How to boost team collaboration by developing internal relationships

Is it just us or is everyone feeling a bit flat? Or frustrated? It’s almost like we’re halfway up Everest without enough oxygen in our lungs, still grappling with the lasting effects of the pandemic.

If that describes you, your team, or even your business, how do we change this – and find our ‘second wind’?

We’ve been intrigued by the number of organisations talking to us about the challenges they face around building relationships – both in relation to new starters in the team and those who now work remotely or globally. They talk about how the lack of good relationships is inhibiting collaboration and the ability of teams to adapt and keep pace with economic and technological changes. But also, how the lack of positive working relationships, makes it hard to create loyalty within a team, which affects company culture, quality of output and staff retention.

Interestingly, the words used to describe current challenges are collaboration, relationships, productivity, remote working, communication, problem solving, retention, wellbeing, morale, work life balance, support and so on. Surprisingly, no one ever mentions ‘team building’ which is the first word that comes to mind.

The root cause of so many challenges in today’s workplace is that teams – ie people – simply don’t know each other. So many new faces, with people often not staying long enough to build meaningful relationships. Or the move to remote working impacting what were once strong relationships.

So, would it not be logical for us all to take time to build or rebuild relationships? By understanding who does what, who possesses which skills, and who knows what within the team, we can foster greater collaboration, more effective problem-solving, increased innovation, improved communication, and a renewed sense of enjoyment in working with people we know and trust.

Is ‘team building’ the new dirty word in business?

Does it signify frivolity, poor use of time and resources, unnecessary expense, chasing butterflies in a field that everyone says was fun… but pointless?

Who was it that said, ‘If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got’. Please remind me, but in all seriousness, what are we going to do to break the stalemate here?

One issue is that the finance people are in charge here. We’re currently operating during a time of intense focus on cash and revenue and diminishing margins for many, so decisions are being made about finance, ahead of people needs. It is a case of ‘chicken and egg’ though (ie which comes first) as none of us have a job if our organisations don’t generate revenue. But equally our businesses cannot generate revenue if our people are not focused, happy, productive, engaged etc.

We need to square the circle so both finance, and the people we employ, get what they need.

A 2022 Gartner survey of 3,500 employees found that when organisations intentionally help employees build connections, their employees are five times as likely to be on a high-performing team and 12 times as likely to feel connected to their colleagues.

So, whether you call it team building or effective collaboration, it’s well advised to reconsider how we spend our money and understand where we can divert budget into a session, day or programme designed to ‘intentionally build connections’. Let’s get to know each other again and bring some fun and enjoyment back into the workplace.

How can we keep the finance team happy? A few thoughts…

• If you have DE&I budget, why not put that training on hold to create an opportunity for people to get to know each other. You might just find that when people understand each other better, your D&I initiatives will create less division and become more successful.
• If you have a recruitment budget, why not put some of it into a session/s to build relationships. If your existing team develop positive relationships with new starters, quality and productivity improves, and potentially retention levels too – which always help your margins.
• If you have a budget for a reorganisation/repositioning, how about you put some of that money towards ensuring your people can come together, share their anxieties/ideas, receive consistent messaging about the changes, take time to simply reflect and be together ahead of the next round of change? When you create this time for people, I have no doubt whatsoever that your reorganisation will be smoother, with less conflict and frustration and, in turn, your whole organisation will get back up and running faster.
• If you have budget for absence management training, then how about you divert some of that into some dynamic, engaging sessions for people to get to know each other. You might just find that when people feel more connected to the business and to each other, your attendance rates improve anyway!

When we address the root cause of our workplace challenges (ensuring people feel happy and valued, and part of a team that understand each other, and what’s expected of them, etc) we may just find that those workplace challenges are in part or whole resolved without further effort!

Here are a few ideas for how to spend your money in a way that drives value:

• Traditional, interactive face to face or online training session. Focus on effective relationships including what causes conflict, how to build trust, how team’s form, how to collaborate etc
• People focussed, high energy training session. Use psychometric profiling to create opportunities to explore our natural behaviours and communication styles. An opportunity to learn about each other in a fun and interactive environment that everyone comes away from, feeling more aware and connected.
• A challenging, fun, international competition, unlike anything your team will have experienced before. We have a 4-week team building event that brings people together in teams, to complete a series of challenges. An uplifting programme that changes prospectives, expands horizons and build great, strong relationships. A total of 12 hours of commitment, per person, spread across the month, is required – and the more people that get involved, the better. Team activities includes self-study, gamification, and group work – either online or face to face. For more details on this unique four-week challenge, contact us.

Or, for something even more comprehensive, how about a 24-month leadership programme, for managers with 0-10 years’ experience. Designed to build specific business capabilities, as well as management skills, this is all about developing people. And helping them understand how to get the best from themselves, as well as from those around them. Full details in our leadership programme brochure.

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Disclaimer: The information contained within this article is for general guidance only and represents our understanding of employment and associated law and employee relations issues as at the date of publication. Jaluch Limited, or any of its directors or employees, cannot be held responsible for any action or inaction taken in reliance upon the contents. Specific advice should be sought on all individual matters.