What is Cohesion?

May 23rd, 2024

NOTICING AND WONDERING

I notice that most people agree that a highly cohesive team is optimal - highly cohesive teams are 21% more profitable and have 59% less turnover (Forbes) - yet when asked to define what “cohesion” is, people struggle. Even leaders have a hard time.

And, if you cannot define something, it is hard to track, improve, and achieve.

Simply put, cohesion is the social glue in a group. There are social forces that drive people / teams together and apart. These forces are often felt but not articulated.

Cohesion is how committed we are to our shared goals and each other. It is multifaceted and dynamic.

Although there are a number of factors that shape how well teams work with each other, a few include a sense of belonging, attraction to the shared goals, coordination of effort to accomplish the goals, and feeling emotionally connected to each other.

Knowing 8:10 people feel disconnected at work right now, I wonder what the impact would be if all teams spent time defining what cohesion is in their own words and how each individual team member feels in terms of the four variables on your team (see below)?

A QUOTE TO THINK ABOUT

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”

— Babe Ruth, an American Major League Baseball Player, widely recognized as one of the greatest of all time.

SOMETHING TO TRY

Notice when you feel most connected to your team this week. Speak up in the moment and say, “I notice our team working well right now because ….” Or, be brave and go deeper by saying how you feel - “I feel (emotion) right now because of (observable behavior in the group). I like when we work together this way.”

Sharing is not just an emotional expression. It helps your colleagues know what good group behaviors are and takes the guesswork out of what you want / need to feel connected to the team. Just like any relationship, communication is the vehicle to connection and cohesion.

A DEEP-ish QUESTION (or Four)

Belonging:

If 0 is estranged and 10 is true belonging, how well do you feel you belong on your team?

Attraction to Goals:

If 0 is repulsed and 10 is highly attracted, how attracted do you feel to the shared goals of the team?

Coordination of Effort

If 0 is lack of coordination and 10 is highly coordinated, how well coordinated are the efforts of your team?

Emotional Connection:

If 0 is apathy and 10 is deep connection, how emotionally connected do you feel to your team?

Email

Your responses will be deidentified and included in the next newsletter.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Summer can make teams vulnerable to disconnection and poor productivity (albeit vacation is needed). With that in mind, we built a short summer series to help teams stay connected - 3 Groops (June / July / August). Limited to the first 5 companies to sign up.

Learn more

Keep on connecting. Cohesion is built one connection thread at a time.

Best,

Bobbi

Bobbi Wegner, Psy.D.
Founder and CEO of Groops: helping teams feel and function their best
Lecturer at Harvard University in Industrial-Organizational Psychology

If you are curious about a workplace dynamic or issue, send me an email at [email protected] and I will anonymously post it and respond. If you are thinking it, others are too. We can learn from each other. Also, if you are curious about the cohesion and health of your team, book a complimentary 30-minute consultation HERE with one of our Groop Guides.