesion
Newer theorists, drawing inspiration from social identity theory, have proposed that a person’s attraction to the group as a whole is what ultimately causes group cohesion. Group cohesion relies on individuals’ mutual attraction to one another, especially among those in the spotlight.
When people in a group are invested in helping each other out and working towards a common goal, they have developed cohesiveness. People who are part of a target group have a tendency to rely heavily on one another and share a common sense of accountability for the group’s success (Spinoza, 2020). The moral responsibilities of solidarity that emerge when people work together to achieve common goals are recognised as an indicator of growing solidarity.
Effects of Group Cohesion
The success of an organization is largely dependent on the level of teamwork and enthusiasm of its employees. The team as a whole benefits from each individual’s increased flexibility, sense of worth, and drive.
Performance studies have shown that cohesiveness and efficiency go hand in hand. Most meta-analyses have shown that cohesiveness improves productivity. That remains true regardless of how one defines cohesiveness (Mutonyi et al., 2020).
People in tight-knit groups experience more peer pressure than those in more dispersed groupings. The hypothesis of “groupthink” proposes that in times of stress, members of a group are less likely to give careful consideration to their decisions. Group members also have multiple opportunities to exert their influence due to their frequent interactions.
Characteristics of a Cohesive Team
One of the most fundamental ideas of self-aware behavior is awareness. Moreover, the effectiveness of an entire team is impacted by individuals’ levels of self-awareness. One feels more invested in the team’s daily activities and its mission when they are kept up to date through a timely process of informing, sending to all addressees, and reaching everyone (Mutonyi et al., 2020).
Discipline is the company’s moral code and allows management to modify the team’s mood. Disciplined teammates encourage social development and work accountability. Conscientious functional duties require team knowledge and understanding. Discipline also means following rules and conventions. Personal interactions between managers and team members directly effect professional and social performance.
Conclusion
Building a cohesive team at your place of employment is, in general, a highly important task. It guarantees that an organization has a group of people who are cooperating with one another to attain the goal it has set for themselves. In addition to this, the cohesiveness of the team guarantees an improvement in the company’s overall production. As a result, the strategy of establishing an efficient and cohesive team is one that any organization should constantly employ.
References
Cletus, H. E., Mahmood, N. A., Umar, A., & Ibrahim, A. D. (2018). Prospects and challenges of workplace diversity in modern day organizations: A critical review. HOLISTICA – Journal of Business and Public Administration, 9(2), 35–52. Web.
Lippe, T., & Lippenyi, Z. (2019). Co‐workers working from home and individual and Team Performance. New Technology, Work and Employment, 35(1), 60–79. Web.
Mutonyi, B. R., Sletten, T., & Lien, G. (2020). Empowering leadership, Work Group cohesiveness, individual learning orientation and individual innovative behaviour in the public sector: Empirical evidence from Norway. International Journal of Public Leadership, 16(2), 175–197. Web.
Spinoza, J. D. (2020). 7 ways to improve group cohesion and achieve goals faster. Zoomshift. Web.