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When the U.S. government shut down several years ago, I saw how difficult it was to maintain team resilience in the State Department because of the disparities between various groups. Most people think of national and racial differences when it comes to culture. But, every group, no matter how small, develops its way of doing things, values, and practices that form a culture.
In the workplace, this can manifest itself as different ways of communicating, interacting, or making decisions. One group may have a slow but steady pace of work while another is quick and reactive. A team of accountants may have a different culture than a group of attorneys.
Even the most cohesive teams have the potential to fracture based on natural affinities, roles, and designations. Resilient organizations incorporate all groups into one shared culture that does not impose a dominant approach on the rest of the team and values all groups equally. They actively minimize, if not eliminate, natural fractures. If action is not taken to remove fissures, they can become breaks during a crisis and threaten the team's effectiveness.
Here are some individual and group approaches to limit the fractures on your team by inspiring one team culture:
Promote Shared Values and Goals
Identify your shared values and goals and promote them among your team. Focus on similarities rather than differences. Demonstrate how each member of the team contributes to the shared mission. Value all team members equally. For example, Loyola's basketball team created a Wall of Culture to remind every team member of their shared values.
Recognize Your Unconscious Biases
Understand your background and position in the organization and ask yourself whether you have inherent biases on how you view the team culture. Is there a dominant culture that doesn't recognize the other cultures in the group? Try to see the team from your colleagues' perspectives. How are they the same and different? Ask your colleagues how they feel about being a member of the team. If they feel like outsiders or feel devalued, find out why and work to change the team dynamics.
Share Stories
One of the best ways to build one team is to learn each other's stories. Ask your colleagues about their history with the office. What are the highlights? What are their challenges? I worked with an embassy team that had a long-standing break between American and local staff because locals felt betrayed by the Americans decades earlier. They repaired their cracks when Americans started learning the local staffs' stories.
Words Matter
Think about the language you use in the workplace. One of the most destructive phrases is "just a" (he's "just an administrative assistant," or she's "just an intern"). Eliminate this phrase from your vocabulary. Make sure the way you refer to each other is not creating unnecessary divisions.
Imagine Working Without Your Teammates
Imagine trying to accomplish the work your office does without the contributions of everyone on your team. Think about how each person contributes to the overall mission and how critical they are to your success. How different would your team be without their unique contributions? Now that you've experienced feelings of loss think about what you can do to show your colleagues how much you value them.
Tackle the Hard Issues
Resist the temptation to have token appreciation events in hopes this will show undervalued team members how much you care. Instead, commit every day to make sure all colleagues feel they belong and are valued, and that their culture is incorporated into one broader team culture that does not discriminate among team members. For example, during the government shutdown, my leadership could have allowed many of the language instructors to work despite suspending training since they were not federal employees and the institute had already obligated the funds for their contracts. However, this decision would have been politically risky and not easy to implement. This group of staff suffered severe financial hardship while others received back pay, causing bitterness between various groups and a drop in morale.
Creating one culture is one of the 7Cs of team resilience. To learn more about how you can build a team that thrives in adversity, check out my blog on the 7Cs of team resilience.
How have you forged one culture in your office?
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To learn more about how you and your team can thrive in adversity, visit my website, and follow me on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. And, check out my online Resilience Leadership course.