Team dynamics—the way employees interact and behave with each other—can play an important part in the success of your workforce. A team that has positive relationships and productive interactions is better able to collaborate and innovate. As an employer, you can’t control interpersonal relations; however, you can take steps to strengthen and improve the dynamics of your team.
Ways to improve team dynamics
Team dynamics evolve naturally over time as workers build bonds, so that strengthening dynamics is an ongoing process. By building different strategies into your managerial workflow, you can help the team create and maintain positive relationships over time.
1. Define your company culture
A company culture sets the tone for the shared norms, values, and attitudes expected of employees. A defined company culture is essential for strong team dynamics. It allows employees to share expectations in terms of how they should interact and communicate with each other.
You can clearly define your company culture by:
- Documenting your values and sharing these with employees
- Set goals around your company culture
- Involve the team for feedback
- Celebrate your company culture often
The goal is to give employees the confidence to build authentic relationships in line with the company values.
2. Provide manager training
Managers have an outsized impact on the culture of a team or department. Ensure your supervisors are maintaining an environment that’s conducive to strong dynamics by training them to:
- Give autonomy to employees
- Reward collaboration
- Coach and mentor workers
- Communicate transparently
This process reinforces your company culture and sets the stage for better employee relationships.
3. Spotlight roles
A strong professional foundation is key for strong team dynamics. A good place to start is to clarify what each person’s job entails, both to the individual and the team as a whole. Let each employee make a slide talking about their role scope, highlighting projects they worked on.
If your team has a mix of new and experienced workers, take the time to explain how each person’s role fits into the team and the company as a whole. Underscoring the value of each position can help build a strong foundation among employees.
4. Build trust
Trust is critical to productive team dynamics. When each employee can rely on their colleagues, they often feel safer communicating openly and entering into collaborations.
As a company leader, you can help workers build trust by:
- Celebrating successes as a team
- Creating opportunities for teamwork
- Pairing employees on projects to build relationships
- Looking at failure as a learning opportunity
- Insisting on frequent, honest communication
5. Create opportunities for socializing
Social interaction is a great way to improve team dynamics. Spending time together in a casual situation helps team members get to know each other on a personal level. They can find commonalities and build relationships that support cooperation and communication on the job.
To foster these friendly connections, try activities such as:
- Coffee-shop breaks
- Group volunteering
- Fun afternoon activities
- Parties and team celebrations
- Picnic with employees’ families
When in doubt, plan a team meal. Sharing food naturally breaks down barriers and provides conversation starters that have nothing to do with work. As they eat together, employees might bond over favorite foods, travel experiences, or even allergies. These seemingly small connections can grow into strong professional relationships that improve team dynamics.
Whether you’re planning a small team lunch or a company-wide picnic, the right corporate ordering solution can streamline the process from end-to-end. Grubhub can help you easily support your employees at home and at the office by allowing your team to order meals from their favorite local restaurants, all while streamlining the billing and expense process for you.
Interested in simplifying your team food ordering process? Get started with Grubhub Corporate Accounts today.
