Chemistry in the workplace -- everyone wants it, but how exactly can an organization get it?
Some say it’s serendipitous. Others say it can be broken down and duplicated. We’ll leave the science behind it to the professionals, but one thing is for sure: chemistry in the workplace can be encouraged and cultivated with solid communication, alignment and collaboration.
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I’m proud to say that we have great chemistry at ClearCompany. Cultivating a community of employees who enjoy working together and proactively collaborate can be a tough task, but it is one we throw ourselves into eagerly. Here are a few tips to heat up the chemistry among your team members:
1. There is no better catalyst to chemistry than working toward the same goals. There’s a catch, though -- everyone, no matter their level within the organization, needs to truly understand the goals and independently feel responsible for meeting them. Too often, workers who are further down the hierarchical ladder are too detached from company strategy and are instead assigned tasks to complete with no true understanding of the “why.”
This hierarchy and communication gap is a complete dissolvant to chemistry on your team. To avoid this, goals must be thoughtfully broken down into actionable steps that can then be transparently and clearly assigned.
Chemistry will build as everyone works toward the same mission. Leaders also need to begin to track work based on goals in real time to know when resources need to be reallocated or when risks are apparent.
2. Working toward a transparent and collaborative culture will naturally build chemistry within an organization. Silos and walls that have been built up for years should slowly come down, leaving teams to rebuild by clearly seeing how each role is contributing.
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Take the process in steps -- begin with micro-collaboration within direct teams. Encourage the chemistry within these smaller groups to cultivate and become more prevalent by digging even deeper into the goals for their department. Show them what their role is contributing to within their direct teams, and then open it up to the bigger picture. Starting small will naturally lend itself to a larger, macro collaboration throughout the entire company.
3. Tools and strong guidance go hand in hand. Neither can function without the other. When these work in tandem, leaders will see work getting done faster with more innovative solutions, increased creativity and more time opened up for employees to focus on additional work outside of their direct roles.
Chemistry that builds collaboration is exciting and will create a noticeable change in productivity and organizational success. However, it must be monitored carefully or else the pace at which things are getting done and the direction everyone is headed can get out of hand quickly.
Tools that allow organizations to track the work that is getting done in real time and showing how it is aligned with the goals that are set is key. This may include a visual checklist of things to reach the goals set forth. As each task is checked off, everyone knows they are headed in the right direction. They can then keep the bigger picture in mind.
Transparency and alignment between team members is the compass that will result in accurate goal achievement. This is what will ultimately build chemistry throughout the organization.
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