Have you ever wondered what it means to truly belong to a group or a team? Whether you are working in a large corporation or a small startup, being part of a team that shares common goals and values can provide you with a sense of purpose, direction, and fulfilment.
Last week I attended a Group Relations Conference at NIODA. The conference’s primary task is to study the dynamics of leading and following, and to apply this learning-from-experience to our working lives. The method of learning is through experience and reflection upon one’s experience.
What is a definition of a group or a team? I would define a group as two or more people with a shared something. That something can be a shared task, a shared purpose, a shared goal, a shared experience. You get the idea.
When speaking of teams, the concept of team identity follows. Team identity refers to the sense of shared identity and purpose that members of a team have. It is often shaped by factors such as team goals, values, norms, and history. When team identity is strong, members are more likely to feel a sense of commitment, engagement, and pride in their team.
Still, there is a paradox between the individual and the group. It is the extent to which people orient themselves towards their own self as opposed to orienting themselves towards the broader collective. This affinity impacts how we approach teamwork and collaboration, and can affect the overall effectiveness of a team.
Fostering a feeling of belonging as teams grow is challenging. Every time we add a new member, the team is like a new team all over again, and teammates need to learn how to feel safe and work together. Fostering a feeling of belonging is harder to achieve with increased team size, and even more so when working asynchronously.
During the conference last week, we explored various group structures. In one specific case, the group identity formed so quickly that I was surprised to refer to them as “my team” or “my original team” while I interacted with other teams. And some questions came up: “Am I safe? Can I be seen? Heard? Will I be accepted?”
It will take me a while longer to fully process my experience at the conference. But for now, here are some of my takeaways:
- Safety levels. It is easier to feel safe when we interact with just one other person. In a small group environment, safety can still be present, or is easier to achieve over time. The bigger the group, the harder it is to feel safe. Because in a big group, fewer people know me. A bigger group feels like an audience, rather than a close-knit chat.
- Decision making. The bigger the group, the harder it is to get to a resolution. Similar to “decision by committee”. It seems to me that in bigger groups, there are less deep discussions. And more fleeting remarks by members, scattered without direction.
- Ability to connect. The bigger the group, the harder it is to connect. Each person has less air time to express themselves, and thus for others to get to know them.
- Trust and compassion are vital to be able to feel belonging and connected. At the end of the day, we are all individuals grouped by a shared task or experience. But that is not enough. To truly connect with each other, we need to trust each other enough to be vulnerable. This means hearing each other with compassion. To feel for one another, not just work on the task with our heads.
These reflections are just a sample of the many things I thought and felt last week. But if you were to take one thing away, I would suggest you work on building trust in smaller teams. Creating a safe, supportive environment where everyone feels heard and understood can turn a group of individuals into a cohesive, high-performing team!