Why Every Organization Needs a Group Connection Strategy
People do their best work when they feel deeply connected to the people around them and the organization they are part of. The greatest determinant of work satisfaction and fulfillment is not compensation or unlimited vacation. It’s close relationships with colleagues. That’s right, the secret to keeping people happy is people.
We are social by nature, biologically and psychologically wired to seek safety in groups and feel like we belong. Seven in 10 people say friends at work is the most crucial element to a happy working life (CNBC). Positive social connections in the workplace improve wellbeing, reduce stress, and increase productivity by improving how people work together to get the job done (Harvard & MIT Work & Wellbeing Initiative). And it just feels good.
Yet, we are living and working through the most disconnected era in modern history. Most employees (8 in 10) feel lonely and unengaged at work (EY Belonging Barometer, Gallup). And 43% are looking for a new job (Microsoft Work Trend Index). That means at any given moment, most employees feel alone and ready to leave. The great resignation or reconsideration or whatever we are calling it now is happening because of a great disconnection.
But here’s the good news. Knowing this gives us the opportunity to act. As organizational leaders, we can develop group connection strategies with the goal of boosting employee engagement, belonging, motivation, communication, and retention. Team building is group relationship building. Employee engagement on an individual level increases when people feel more engaged with their colleagues. And they stay longer.
Pause for a moment of reflection and ask yourself these questions:
Think about the best group you have been part of at work or in life. How did it make you feel? What made it the best group? How connected did you feel?
How connected do you believe your work groups or teams are today? Are they collaborating effectively? Are they experiencing conflicts or difficult situations? Have you been seeing higher turnover?
What do you think are some of the biggest barriers to connection among work groups or teams in your organization? How might the barriers be broken down? What do people need to feel better together?
We at Groops specialize in group connection because we know that what keeps us motivated and fulfilled at work is belonging and growing with the people around us. To feel closer, colleagues must be given time to focus on the relational elements or people parts of work. Practicing deeper discussions about the felt experience of working together and reflecting on what’s working and what’s not promotes growth and future building.
Below are a few actions you can take to begin developing your group connection strategy:
Incorporate questions into your employee surveys to measure the strength of colleague relationships.
Do you have a best friend at work?
How connected do you feel to your colleagues?
How connected do you feel to this organization?
Place equal emphasis on tasks and people. Task-oriented groups and organizations prioritize getting the work done. People-oriented groups and organizations prioritize the individuals doing the work.
Emphasize procedures (task-oriented) AND interactions (people-oriented)
Focus on structure, roles and who is doing what (task-oriented) AND on relationships, wellbeing and motivation (people-oriented)
Communicate that results are important (task-oriented) AND relationships are even more important (people-oriented) because the better people work and feel together, the better the results
Find an expert partner like Groops that offers ongoing programming designed to deepen group connection across every level of your organization with regular reporting so you can track progress over time.
Groops bring experts in group psychology to the workplace. We are here to create a future of work made of deeper connections and stronger working relationships so we can all feel and do our best, together.