Achieving a Healthy Balance of Connection and Accountability in the Workplace Through Synergy
Connection builds the trust that we consistently see in strong teams.
People want to be seen and recognized by their managers and peers. Yet, we all know human nature and the drama that can flare in coworker and supervisor relationships. We also recognize the tension that can arise in the office when employees and their managers do not see eye to eye, even when sharing different views is a healthy practice. These difficulties create moments of vulnerability that can foster a deeper human connection, as none of us is perfect.
The question is whether leadership fosters a culture that allows for being human, making mistakes, and embracing forgiveness.
Members of high-performing teams have established trust, a heightened awareness of other members’ strengths and weaknesses, and a commitment to watch each other’s backs. So, how do you create this trust and vibe, or synergy, that allows teams to connect more deeply?
Individual and team contributions
You need your employees and managers to be responsible for the project, team, and organization to optimize employee performance. Strong individual contributions lead to strong team performance. Individuals working to their strengths provides the fuel for greater team success.
Consider the employee who does what her job requires and nothing more. She meets all expectations, yet her focus on individual task completion leads her coworkers, including her manager, to view her as an individual producer and possibly less of a team player. The reasons for her behavior aside, she is so focused on meeting exact expectations that she can overlook the opportunity to develop and positively influence team results and dynamics. As a result, she receives satisfactory (not exceptional) performance reviews, but continues to be baffled as to why her teammates don’t include her more. This is a great performer who likely lacks self-confidence and prefers to stay in her own familiar domain. Greater team trust and involvement can quickly remove the barriers and involve her in the team’s synergy.
Likewise, when teams achieve high synergy, productivity, and efficiency, they become top performers who get along and enjoy being together. They see a vision and feel in sync with both organizational and individual goals. They jump in and help each other out, understand each other's strengths, and are willing to make each other's jobs easier. They aren’t afraid to make mistakes. When a vibrant organization is growing, this surge of participation and energy can be sustained in the long term. There can be lulls between projects; however, good leadership knows how to keep individuals engaged and maintain a positive energy flow.
What is the right balance, and how do you achieve it?
Naturally, the solution lies between employees as individual producers and employees as trusted teammates. We suggest the following to instill a culture of accountability among people who not only care about each other, but also care about the outcomes they can achieve together toward clear outcomes that extend beyond the ego of any one person. The right balance requires individual understanding and acceptance, as well as clear lines of authority and accountability.
What the Right Balance Looks Like
We refer to the right balance as "synergy." Synergy can be recognized by seeing projects being completed on time; team understanding of organizational goals and objectives; experiencing low to no stress among team members; witnessing an aura of fun and positive attitudes; high willingness for collaboration and problem solving; increased productivity and efficiency; fewer workplace accidents; higher profit; longer employee retention; and resistance to distractions and petty behaviors that break down trust among the team.
Steps for Achieving Balanced Synergy
Sounds too good to be true? It is unrealistic to expect this state on an ongoing basis. Everyone needs time to recharge and to recommit to new initiatives that are meaningful both individually and organizationally. However, when it matters most, winning organizations have a routine for preparing team members to engage in synergy, and leadership knows how to tap into it as needed.
First, synergy starts with clear expectations, guidelines, and action plans for the next strategic destination. These goals are developed and clearly articulated by leadership. There is no nebulous talk about success. The target is clear, and the team understands the assignments and roles required to achieve their part of the quest.
Synergy is achieved by aligning employees with the right job tasks based on their natural problem-solving talents, acquired skills, social style, worldview, and values. If you enjoy action movies where a special forces team swoops in to take down the enemy, you'll appreciate the thrill of witnessing synergy in action from a top-performing team. Notably, top talent is engaged in the most critical part of the mission. Each member does their part and leads the action to engage the next expert.
Note: To achieve this high performance, specialized expertise is required. Chances are that you have them in your organization; however, you likely haven't thoroughly assessed their talents, skills, and abilities to know how and when to engage them effectively. Also, be cautious of making assumptions. Utilize assessment tools to gain a deeper understanding of the individuals within your organization.
Calibrate team performance to achieve specific results. Closely monitor results along the way and adapt team members and activities as required. Marketplace players and customer needs are constantly changing. This requires your team to continuously adapt to the external demands and problem-solving opportunities that exist for growth and improvement.
We believe that organizations struggle in challenging times because they lack a structured approach for adapting to changing needs. They become complacent, and they don't think about guiding the way to an evolved future until they realize they have hit a wall. High-performing teams are constantly engaged in innovation and critical thinking exercises because they are well-suited to their jobs, they understand the goals, and they are driven by the challenge of solving customer problems effectively.
Expose team members to new resources, such as new internal and external experts, to collaborate with them and solve specific problems. Problem-solving requires a complex set of skills that needs to be kept active. The collaborative environment we suggest fosters a sense of intimacy among team members. When this high-level connection is not kept active and focused on organizational outcomes, dysfunction occurs.
Likewise, this intimacy can become stale in a particular mode of operation, which may not be effective for solving every problem. As a leader, you need a palette of resources that is vibrant and available to help you paint your vision for success. It is you who holds the brush, and it is you who chooses the colors/resources with which you paint. Your ability to shift skills and talents for the mission at hand is what your team relies on you to do, helping them achieve collective success. Often, leaders' views of themselves, their possibilities, and their resources are far too narrow for the aspirations they hold. Thus, frustration and a feeling of being stuck in a dead end can overtake the culture. By engaging resources that keep the team challenged, vibrant, and alive, you keep people focused on intended outcomes and the big picture for success.
How Synergy is Measured
Aside from the indicators mentioned above, there is only one scientific way to measure synergy. Kolbe TeamSuccess® Solutions Team Optimization reports developed by the Kolbe Corp are what we use to measure synergy. As a Kolbe Certified Consultant for over 25 years, we regularly design and witness the evidence of synergy.
In any situation, it is possible to predict how a team will and won't solve problems. In today's times, it is especially crucial to know when to engage innovators and promoters, and when to engage analysts and planners. One wrong move can waste months and years of effort and dissuade top performers from being a part of the team.
These times are crucial. There is no time to waste, and there is no excuse for not achieving your goals and initiatives if you have the right players working together in natural, informed, cohesive, and collaborative ways, which you have orchestrated for the scenarios you see ahead.
The closeness that is achieved is invigorating and often the best kind of "family" that can exist. Yet, accountability, clear expectations, and measurements are not only appreciated by your team; they are the fuel that keeps energy flowing through the organization.