High-Performing Teams: Understanding Team Cohesion. team cohesion team cohesion

Cohesion helps the team bring together different opinions and the dignity of employees, creating a dynamic and self-confident working group. I want to reiterate: cohesiveness strategies are developed with the members of the team itself, and not imposed by the team leader.

Here are some key strategies for achieving team cohesion:

• ensuring duplication of functions. This means cross-training so that each team member can replace their colleague at any time. This is the preparation of the reserve and simply work "on the hook";
• creation of areas of joint responsibility and joint performance of tasks. Managers must constantly resort to this strategy - to accustom employees to work together to complete important tasks. It is similar to the work of diggers who dig a ditch together, make a joint decision about its depth and width, and coordinate their efforts. Group responsibility in the performance of common tasks has great importance for group dynamics and the transition from an individualistic way of thinking to a collective one;
• prompt solution of production problems. The cohesion of team members is enhanced by joint problem solving. Therefore, when difficulties arise, leaders should gather all team members to search for and make joint decisions. Introduce your team members to standard problem solving techniques;
• using directives. Post directives on the walls so that they are clearly visible during the team meeting. Talk to team members periodically to find out how they follow directives. Use directives to direct the team to problem solving and conflict resolution;
• discussing the functioning of the team. In the event of obvious conflict situations, communication problems and other phenomena that negatively affect the mood in the team, assemble the entire team. If individuals create problems, talk to them individually;
• joint attendance at trainings. An important strategic means of team building is joint training (participation in professional conferences, trainings on effective communication skills, advanced training courses).

What contributes to the improvement of group dynamics

Improving your workflow to make it more efficient is a great way to bring team members together. By discussing different points of view and ideas, team members simultaneously find the best ways to get the job done and learn how to communicate effectively.

Involvement of team members in the selection of new team members. This is especially useful in teams that are already working long time, since experienced employees can interview applicants for an open vacancy in the team. By participating in the selection of candidates, team members better understand the principles of your personnel policy, feel their own importance and are more willing to accept newcomers to their ranks.

Carrying out activities to improve relationships and mutual understanding in the team. Temporarily switching attention from work to personal relationships has a positive effect on team performance. True, this strategy is not taken seriously, believing that it is aimed only at joint recreation of team members. In fact, it helps to improve group dynamics, which in turn increases the efficiency of the group.

It is a close-knit team that is able to overcome crises on the path of its development without loss, which cannot be said about a group of people who are compatible with each other.

Compatibility assumes the ability to complete the task.

Cohesion means that the composition of the team is integrated in the best possible way.

Team (group) cohesion is an indicator of the strength, unity and stability of interpersonal interactions and relationships. It is characterized by mutual emotional attraction and overall satisfaction of the participants both as a team and joint activities in general. Team cohesion - necessary condition successful team work. In a group made up of strangers, some time will certainly be spent on achieving the level of cohesion that is necessary to solve common team problems.

Factors that enhance group cohesion

K. Rudestam (1993), A. Alexandrov (1997) and other researchers of group behavior identify the following factors that contribute to strengthening group cohesion:

• coincidence of interests, views, values ​​and orientation of group members;
• homogeneous composition of groups (especially in terms of age: it is undesirable to combine in one group people over fifty and under eighteen);
• atmosphere of psychological safety, goodwill, acceptance;
• active, emotionally rich joint activity aimed at achieving a goal that is significant for all participants;
• the attractiveness of the leader as a model, a model of an optimally functioning participant;
• qualified work of a leader who is able to carry out special work to strengthen the cohesion of the team;
• the presence of another group, which is considered as rival;
• the presence in the group of a person who is able to oppose himself to a group that is sharply different from the majority of participants.

Note that the last two points, although they contribute to team cohesion, are destructive and cannot be considered as team building tools.

Reasons for the decline in group cohesion

First, the emergence of small subgroups in a group, which causes "parochial" behavior and thinking. The larger the group, the more likely the formation of subgroups. It is clear that in a large group this is inevitable; a certain limited number (five to seven, rarely up to twenty) people in a team is connected with this. In addition, acquaintance, friendship, sympathy between individual members of the group before the start of interaction can lead to the alienation of such a couple or a small group from the whole team. Related to this is the problem of combining "old" and "new" members of the emerging team, which customers want to solve.

Second, mismanagement by the leader can lead to excessive tension, conflicts and even the collapse of the team. For example, if a leader starts intrigues, brings certain participants closer or further away from himself, distributes powers and rewards based on personal preferences, and not on the basis of the competence and real merits of the team, manipulates people and information in one way or another, then such a group sooner or later ceases to be a team (if you can even call it that).

Thirdly, the lack of a single goal that captivates and unites participants, as well as the lack of joint activities. For example, when you ask a group of students the question: “Do you think our group is a team?” - the participants answer: “No, we are not a team: we are all wonderful people, but we are separated, we don’t have a single goal…”. When people do not have a future that unites them, this future is created by a leader who lowers the goal from above. When a single goal set by the leader is realized and accepted - internalized - by each member of the group, then an environment appears for the emergence of group cohesion and the transformation of the group into a team. If the leader does not set a unifying goal for his group, then each participant moves towards his own. The conflict of goals arising on this basis leads to a decrease in group cohesion.

Cohesion determines the success of joint work because it helps to overcome developmental crises, makes the group invulnerable and resistant to situations saturated with negative emotional experiences, and allows solving complex tasks that one member of the group alone cannot accomplish. Cohesion and team building are most essential for those organizations whose effective operation directly depends on the degree of unity and mutual understanding of employees.

The difference between cohesion and group identification

It is necessary to emphasize the difference between the phenomenon of group identification and cohesion.

Group identification- identification of oneself with a generalized image of a member of a social group, due to which acceptance, often uncritical, of its goals and values ​​occurs.

According to the definition of a team (its members "define themselves and their partners as belonging to a team"), group identification is an important factor in allowing a group to develop into a team. However, often group identification leads to unpleasant consequences, manifested in the so-called groupthink.

groupthink- the style of thinking of people who fully identify themselves with a particular social group. This creates a situation where unanimity becomes a greater value than following logic and rational choice solutions. The level of conformism is growing, information essential for the activity of the group begins to be analyzed in a biased way, the belief in the omnipotence of the group and unjustified optimism are cultivated.

Groupthink manifests itself most often at the first stage of team formation. In an effort to preserve the unity of the group at all costs, at the first stage, people are able to sacrifice not only the truth, but also any members of the group that stand out from the general mass, in sacrifice to a sense of pseudo-cohesion.

Sometimes this phenomenon manifests itself strikingly in training when the drama of sacrificing the minority to the majority unfolds before the eyes of the trainer as part of a discussion or role play. We once observed how a group, placed in a crisis situation of the "catastrophic" task "Accident on the Moon", in an effort to meet the deadline, executed one of the participants - first on a symbolic level, depriving him of "oxygen", and then translating their actions into reality, depriving him of the right to vote in the discussion and putting him behind the circle. The man, feeling rejected by the group, left the room. None of the group members even noticed. The group executed a member for dissent: this man knew too much. In particular, he was the only one from the group who remembered from the school physics course that in the absence of a magnetic field on the Moon, the compass would not work there and therefore was useless. He persistently tried to convey his knowledge to the group so that they could successfully cope with the task. But groupthink caused those who identified with the group to disregard the opinion of one of their colleagues - and ultimately the truth. When the exercise ended and the group began to analyze their activities, the "disidentified" participants experienced a severe sense of guilt.

Team work has many benefits. The main ones are the diversity of knowledge, ideas and tools that team members have, as well as the camaraderie between them. The most common feature of high-performing teams is cohesiveness, which is a measure of the attractiveness of the group to its members (as well as the reluctance to leave it). Thus, in more cohesive teams, their members will be more accommodating and effective in achieving the goals they have set for themselves. The lack of cohesion in the working atmosphere of the team will undoubtedly affect its productivity due to unnecessary stress and tension between employees. Thus, cohesiveness in the workplace can ultimately lead to increased company success.

Team development takes time and often follows a set of milestones, from being a group of strangers to forming a cohesive team with common goals. According to researcher Bruce Tuckman, both in group dynamics and in the four stages of team development that he popularized (formation, collision, normalization, execution), leaders must keep team members motivated in order to successfully overcome the challenges posed by the collision and normalization stages (Figure one).

Stage formation represents the beginning of everything, it can be said that this is the honeymoon period; high expectations rely on all team members. Relationships develop, the goal is clear, and the ground rules are established. Stage clashes arises as soon as team members begin to fight for positions, make mistakes due to confusion, argue about leadership, strategy and goals. At this time, team leadership becomes essential. The leader must excel in keeping the team motivated, solving all problems and clarifying the goals and objectives.

Once the collision phase has been overcome, the team is ready to establish open communications, firm positions and norms - this is the phase normalization. Trust is finally acquired, and "when the level of trust is high, then the connections are simple, instant and effective." This is the first step towards solidarity. Once cohesion is achieved, teams will move from normalization to implementation and subsequently to highly efficient task completion.

What is cohesion?

Cohesion is the extent to which team members stick together and remain united in pursuit of a common goal. A team is said to be in a state of unity when its members have connections that unite them with other members of the team as a whole.

The members of a highly cohesive team focus on the process rather than the individual; they respect everyone in the team, assuming good motives; and they are fully committed to the decisions and strategy of the team, creating accountability within it. Morale is also stronger in a cohesive team due to strong bonds among its members, friendly team environment, dedication and personal contribution of a team member to the decision-making process. Successful business strategies are usually carried out by effective teams with a high level of team cohesion. Highly cohesive teams are more committed to goals and activities, happy when the team is doing well, and feeling part of something meaningful, which also increases self-esteem, which in turn improves performance (Figure 2).

Key Elements for Achieving Team Cohesion

High-performing teams are the key to a company's success. Whether the challenge is to create an innovative product or service, or design a new process or system, more hope is placed on the team than on individuals than ever before. The ideal team combines individual talents and skills into a super-efficient whole, with capabilities that surpass those of even the most talented members.

High-functioning teams are not the result of random events. They achieve higher levels of participation and collaboration because their members trust each other, identify with the team, and are confident in their own strength and effectiveness. Such teams have a high level of team emotional intelligence (EI).

In general, emotional intelligence is defined as an all-encompassing awareness and understanding of emotions (Figure 3). It is applied in decision-making, regulation and self-management, which is a very important aspect of teamwork. Research has shown that emotional intelligence has a positive impact on teamwork through greater team cohesion.

The formation of the emotional intelligence of the team requires the development of the emotional competence of the entire group as a whole. High EI teams have established norms that aim to build trust, group identification, and performance. As a result, their members collaborate more closely with each other and join forces more creatively to advance the work of the team.

Research by organizational behavior experts Vanessa Drusketh and Steven Wolf suggests the following three methods for shaping your team's EI:

1. Take time for team members to evaluate each other's skills.

Interpersonal empathy is essential for trust. Interpersonal empathy builds trust among team members; once team trust is achieved, individual trust follows. The team must be aware of the skills and personality of each team member. People working in teams where they got to know each other better were more efficient and got more work done. When team members know the people they work with well, they gain a different level of trust in each other. Trust contributes to the growth of motivation, and motivation to the growth of commitment, if these indicators exist in the team, then you have achieved cohesion, which, in turn, increases efficiency.

Team building is a great way to practice building emotional intelligence. For example, when a team is formed within a company, team building activities should be organized, even after hours and outside the workplace, so that team members get to know each other better and show empathy. Scheduling meetings outside of work places builds camaraderie. Team building also reinforces commitment to the organization, as the team feels that the company cares about the success of the team as a whole. Games are one way to engage team members and learn about each other's skills on a more personal level.

2. Raise and manage emotional issues that may help or hinder the team's progress.

It is very important to establish a convenient, team-approved way to express the inevitable anger, tension, and frustration that comes with teamwork and redirect that energy in the right direction. Both humor and playfulness can be a useful tool in resolving conflicts and relieving tension and stress.

Here are some examples of well-known companies.

• At IDEO, an innovative consulting company, team members threw stuffed animals at the walls of a room when things got heated. In addition to improving mood, these actions served as a reminder that the group had established norms for expressing difficult emotions, thus making them feel less dangerous to the individuals and the group as a whole.
• Xerox took a different approach, with team members writing down their claims and cutting them to $1 to $100 bill sizes depending on how serious they thought the problem was and throwing it into the "opportunity" jar.

3. Celebrate success.

Building the emotional intelligence of a team also requires expressing positive emotions such as gratitude and admiration when expectations are exceeded. Recognition of individual and team achievement not only strengthens the individuality of the team, but also shows its effectiveness and collective commitment to excellence.

Team dinners after the successful completion of a project are an example of a typical celebration. The entire team goes to a restaurant to celebrate their success and hard work. Another example is the team achievement acknowledgment in the monthly newsletter from CEO so the whole company gets to know what has been achieved.

Other Factors Affecting Team Effectiveness

While cohesion is an important and determinant factor in team effectiveness, cohesion alone will not guarantee success without organizational commitment. Team members may feel cohesive with their teammates but be completely separated from organizational values ​​and vice versa.

High-performing teams must have a team spirit and perception of organizational support, but team spirit must be stronger than the perception of organizational support. Team spirit can be defined as "the extent to which employees feel the team values ​​their contributions and cares about their well-being". The perception of organizational support is defined as "the extent to which employees feel that the organization values ​​their contributions and cares about their well-being".

In addition to cohesion, there are a number of other factors that are important in developing a team to do its job, as shown below and in Figure 4:

1. A clear set of tasks that are clearly identified by management
2. Metrics that allow team members to evaluate their performance and the relationship between team performance and key business indicators
3. Continuous learning
4. The right to make decisions is important to achieve business goals
5. Evaluating and rewarding the team, not just individual incentives
6. An open culture with easy access to relevant information and top management when needed.

Final word

Teams drive the success of an organization, although building and managing high-performing teams is one of the most challenging tasks any leader faces in today's competitive environment. Cohesion is a key factor in the functioning of effective, high-performing teams. Emotional intelligence also plays an important role in building such teams, with emotional intelligence promoting cohesion. Emotion management is how you build a team. This is an opportunity to inspire team members. Leaders must understand how team cohesion works and how unity energizes the team. Leaders must inspire team members by strengthening a sense of belonging, empathy and mutual respect, as well as giving people choice and power over what they can do. Once that feeling of support, that foundation, is created, the result is boundless creativity.

posted in the section: Planning and control

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Team formation conditions. The wide possibilities of the group in improving the efficiency of activities are realized due to the strengthening of its cohesion, the creation of a team. The concept of "team" is widely used to characterize highly cohesive work collectives.

In modern literature, in most cases, the terms "team" and "group" are used as synonyms. However, as noted by D.R. Ilgen, D.A. Major et al., the word "team" is more accurate and preferable, since it does not mean any social group, but only one that is focused on the fulfillment of a business task. In other words, A team is a close-knit working group, or labor collective.

Supports team building the presence of the group members such qualities as:

Ability to listen, empathize;

Willingness to help others;

Ability to find common ground, common values ​​and interests;

Clarity and clarity of positions;

The desire to reduce the dispersion of opinions;

Openness, flexibility.

They prevent this:

The desire to dominate and constantly enter into an argument;

Peremptory statements;

Evaluating the ideas of others as bad or wrong;

The habit of being always right;

The need to be a winner, to take over;

Indifference, apathy, boredom.

It is not always possible to form a cohesive team out of any employees. This requires the following conditions:

1) people doing the work should be specialists, act as "experts" in solving the tasks assigned to them;

2) the combined experience and talents of people working in a team must exceed the experience and abilities of any of those who work alone;

3) the majority of people should be able to some extent to influence the adoption of those decisions that they have to carry out. This increases their interest in the common cause;

4) each person must have a propensity for creativity, which can be systematically used by involving him in participation in the work of the group.

Team formation stages. Team building begins primarily with the development of group cohesion. And only if it is present, a formal work unit or an ordinary group can become a team. The process of team formation goes through a number of stages, stages. American researcher B. Basho highlights the following four stages of this process:

1) Acceptance by group members . At this stage, distrust, wariness and alienation in relations between employees are eliminated, and a willingness to cooperate appears.

2) Development of communications and development of a mechanism for making group decisions. The expansion and intensification of communications, frank communication makes the group capable of making collective decisions.

3) Formation of group solidarity . This stage is a logical continuation and a consequence of the expansion of diverse communications, the growth of trust and the strengthening of a sense of group identity. Members of the group get satisfaction from the very fact of being in it and help each other.

4) The desire to maximize group success through the rational use of individual abilities, opportunities and mutual assistance, providing informal collective control over the implementation of group tasks. This stage is characterized by a shift in emphasis from interpersonal solidarity and support to a common cause.

As these stages are passed, group relations reach maturity, which has a positive effect on labor efficiency.

A slightly different classification of the main stages of the development of a group, its transformation into a team, is proposed by V.M. Davydov. He also highlights four stages of its development:

1) Formation stage. Group members get to know each other, the organization and working conditions.

2) Stage of psychological tension. At this stage, members of the group cautiously try to get to know each other, “probe” each other, identify commonality and differences in positions, compete for leadership and influence. At this time, intra-group relations are characterized by distrust and tension.

3) Normalization stage . It is characterized by the establishment of common opinions, role expectations, norms and positions, the stabilization of intra-group relations.

4) Activity stage . The group gets to work. Social roles have already been distributed, the goals, objectives and specifics of the activity have been clarified. In the process of joint activities and informal communication, details are clarified, people understand each other better, learn to take into account and anticipate the behavior of partners.

Basic conditions for effective teamwork .

Supportive environment suggests that management assists groups in formulating common goals.

Qualification and clear understanding of the roles performed. Team members must have the qualifications necessary to complete the tasks and the desire to participate in the work process together. Teamwork involves a clear understanding of the roles of all members of the group.

Super task. Each team should have a super-task, the desire for which unites the efforts of employees.

Team reward. One of the main incentives for teamwork is material and moral rewards, which should be of value to the members of the group, be perceived as deserved and encourage employees to perform common tasks.

Factors of group cohesion. Not always and not any groups are able to turn into a single, well-coordinated whole. There are certain group cohesion factors, which include:

1) agreement between members of the group about its goals;

2) wide communication and interaction between group members;

3) not too great, acceptable to all equality of social status and origin of the members of the group;

4) democracy of group relationships, providing all members of the group with full opportunities for direct participation in the establishment of group norms and standards;

5) positive opinion of group members about each other;

6) a clearly expressed need in each member of the group for those advantages, including protection, that comes from belonging to it;

7) the size of the group, sufficient for the implementation of its goals and communications;

8) spatial proximity. In the presence of other conditions, there is a direct relationship between the proximity of workplaces and the cohesion of the group;

9) the prevalence of positive experience in achieving the group's goals and protecting values;

10) psychological compatibility of group members. It is a set of individual qualities of group members that ensure the coherence and effectiveness of their activities. Compatibility includes a number of qualities: physiological (gender and age and other physiological features); psychophysiological (difference in temperaments and biological needs); actually psychological (personal character and motives of behavior); socio-psychological (values, interests, role expectations);

psychological compatibility. One of the starting points for ensuring psychological compatibility is taking into account the characteristics of the temperament of group members. Temperament is a system of emotional and dynamic (characterizing the speed of psychological reactions and activity) personality traits. In modern psychology, the basic typology of temperaments is widespread, including four types of them: sanguine, melancholic, choleric. A fairly clear graphical scheme for the classification of these temperaments was proposed by a group of American scientists led by G. Eysenck (Figure 16).

neuroticism

melancholic choleric

Introversion Extraversion

phlegmatic sanguine

emotional stability

Figure 16 - Classification of temperaments (G. Eysenck and others)

This scheme allows you to classify different temperaments of people depending on two groups of indicators: introversion - extraversion(horizontal axis) and emotional stability - neuroticism(vertical axis).

extraversion means the psychological orientation of a person to the outside world, others, communication with other people, openness and activity.

Introversion - directly opposite type, suggesting the focus of the individual's attention on his own inner world and interests, increased reflexivity, focus on internal experiences and external passivity, isolation. emotional stability means sustainability nervous system manifested in calmness, high immunity in relation to stress, etc.

neuroticism- just the opposite quality.

The coordinate axes of this graphic scheme can be divided into units (points) of measurement, and thus we get the opportunity to give a more differentiated assessment of the temperaments of specific people than a simple assignment to the four main types.

Knowing and taking into account the characteristics of temperament is an important condition for ensuring group compatibility and efficiency, as well as the optimal distribution of tasks. In a group, the negative traits of one temperament can be balanced by the positive traits of another, for example, the pessimism and isolation of the melancholic - the optimism and sociability of the sanguine. The ease of changing moods and hobbies of the choleric well complements the calmness, logic and steady purposefulness of the phlegmatic.

The best use of the individual and business qualities of employees can be ensured through various mechanisms of psychological compatibility. The most important of them are the following:

1) similarity and complementarity (complementarity) of the qualities of interacting workers;

2) contrast of properties and qualities. This compatibility mechanism is quite rare and manifests itself mainly only when all employees have a pronounced aspiration to a common collective goal. In this case, employees with contrasting qualities reflect and perceive reality more fully, for example, the excessive optimism of some employees in the possibility of achieving the goal is cooled by pessimists who prepare the group for the worst case scenario;

3) homeostasis - self-regulation of the system, which ensures the maintenance of balance through the exchange of information; redistribution of roles and functions, with the aim of sustainability and effectiveness of group activities. The phenomenon of homeostasis is most clearly observed in highly motivated, close-knit teams.

Compatibility is one of the most important conditions for group cohesion and effectiveness. In general, group cohesion naturally depends on such parameters as age, level of education, length of stay in the organization, common social value orientations, political and religious views, breadth of group communications, personality and style of the leader, etc.

Definition of group cohesion. As even a simple enumeration of the conditions and factors of group cohesion shows, its formation and deepening is a rather complex task that depends on many variables. Determining the degree of group cohesion is an important condition for effective management, which must be taken into account when choosing the style and methods of leadership, when determining the overall capabilities of the team, setting tasks and monitoring their implementation. Figure 17 shows the stages of group cohesion. At each stage, the emergence of negative trends and the return of the group to previous stages of development or the collapse of the group is possible.

Growing 1. Turning the group into a concerted active area

2. Deep mastery by all members of the group of its norms, rules,

goals, attitudes

3. Mutual adaptation of group members, consolidation of positive

personal relationships between most of them

4. Orientation of group members in a social situation,

Degree of formation of common value orientations

cohesion

Figure 17 - Stages of group cohesion

At the stage of team formation, the problems of compatibility of team members are solved. The same problem arises in case of any changes in the composition of the group.

Highly cohesive teams typically exhibit the following characteristics: :

The group works as a whole, its members do not unnecessarily disturb each other and do not interfere with each other when interacting;

All members of the team participate effectively in its efforts, work conscientiously and do not shy away from work, even when the opportunity arises;

Performing individual tasks, members of the group are guided by the achievement of a common cause;

Team members rationally use resources, equipment and qualifications to achieve common goals;

A leader can be guided by such a model in his practical activities, having previously clarified for himself, whether the nature of the tasks solved by the team allows (or requires) its high cohesion.

The effectiveness of collective labor depends on its proper organization.

Test for self-control

1. The working group is:

A) bringing together people to achieve business goals that interact with each other for a long period;

B) bringing people together to do some work;

C) an association of people to achieve business goals that interact with each other for a sufficiently long period, and each one is in contact with everyone else and realizes that they are members of the group, identify themselves with it.

2. Relatively autonomous groups that are delegated authority to perform certain tasks are:

A) committees

B) command groups;

B) target groups.

3. Status is:

A) a pattern of actions expected from an individual when performing an activity related to other people;

B) determining the position of a group member in relation to them;

C) the social rank of the individual in the group;

D) a measure of the level of recognition, respect and acceptance of the individual by its participants.

4. hallmarks formal group are:

A) a well-defined composition and structure, a rigid definition and distribution of roles, can be open to new members of the organization;

B) goals and objectives common to the group, establishment of statuses, rights and obligations;

C) clearly defined composition and structure, definition and distribution of roles.

5. Cohesion is characterized:

A) the attractiveness of the group for each of its members, as well as the type of cooperation and group communications;

B) cooperation over a long period of time;

C) desire to remain in the group;

D) cooperation based on family ties, compatibility of characters and views.

6. The command is:

A) a stable association of people striving for a common goal;

B) a highly cohesive workforce;

C) the leader and his closest assistants.

7. Temperament is:

A) the psychological orientation of a person to the outside world, others, communication with other people, openness and activity;

B) a system of emotional and dynamic personality traits.

8. What is the condition for ensuring the psychological compatibility of individuals:

A) the speed of psychological reaction;

B) features of the temperament of the members of the group;

C) the social status of the members of the group;

D) psychological orientation of a person.

9. Extraversion is:

A) the psychological orientation of the individual to the outside world, others, communication;

B) a system of emotional and dynamic personality traits;

C) the contrast of the properties and qualities of the individual.

10. Group norms are:

A) the labor costs of individuals to achieve the goal;

B) elements of the group structure, rules of official conduct;

C) the potential of the group.

There should be some strong quote from Frank Underwood about a strong team, but damn it, I didn't find anything. So let's move on from grandiloquent demagoguery to practice.

So, for any great accomplishment, you need a good team. In addition, the team must be united, bound by one chain and connected by one goal. The galley, on which the rowers row at random, will not sail far, rather, you will go with your ambitions to that nightmarish fish from the Soviet trash cartoon in which the mermaid with the fish head sang: "Stay, boy, with us, be our king." But normal dudes don't want to be the kings of some sort of bottom, so they grab a sword from its sheath, jump on a shield and call on their army to rally. How to invite? Now we will find out.

This text is dedicated not only to novice businessmen, but also to all those who dream of gathering a strong team around themselves. And it doesn't matter what you have: a rock band with a garage and big ambitions, an amateur football team, a KVN team. The methods are the same everywhere.

The staff of the enterprise is like a football team: the guys should play as a single team, and not as a bunch of bright personalities.
– Lee Iacocca –

Our people

If you want to form a team, then be very careful in the selection of new people. They should not just be professionals, but also think the same way as you. Only their people understand everything perfectly, and this greatly saves time. You don't have to spend time getting acquainted, integrating and mastering. The habit will pass much faster. Let you take a worse drummer, but he will understand you and move in the same direction with you. And technology is a commodity.

If your team, like a football team, consists of players from different clubs, then a split is inevitable. When everyone is molded from the same test, then the risk of repeating the fate of the Beatles and disintegrating comes down to 13.9%. Calculated scientifically by Vikentiy Zhabot, Associate Professor of the Department of Meaningless Calculations.

And perhaps main reason why you need to look for your own people, is that they will give you valuable advice. Knowing the goal, knowing perfectly well what you are focusing on, they will be able to give competent advice. Otherwise, it turns into a big top, just like an old librarian will tell you how to work in C ++.

However, remember that one should avoid unanimity. No, there is no need to argue, everyone should be covered by a single goal, but they should have their own solutions to the problem that they can offer.

Real Goals

If to the question: “What are the goals, boss?”, You will say: “Well, so that there is a lot of money, there, wealth, so that we are known. Well, something like that, ”then our advice to you is to stop with your projects right now. You see, the team will be able to rally, only knowing the goal. And this goal should be formulated accurately, elegantly and accessible, so that no one has any questions. Otherwise, different members of your team will have a different vision of the situation, and everyone will begin to achieve “wealth and fame” in their own way, most often contrary to the common work.

And most importantly, the goals must be real: not castles in the air called "Bright Future", but step by step, overcoming one peak after another. Perhaps, in the distant land of marvelous elves, there are creatures that will lead the team to success in a single week, but, alas, in this world this is possible only after many years of joint work.
And most importantly, always adjust the team to specific situations.

Incentives

Of course, in a real team, many work not only for a kind word, a magnificent corporate party, an idea, for each other, for their leader. The team is well aware that if the result is interesting from a non-material point of view, its achievement is an unconditional victory for the entire team and any of its members. Moreover, each participant is clearly aware of his role in achieving this victory. But nevertheless, you need to live to glorious times, and people need money at the moment. And if their aspirations are encouraged with a specie, a kind word, or some other bonus, then there is an incentive to work. A kind word is also pleasant for a dog, and the attention of a leader is pleasant for people of all ages. But the main thing is to do it in a timely manner, otherwise doubts will creep in. Remember, success is shared, but praise must be expressed personally.

Keep everyone

The Chilean socialists sang: "El pueblo unido jamás será vencido", or in our opinion: "As long as we are united, we are invincible." And then the terrible begins: the team and the company get tired of each other and strive to leave, undermining the monolith of a well-coordinated team. It's even worse when they go to competitors. It is silly to consider cases with leaving for a promotion, for the sake of this a person tried in many ways.

Why do people leave? There are many reasons, it all depends on what you are doing. Some because of the money: they have gained experience, now you can go to a richer office. Some simply get tired and do not see the point of further coexistence, they want to change the surroundings. Usual crisis. Here is the most difficult thing: you have to convince the employee that better times up front that he really is an incredibly valuable crew member. And that soon, when you reach your goal, all the hardships will be compensated. Be diplomatic and attentive to "brothers in arms". But know the measure, just a little - they will sit on the neck.

Team culture

In the business sphere, it is also called “corporate”, but we are talking not only about business. And this is very important, because, despite the goals and common interests, people are different. They come from different families, different educational institutions, and they have different views on life. And sometimes the very moment comes when you get together, and the thought begins to ripen in their heads: “How to quickly get out of the circle of these idiots.”

But you should be united by something other than a banal goal and direct work. In sports, the team is united by colors and fans, in political parties, by ideology. What will unite you? This you must decide for yourself. But the very fact of having a team that has a legend and at least some communication among themselves attracts more than a simple office. You don't have to be Pink Floyd, who didn't even say hello to each other during rehearsals in their last years. Where there is a team culture, there is a guarantee that you will not fall apart to hell in the next 2 months and will work for the common good in the sweat of your brow until the last death peep.

Personal contribution

This advice is more suitable for those who have rallied a team in the financial field. If you have a group or circle of young poets, then you need a different approach, more traditional, based on equality.

And in business and other places in which you play the role of a pronounced leader, avoid familiarity, softness and other tenderness, establish relationships through results. People who achieve the desired results have good relationships with other people. In their work they are focused on a common cause and fulfill their obligations to the whole team. Kindness and tenderness without results has no meaning, this is hypocrisy and dependency.

Look at yourself

Be an example for your team. You made this porridge, you, in which case, you will disentangle it. You must be an example for your employees, a clear, workaholic example, the embodiment of responsibility, ideology and ability to work. Create, suffer, live at a frantic pace!

And yet, do you know why the apostles were so successful in sowing Christianity in Europe? Because they knew the strengths and weaknesses of their associates well and therefore could correctly distribute their responsibilities. Also those psychologists. You should also take note of this long-forgotten art.