N5 - Holding Team Cohesion, Hierarchy, and Values
Hi there. I’m Dr. Bobbi Wegner.
Welcome to The Psychology of Teams and People: Insights from Within. I am a clinical psychologist who lives at the intersection of psychology, business, and technology. I teach organizational psychology at Harvard. I spend a lot of time inside companies across the globe. And, I am the founder and CEO of Groops.
Groops bring experts in organizational psychology to help teams deepen cohesion and improve functioning, at scale. AI helps us provide ongoing insights and recommendations - and allows us to see themes across the team, within the organization, and between companies.
Each message includes (a) noticing and wonderings about everyday psychology at work, (b) a quote to think about, (c) a question to deepen understanding, and (d) something to try. Enjoy!
Noticing and Wondering
I notice that patterns of human behavior repeat across different organizations. Although each organization has its own culture and context, there are universal behaviors, human needs, and dynamics that play out regardless of industry.
We work with Fortune 10 companies to small accounting firms to the military. Cohesion (or lack thereof) is a universal problem that all organizations face, especially in the post-Covid landscape. That is what Groops solves for.
We spent last week working with Travis County Fire and Rescue (Austin, Texas) running a Coaching for Leaders Workshop with their Lieutenants, Battalion Chiefs, and Administrators. We have worked with them for over a year regularly meeting with their leaders (virtually) and providing regular AI-enabled insights and recommendations to deepen cohesion on their teams. We periodically do live workshops as needed.
Aside from being deeply committed, smart, purpose driven people, they were so engaged, vulnerable, and actively wrestled with how to build strong relationships while also operating in a hierarchical, paramilitary environment.
They asked questions like “how can we have a servant heart and also have high expectations, non-negotiable values, and give direct feedback. Mediocrity is not tolerated.” Thankfully, for the community.
Although cohesion has a different weight here - lack of it could cost someone’s life, the dynamics that support it and block it are similar across other organizations we work with (tech, creative agencies, healthcare, insurance, multinationals etc).
Some of these organizational truisms are:
Humans have a need for belonging and social connection
Intrinsic motivation is shaped by the opportunity to master new skills, have choice at work (time, team, task), and feel a sense of purpose with the mission
Communication (verbal / non-verbal) can make or break a team
Leaders have an outweighed impact on the culture
Conflict is inherent and healthy when resolved effectively
Organizations continuously change and strong ones evolve
I wonder if Travis County Fire Rescue, a paramilitary organization, has the humility to look at themselves and their core operating approaches, what would need to happen for other organizations to do the same? I also wonder how law enforcement and rescue services would change if all of these organizations learned psychology-based coaching skills?
Chief Bailey is leading a new way and we are proud to be on this mission with him and his team. Despite being in the field for over two decades, he was very quick to say, “I am uncomfortable with the idea of presenting myself or our organization as having figured this out….We are still trying to find our way.” That is servant leadership.
He shared his favorite quote below.
A QUOTE TO THINK ABOUT
“Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”
Source: John F. Kennedy
A DEEP-ish QUESTION (or Three)
What opinion (at work) do you hold that might benefit from being challenged?
What might you lose, if you gave up that opinion?
What might you gain, if you gave up that opinion?
SOMETHING TO TRY
Write down when you felt most frustrated at work recently. Assume one of your opinions was challenged. Assume your thought was just an opinion, not a fact. Now, write down why you were holding on to that opinion so tightly. Next, assume you were wrong (and the other person was right). How would that change things?
Case Consultation
Question: What should I consider when I am not sure if my leadership style is working?
Dr. Bobbi: Like parenting, everyone has their own leadership style and every organizational context is different. The questions I would ask myself are:
In three words, how do I describe my leadership style?
What is the shared goal (and 2-3 subgoals) of my team? What is team success?
How is my leadership style supporting / blocking those goals?
What feedback have I received on my leadership style?
What is one new thing I want to try to help my team get closer to achieving our shared goals?
ANNOUNCEMENT
People are loving our Coaching for Leaders Workshop where leaders learn coaching skills to build stronger 1:1 and team relationships with the opportunity to practice skills in a supportive learning environment. Leaders walk away with basic theory and most importantly, actionable psychology-based coaching skills they can use immediately. We offer this workshop virtual or live. Email for more information.
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 the cohesion and health of your team, book a complimentary 30 minute consultation HERE . Shoot me a note to find out more or to submit a question / problem at work and we will respond anonymously in the newsletter. info@joingroops.com .
