Is it important for employees in a team to like each other? Is it essential for performance or will it affect morale if there's constant conflict? Experts suggest the best teams ever coached have a slight conflict in personalities and it's an inevitable outcome for all teams. It's also important to recognise there's also a difference between active conflicts and individuals who simply dislike each other. Teams aren't perfect universes and a mix of personalities can contribute to a happy and well-rounded team.
In 1965, psychologist Bruce Tuckman suggested there are four stages of group development, forming, storming, norming and performing. Generally, the storming stage means conflict is inevitable and as the group settles colleagues may vie for power and attempt to force ideas on a group. A few team members may opt out of group participation if they're not satisfied and this can cause conflict and issues. Employees often like to skip this development stage because it can feel uncomfortable but it's important to push forward to get to the norming part. The winning formula is to treat all colleagues well through a mix of communication, competence and consideration throughout this transitional phase. If your team have conflict your team must shift their focus towards a common goal. If they are instead focused on the difficulties the goal will become less significant and progress will be a lot slower. Every team has conflict so your delegates need to understand what goal needs accomplishing and how to achieve success. The bottom line is if individuals dislike each other it's not always the biggest concern for their leaders, it's how colleagues can overcome issues and work together professionally and courteously.
However, if issues do weave into workplace situations it's important to remedy the situation before it gets out of hand. Remember that a majority of these situations can improve with intention and effort to encourage bonding. Off Limits Corporate Event specialise in building morale, trust and developing appreciation for different personalities within a team through team building events.
We have a number of team building events specifically designed to tackle these issues and encourage bonding. Motion Machine is a team building event with ingenious retro appeal and colleagues must work together using lots of communication, interaction and collaboration. Each team case contains materials and instructions needed to make the machine.
The Picasso Picture Show is a great event that will enable delegates to unleash their inner artist and bring the idea of the bigger picture to life. The event highlights the importance of individual member skills and how individuals can contribute to the bigger picture. Also, Multi Activity days give delegates the chance to learn new skills in a fresh environment, activities such as Power Turns are about more than controlling the wheel, it requires team work and plenty of collaboration to control the vehicle.
It's important to remember that most workplaces are extremely diverse and each individual brings something unique to the table. Employees who feel like they're in a supportive and caring culture report higher levels of satisfaction in the workplace. If you work with difficult colleagues it's important to encourage team building for bonding and development purposes. On a personal level, spending time with colleagues promotes positive health and social skills which will be of benefit to individuals outside of the workplace too. Knowing you are part of a team can help workers develop a positive attitude about their work and foster deeper and stronger long-term relationships.
How do you manage conflict in your team? Do We'd love to hear from you on Linkedin or Twitter.
