Most people would prefer to avoid conflict and they fear that it will destroy a relationship. The strange thing is that when people exchange differing ideas honestly in a safe environment, social connection grows.
When mutual reliance is absent, people prefer to work as individuals, protecting themselves from perceived attack. If work is seen as a transaction, relationships between people suffer.
Empathy isn’t always a natural emotion but it can be developed.
Now more than ever, the value of social capital must be recognised. I have worked in creative fields where people communicate via instant messaging. Everyone walks in at the beginning of their day, sits down and puts their headphones on. Some employees came in wearing them.
To establish more of a sense of community in one of my companies, we encouraged everyone to have lunch together on a Friday. Even the most introverted began to share stories of work and life experiences. Other companies that I know down tools on Friday afternoon to hear people talk about who they are and what they do. It’s our responsibility as leaders to create an environment of communication, where people are more than commodities.
Employee satisfaction and productivity can be improved by teams having their coffee break together. While this might sound inefficient at first glance, a call center improved their bottom line by $15 million when they implemented this idea.
A sense of mutual respect grows and empathy thrives in an environment where human value is honoured. Individual skill, intelligence and personality aside, shared experiences between people make a measurable difference in productivity.
We spend so much of our lives at work. Building a culture of connected individuals is vital for our success in a company as well as our mental health.
Time compounds the benefits of investing in strong relationships. If a team is cohesive and mutually loyal, it reduces risk and increases stability.
All of this isn’t to say that you have to become best friends with work colleagues. Many highly functional teams are impatient with one another because they won’t accept anything less than the best. Disagreement is a sign of emotional investment, rather than being dangerous. Ideas need to be pressure tested, which means that a culture of honesty is essential.
None of this occurs without commitment and courage.
If you would like to become better at handling conflict with grace and integrity, contact us on +61 2 9661 5667 or info@leadershipnouveau.com.au