How to unlock the hidden power of team culture

How to unlock the hidden power of gruppe cultureHow to unlock the hidden power of team cultureCulture is supposed to eat strategy for breakfast. But, its leaving many organizations hungry for better results.A positive culture provides the right environment. It encourages people to create their best work possible. But, the increasing focus and investment on organizational culture, isbedrngnis movingthe needle.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreEmployee engagement is at an all-time low. Thats the key finding of recent research by ADPRI, conducted in 19 countries.Theglobal study of engagementreveals that only 16% of employees are fully engaged at work?- ?84% are just going through the motions.Culture is notlage the problem?- ?our approach is.People build the culture, yet managers want tocontrolit. Thats the paradox of culture. Leaders think they can create a homogenous one. And expect everyone to behave in the same way.The best-performing teams practicecultural fitness, not just fit. The overall culture does not only shape them?- ?they shape it too.What if we shift the focus from corporate culture to team culture instead?Culture Is Not a Homogeneous BeastManagers assume that teams will collaborate which other. They fall into the collaboration trap, asI wrote here.Each team has its own way of doing things. Thats why collaboration is hard?- ?even between two teams from the same organization. No one wants to share their secret sauce.Regardless if its an executive, cross-functional, project-based or informal team?- ?each has a parteicular culture. Acknowledging this is vital to fix engagement.Organizations know that engagement leads to productivity, innovation, loyalty, and more. But, most are failing to improve it.We got engagement all wrong.Thats the key conclusion of Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall in-depthHBR piece. Organizations usually have two extreme so lutions to fix engagement.The first isculture?- ?companies focus on the employee experience to improve engagement. The second is thepersonper se?- ?to fix performance, companies try to develop skills, and motivation individually.It turns out that the most effective way to improve performance and engagement is to focus not on culture or individuals?- ?but on the team.What really matters?- ?the authors explain?- ?is if people do most of their work on a team (or not).As Daniel Coyle, author ofThe Culture Code,writesWe presume skilled individuals will combine to produce skilled performance in the same way we presume two positiv two will combine to produce four. We focus on what we can see?- ?but individual skills are not what matters. What matters is the interaction.Belonging to a team drives higher engagement?- ?even within the same company.Employees who are part of a team are more thantwicemore engaged than those who did most of their work alone. But, great teams drive even higher eng agement.Teams shape individual performance.A team expands everyones perspectives. Teammates have individual skills that complement each other. Our colleagues feedback increasesself-awarenessand performance.Google discovered that moving low performers intoa different team drastically improves behavior and performance.Transferring peopleto a new, different team generates measurable, positive outcomes. It increases learning, productivity, innovation, and leadership.Team culture is tangible?- ?it boosts happiness, creativity, innovation, and resilience.Team Cultures AreTribesWe are drawn to leaders and to their ideas, and we cant resist the rush of belonging and the thrill of the new.?- ?Seth GodinHumans cant help it. We like to belong to something bigger than ourselves.People like to be part of a tribe?- ?the smaller the group, the stronger the affiliation.As Seth Godin explains in his bookTribesA tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to anidea.Being part of a tribe is a powerful survival mechanism. Groups make us stronger. We perform better collaborating with like-minded people.Tribes are a two-way street?- ?we both contribute to and take from the group.A team needs three things to become a tribe a common purpose, shared rituals, and a trusted leader.Godin wrote, Tribes need leadership. Sometimes one person leads, sometimes more. People want connection and growth and something new. They want change.Successful tribe leaders are authentic, generous, andintellectually humble. They are aware of their fear. And willing to embrace discomfort.Great leaders challenge the status quo in spite of fear, not because of it.Fearless leadersbring the tribe together. They create movements that inspire people to follow the mission. Great leaders main priority is the tribe?- ?and only the tribe.You cant have a tribe without a leader?- ?and you cant be a leader without a tribe.?- ?Seth GodinAccording to the ADPRI global study, peo ple are12x more likelyto be fully engaged when teams trust their leaders.A highly successful team culture doesnt mean lighthearted. People care about doing exceptional work. Solving big problems together drives excitement?- ?not the ping pong tables.So, what creates a sense of belonging and connection among high performing teams? Daniel Coyle outlines three signals1) You are part of this group2) This group is special we have higher standards here3) I believe you can reach those standardsThe power of team culture seems obvious, right?However, most teams are not represented on org charts. Abouthalf of the teamswhere great work happens are invisible to management.Research shows that the person who knows why teams exist and who is on them is actually the team leader, not HR.Companies cant see the tribes?- ?their best work is invisible.Unlock the Power of Team SubculturesTo change what one person does, change what the people around them do. Thats the power of team culture.Here are some k ey recommendations based on my consulting and research.1. See theteamsThe first step is to make teams visible. To leverage the power of team culture, start by identifying formal and informal groups. Buckingham and Goodhall recommend using real-time technology to better understand and support team members.2. Build Psychological SafetyCreating a safe, trustworthy, collaborative, and creative environment not only encourages people tospeak up.Psychological safety permits teams to develop a culture of their own. They dont need to bottle their emotions.Removing fear raises the bar. Trust is not just about getting along well. It also develops a robust low tolerance for bad apple behavior. Like New Zealand All-Blacks ruleNo dickheads allowed.3. Encourage subcultures?- ?dont neutralize themMost clients resist their advice. They feel that encouraging team culture will create chaos. On the contrary,autonomy?- ?both at an individual and collective level?- ?increases accountability and performan ce.Real work happens on teams. Its easier to increase belonging and alignment within a team.Team culture feeds the overall corporate culture?- ?and the other way around. What works for one team might not work for another.Do all successful teams have the same habits and rhythms? What about small versus large teams? What are Do the best ways for team members to share information vary according to the type of team theyre on?4. Change happens fromwithinWhen we try to change everything, we end changing nothing.Transforming an organization requires changing one team at-a-time. Organizations are networks of tribes.Instead of a top-down approach, we must drive change from inside-out.Teams are agents of change. Decentralize innovation and transformation. When confronted with a performance or an innovation challenge, ask yourself, How can we address this through our teams?5. Strengthen bondingsGetting to know other team members build trust and collaboration. Thats the number one goal most tea ms want to achieve, according to our research. They want to strengthen internal bondings. The quality of the relationships affects the quality of the work.Understanding working styles, personal perspectives, and what everyone brings to the table is key. It helps complement and trust each other.6. Create cultural exchangesDesign experiences to cross-pollinate best practices. Create internships to allow team members how others work. Host monthly meetings, for teams to share their secrets and successesRotating people boost learning, creativity, and engagement, as I explained earlier.7. Leverage teamritualsTeams have codes and specific ways of doing things. Some define the outcome, other their culture.Well-designed ritualscreate a stronger, emotional connection with the work. They make it more meaningful.Rituals shape the culture, not just behaviors. Rituals bring together purpose, autonomy, and mastery?- ?the three elements ofmotivation 3.0.Make Your TribesVisibleDont underestimate the power of team culture. Its not that the overall culture doesnt matter. But, instead of a top-down approach, design and build your culture by leveraging existing team subcultures.The shift is not smooth, though. All transformations arehuman, emotional, and messy.As Seth Godin wrote, The only thing that makes people and organizations great is their willingness to benotgreat along the way.Its time to unlock the hidden power of team culture.This article first appeared on Medium.