Why It’s Time to Prioritize Team Dynamics

If the events of the last year have taught us anything, it’s that teamwork matters more than ever. If a team cannot be high-performing in the best of times, there is little to no hope they will rise to the challenge during VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) times.

It’s no surprise then that the teams who were able to perform their best throughout 2020 and 2021 were those who already had a team dynamic built on trust in the workplace, respect, and collaboration. The last two years highlight the one critical action that all team leaders should take in the next year: prioritizing their team dynamics. 

Table of Contents

1. What are team dynamics?
2. Why are team dynamics important?
3. 5 ways to improve team dynamics

What are Team Dynamics? 

Team dynamics, also known as group dynamics, is how individuals behave, interact, communicate, and collaborate. It’s how they show up, treat each other, and work together. Team dynamics can be positive or negative and can be a predictor of effectiveness.

Why are the Group dynamics of Your Team important?

The benefits of having high-performance teams and their impact on an organization are undisputed, and group dynamics are the backbone of it all. How a team works together and gets along can make all the difference as Gallup found that high-functioning teams experience 21% greater profitability, a 41% reduction in absenteeism, a 17% increase in productivity, a 10% increase in customer satisfaction, and finally, a 20% increase in sales.

But what exactly makes a team high-functioning? It’s the right environment created by managing workplace dynamics. To prove this, McKinsey asked over 5000 executives to write down a word or two to describe the environment where they felt they had their peak experience on a team. They found three keys to great teamwork. First, the team was aligned on where they were going and how they would get there; second, high-quality interactions focused on trust, open communication, and embracing conflict; and third, an environment that fostered them to take risks, innovate, and experiment with new ideas.

How to Improve team dynamics

Team leadership requires continuously managing workplace dynamics to create the right environment.

Here are five ways you can improve team dynamics:

1. Lead By Example
2. Build Trust With Employees
3. Set Clear Goals and Accountabilities
4. Create A Team Culture of Psychological Safety
5. Play to Each Team Member's Unique Strengths
   
   

Lead By Example

Employees look to their leader for cues on the norms and behaviors they should follow to fit in. A leader’s actions speak louder than words. If the team leader cuts people off, isn’t open to new ideas, and places blame when things go wrong, team members will do the same. Also, if the leader does not call out a team member for negative behavior, others will shut down, not contribute, or pick up these bad habits.

Build Trust With Employees

As the saying goes, “Trust isn’t given, it’s earned.” The same goes for building trust with employees. Building trust in the workplace develops over time. Trust will begin to form between each team and the leader, by proving a trustworthy track record, and building relationships and connections. To speed up the process, find ways to have shared experiences such as a team-building session or facilitate deeper connections by encouraging team members to get to know each other beyond the work environment through casual lunches together.

Set Clear Goals and Accountabilities

For a team to be productive and focused, they need a team vision with clear goals. Clearly defined vision and goals keep the team on the same page, all contributing to meeting their accountabilities while knowing what the rest of the team is working to move closer to goal attainment. Research has shown that when goals are clearly defined, communicated, and repeatedly reinforced, there is a 33% increase in the likelihood that goals are achieved vs. those formulated in our heads.

Create a Team Culture of Psychological Safety

As found in the previously mentioned McKinsey survey of executives, it is critically important to manage workplace dynamics to create an environment where employees feel safe to take risks and try out their ideas without fear of being reprimanded for failure. An HBR article outlines the six ways leaders can build a team culture of psychological safety through their communication.

• Teams should embrace conflict as a way to find mutually beneficial outcomes
• See each individual as having similar needs as yourself and speak human to human
• Proactively evaluate your message before delivering it to ensure it will be received positively and is not perceived as an attack
• Be curious about other's perspectives and options
• Ask for constructive feedback
• Conduct a periodic pulse check on how safe the team is feeling
  
  

Play To Each Member's Unique Strengths

Every team member brings with them unique strengths that can help propel a team towards its goals. When team leaders play to these strengths, team members are more engaged. So much so, in a study by Gallup, 67% of employees who strongly agreed their leader leveraged their strengths are engaged as compared to only 2% when employees strongly disagreed. In addition, when team members are happy and engaged with the work they’re doing, they are more committed to the team goal, bring an excellent attitude, are willing to go the extra mile, and are more collaborative and accountable.

Conclusion: It’s Time To Prioritize Team Dynamics

All too often, team dynamics are left to develop organically. Instead, as we hopefully enter a time where the chaos of the last 18 months is behind us, those in team leadership roles need to be intentional about managing workplace dynamics. If you’re unsure where to start, attending a leadership development program can equip you with the skills you need to drive team performance.