Team cohesion is crucial for every business’s success. However, many leaders use those words without knowing their meaning. Simply put, team cohesion is the ability of one team to work as a whole towards a common target or objective. On top of that, in a cohesive team, members want to contribute towards the effectiveness of the team.

In ideal cases, cohesion is born when the team is created, but in reality, things aren’t as simple. Most teams need a little nudge in the right direction to become cohesive. So, if you’re a team leader or a manager wanting to improve the team’s efficiency and results, check out the tips pm how to make your team more cohesive!

1. Focus on common values and goals

When organizing work for your team, focusing on common goals and the company’s values is crucial to create efficiency and cohesion. Adding a vision and mission on top of that will paint a clearer picture for your employees on which goals you need to attain using which tools and channels. Such an approach is ideal for diverse teams and members that don’t have much, but a goal, in common.

Instead of deciding on the goals yourself, ask your team what they consider to be the main goals. It will help you understand their point of view and create an action plan according to that. Don’t forget about individual strengths and preferences as it will create a smooth way to objectives.

2.  Build trust and celebrate victories together  

Nowadays diverse and online teams are quite popular. Even though it will improve your workflow and generate creative solutions, many individuals lack trust in their teammates. To overcome that as a leader you need to be open and transparent toward your team. Share all updates and encourage employees to contribute to the discussion.

Once you’ve established plans and goals through discussion, you can celebrate victories as a team when you achieve them. Team celebration strengthens the team spirit and improves relationships within it. By recognizing and celebrating hard work, you’re inspiring your team to be more productive and collaborate. 

3. Encourage communication and feedback culture

There is no trust without communication. It’s alarming how many teams have communication issues without even realizing it. This creates a toxic atmosphere which furthers the distance to cohesion. So, to build a cohesive team, you need to encourage open and honest communication as well as be open to providing and receiving feedback. How can you achieve that?

Find adequate communication channels and tools your team can use for collaboration. Whether you work from the office or virtually, your team needs to be connected to collaborate and share ideas. Additionally, through feedback employees get insight into their true skills and capabilities which can improve overall team functioning.  

4. Organize team-building activities

The work team is like a second family considering the number of time members spend together. However, simply working together isn’t enough to boost morale and build team spirit. It’s essential to get to know your co-workers as people, not just professionals to achieve true cohesion. You can accomplish that by initiating and organizing team-building activities.

Team building games and activities are ideal to bond the team, and increasing empathy and understanding among the members. Bring your teams closer together with custom teamwear that will increase the sense of belonging and act as a bond between employees. Consider implementing different team activities at least once per month to bring your team together. 

5. Training and development

One of the crucial ways of bringing a team together is by allowing personal development. If team members are confident in their own skills, they are more likely to help a colleague out and collaborate. Each member needs to feel “useful” in a team which will lead to a contribution to a common goal. Therefore, providing training and personal development paths is vital for your team.  

Besides hard skills training and courses, your team needs to continuously improve their soft skills to remain productive. Take executive coaching into consideration when teaching your employees how to communicate, lead, manage and solve tasks throughout the day as a unit.  

6. Resolve conflicts as a team

No matter how strong a team is, a conflict is bound to happen sooner or later. You can’t expect everyone to have the same opinion. Even though this is totally fine and can even contribute to the team dynamic, disagreements can be the cause of deeper issues in a team. Looking from the bright side, such opposed opinions can be valuable for team cohesion. Why?

Conflicts team your team how to solve problems together! When such situations occur, taking each party’s opinion and feelings into consideration is necessary. However, that shouldn’t prevent you from reaching a common goal. It’s always your team vs the problem, not team members vs one another!

Wrapping up

Building a truly cohesive team takes time. Adequate leadership combined with these tips will take your team toward the goal. Team harmony is created through different activities and discussions you perform as a team. So, if you want to have a cohesive team, inspire your team members to collaborate and work together.