Team Cohesion: What Is It & How To Build It

Weird gaps in communication? Awkward pauses at work? What about some plain-old uncomfortable conversations? Yep, it sounds like your team is suffering from a bad case of team cohesion deficiency.

Team cohesion is an unbelievably important aspect of bringing your employees together. When everyone is focused, friendly, and fired up about their work, chances are they’re going to be a lot more interested in meeting company goals! And did they mention they’d be way more likely to stay on board over time?

Like many things in the business world, building cohesion is easier said than done. What makes a cohesive team, and what role does cohesiveness play in team performance? Glad you asked! Let’s explore what team cohesion actually means in modern terms, and some of the ways that you can start building it in your own company. And yes, it’s going to be (mostly) painless!

What is team cohesion?

There are quite literally thousands of definitions that exist for team cohesion, although the vast majority of them state roughly the same thing: turning your team of employees (AKA strangers) into a caring, close family. Team members feel as though they are united to achieve a common goal and can freely interact, communicate, and work together to realize their projects. More on that later.

If you’ve ever been part of a team before, you’ve probably experienced some of the differences between cohesive and non-cohesive groups. Teams with little cohesion don’t talk very much. Roughly 86% of employees say that a lack of communication significantly decreases their workplace cohesion, ultimately becoming a workplace failure. They also don’t usually care about each other’s workflow. In contrast, teams with high cohesion are welcoming, helpful, and on the ball, always willing to stick it out for one another. The differences are pretty obvious. And the results? Even more obvious.

Building team cohesion with your employees isn’t just for show. In fact, it’s one of the best ways to make your teams, company, and mission come out on top!

The benefits of team cohesion

75% of employers believe that team cohesion is one of the most important elements of the modern workplace. In fact, recent studies suggest that good cohesion can impact your teams on even the most intimate level. Increased job satisfaction, boosted productivity, and decreased team anxiety have all been associated with higher cohesion.

Don’t believe it? Then don’t take our word for it — take theirs!

• 54% of employees stayed longer at an organization because of strong team cohesion.
• Sports teams that are more cohesive tend to win more frequently.
• Teams with diverse members are usually more cohesive.

So all you need to do is establish some team cohesion, then you can become a Fortune 500 company — right? Well, it’s not quite that simple. There are other moving parts in place too. So how can you build true cohesiveness in your organization? It’s all about the journey.

How to build cohesiveness in a team

Here are four unique steps that will teach you how to increase cohesion in a team setting.

1. Recognition

Do what you can to recognize the hard work of your employees, and let other coworkers get in on the fun!

2. Connection

80% of businesses use some type of social collaboration tool for connecting, including platforms like Motivosity. No matter how you choose to connect, make sure it’s meaningful (and scaled to your business, too).

3. Leadership

Managers matter, folks, Equip your supervisors to lead well with regular training and communication.

4. Listening

Encourage feedback at all levels of your organization with surveys, reports, and open-door policies that actually listen to employees.

How Motivosity can help to build team cohesion

So here’s the deal: it’s totally possible to build team cohesion internally. If your business has the ability to recognize, connect, lead, and listen to your employees without any additional help, we say go for it! But if your small business is struggling to create that human connection, or if you need some assistance in outsourcing some of your processes, Motivosity can help.

As one of the leading employment recognition platforms in the world, Motivosity takes team cohesion very seriously. So seriously, in fact, we provide unique pricing models for businesses of all sizes. Connect with your crews, build a culture of gratitude, and develop strong leaders who can implement cohesion at any growth stage.

Ready to try out a demo on your own? Get in touch with the team at Motivosity to give it a spin. Got some questions first? Our crew is always standing by to help. Give us a ring at 801.758.7188, or feel free to email directly at sales@motivosity.com. Looking forward to chatting about team cohesion soon!

Sources:

• https://www.motivosity.com/connect
• https://www.motivosity.com/recognize
• https://www.motivosity.com/listen
• https://www.motivosity.com/lead