Team Dynamics🧬
Have you ever wondered why some teams are so in sync and successful, while some others might struggle just to do a single task? This might have something to do with what we call team dynamics. Developing a good high-performing team with good synergy is not an easy task. It’s not just about finding the right people, it’s also about how we sustain ourself and empowering each other. In this article, we will learn the steps on how to build a team with good dynamics.
What is Team Dynamics?
Team dynamics are the behavioural relationships between the members of a team. Team dynamics are created by how the team works, the varying personalities of each person within that team, how they manage their relationships with other people, and also the environment that the team works in. Team dynamics can be good or bad, good if it improves the performance of the team and bad if it hinders the team to reach their goal.
How to Build a Good Team Dynamics
There are 7 characteristics that contribute to the making of a good team:
1. Shared Purpose
It is important for the whole team to have the same goal in mind. This will ensure that every decision made will be based on this shared goal, which will make it easier to decide since nobody has a different goal in mind. If the team has trouble making decisions every time, it is time to remind everyone about this shared goal and make sure that everyone is on the same page.
2. Trust and Openness
We need to make sure that everyone in the team feels safe to share information and their ideas freely without fear of embarrassment. This environment will lead to more ideas and will drive the team members to be more creative. Each member must also trust that each of them will do their part of the work.
3. Willingness to Correct Mistakes
Each member of the team needs to realize their mistakes and learn from them. The team also need to track their work and find parts where they can improve themself.
4. Diversity and Inclusion
A good team is the one that takes all the different ideas and opinion from every member and then comes up with creative solutions. The team need to avoid having groupthink where everybody just follows the easiest idea.
5. Interdependence and a Sense of Belonging
Each team member should know why they are part of the team and have a sense of belonging in the team. Each of them should understand their value to the team and responsibility. When each member has a sense of belonging in the team, members can work together to make a job done without keeping tabs on how much they give or take.
6. Consensus Decision Making
When deciding on something, the whole team need to agree on something based on their decision and not by peer pressure, but sometimes it is okay to compromise on some things to keep the synergy in the team.
7. Participative Leadership
Instead of controlling every little thing that others do, as a leader, it is better to give them space to work by themselves and allow them to improve themselves by providing guidance and information when they need it.
Team Capacity Building
Team capacity building is the process in which individuals and the whole team improve themselves in terms of skills and knowledge needed to do their jobs competently. Each member of the team have their own weaknesses, and by allowing them to learn and practice the things that they still lack, it will build their capacity doing it. Little by little the whole team will have the capacity to do even greater tasks than before.
Servant Leadership
In team dynamics, there is something called “Servant Leadership”, to put it simply it is a concept where the leader acts as the servant that prioritizes the team’s growth and well-being before their own. This leads to more trust and stronger relationships among the team members.
Characteristics of Servant Leader
Here are some of the characteristics of a servant leader:
1. Listening
As a servant leader, you need to always listen to the team members when they are talking, this way you show that you care and they will feel valued.
2. Empathy
Understand your team members, learn their strength and weaknesses, that way you know how to make their strength shine and how you can help them overcome their weaknesses.
3. Healing
Always remember to keep the team healthy by creating an environment with a balanced work-life routine.
4. Self-Awareness
Besides understanding your team members, it is also important to self reflect, understand your strength and weakness and then see how you can utilize that to benefit the team.
5. Persuasion
Instead of Authority, use persuasion to reach a consensus to not endanger any relationships in the team.
6. Conceptualization
As a leader, you need to know where you are heading in the future with your team. You need to have a goal for the team to reach.
7. Foresight
You need to be able to learn from your past knowledge and experiences and then apply it forward so that the whole team can continue to grow.
8. Stewardship
You don’t ask people something you won’t do yourself, lead the team by being a good example for the whole team.
