Do you know more than 25% of workers are now working 100% virtually? While most employees believe that teamwork is essential to increase productivity. By investing in increasing the connection between workers, most companies have received several benefits and long-term rewards, which include retaining talent and reducing attrition rates. 50% of workers will remain a part of the company if they feel associated with a team. Success comes to those who work together, which is also valid for the business sector. With increasingly short deadlines and high competition, collaboration and support between team members are essential to get ahead of the game. Therefore, team building training is a necessary investment made by the company to ensure sustainability.

What is Team Cohesiveness in Business?

While growing up, even if we don’t realize it, we’ve always been a part of a team. Similar to a family where you are a part of a unit that supports each other and cooperates with whatever you’re doing. A family unit is the most cohesive team in our lives, and when this dynamic is translated to the corporate world, this can work miracles. Working in a team can be good if it is a cohesive team, and this will also result in job satisfaction by decreasing anxiety. Team building training will help your employees understand their strengths and weaknesses and change their behavior to support their colleagues and increase the success rate of work. Team cohesion occurs when all your team members are united toward the same goal. There is no unhealthy competition, nor is there room for any jealousy.

There are five behaviors of a cohesive team that we need to know. Consider the five behaviors as a pyramid structure where we begin from the bottom- Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results. These five behaviors of a cohesive team are based on Patrick Lencioni’s story on leadership, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. The model helps individuals to focus on achieving goals collectively. In a business environment where distrust and chaos are implemented, these behaviors will require strategies integrated into the stages of forming a team.

Roles of Leaders and the Stages in Team Development

It is also about the effectiveness of leadership in the company that results in positive outcomes of team building activities. According to Bruce Tuckman, a researcher, there are four stages in building a cohesive team: forming, storming, norming, and performing.

1. Forming - In this stage, the objectives are communicated to the team members, and each team member gets to know the other. They have been given time to adjust to the environment and established individual and group goals by separating roles. As a manager, set your objectives to integrate the principles associated with trust and support as ethical factors at this stage.
    
2. Storming - It is the second stage, where there is a risk of conflict due to distinguishing rules. This is a stage where the individual goals clash with the overall goals of the group. The manager must provide a proper procedure and resolve conflicts by increasing communication. Use team training programs to increase constructive conflict between team members.
    
3. Norming - The third stage is where everything settles down, and cooperation is established between the two members. After the first two stages, the members feel comfortable with each other and exchange feedback with the manager and other teammates. Again, communication is the key, where regular meetings are held, and team-building training continues.
    
4. Performing - By the last stage, this team is functioning at the maximum level, and group calls become more important than individual success. Each team member feels that they are part of a bigger picture and work tirelessly to contribute to the success of the project.
   
   The last stage signifies that you have built a cohesive team that shows all five behaviors.

​​Conclusion

Team building is all about cooperation and building trust between your members. Regular training and motivation by recognizing efforts are vital in achieving collective goals.