If you’re a leader, understanding and managing how your people interact is essential for building a high performing team. Positive group dynamics drive your team towards common goals, while negative group dynamics can hinder team progress and lead to all kinds of problems.
But before we get into how you can optimise the dynamics in your team, let’s first dive into exactly what group dynamics are.
Group dynamics relate to the interactions and relationships among team members. More explicitly, group dynamics refer to the actions and reactions occurring in a group setting which may affect other group members.
Kurt Lewin, the man who coined the term, asserted that groups consist of complex systems that can be affected by both internal and external factors.
People tend to behave differently when they are put in a group setting than when they are alone. People may act in a certain way because of social hierarchy, level of familiarity, the behaviours of those around them, and social norms.
In this article, we’ll explore factors that affect group dynamics and suggest strategies for building positive group dynamics to propel your team forward.
Why positive group dynamics are important in a work setting
Group dynamics are especially important in work teams, or teams that are trying to achieve a common objective. A team with positive dynamics is more likely to be productive, motivated and achieve better results. Positive group dynamics are characterised by open communication, respect and seamless collaboration. It’s these characteristics that enable teams to achieve their goals more efficiently.
This cohesiveness is not only important for achieving business objectives. It’s also important to each individual within the group. Individuals in high-performing and cohesive teams are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs and their personal and professional growth trajectory.
What factors lead to negative group dynamics?
People are very strongly affected by the people around them. Working with others may motivate a person to be more productive, but the opposite can also happen.
Some factors that may create a negative group dynamic include:
- Poor communication: Communication is the key to successful relationships, and this applies to any social setting. Without proper communication, group members simply don’t know what’s expected of them. This can lead to inefficiency and conflict.
- Groupthink: Groupthink happens when members of a group conform to the majority, even if they don’t agree with the decisions being made. This limits creativity because members of the group are afraid to deviate from everyone else. It can also result in harmful decision-making as bad decisions can be made without being challenged by anyone.
- Lack of accountability: Many people still struggle to hold members of their group accountable for fear of disrupting group harmony or being seen as the “bad guy”. But no group can perform without proper accountability. Lack of accountability does not only hurt the group, but also the individual members.
These factors often manifest themselves in group settings such as meetings. We are sure that you have attended meetings that dragged forever and made you question why you were there in the first place.
Examples of positive and negative group dynamics
Not sure if what you’re witnessing is an issue with group dynamics? The following are two scenarios to help you better understand how positive and negative group dynamics might play out.
Scenario A
Thomas is an event organiser and is currently working on a project with ten other people. With a few months to organise the event, Thomas initially felt confident that they could pull it off. But after a while, he realised that everyone in his team was somewhat reserved and reluctant to speak up.
Even though he tries his best to complete his work, Thomas sometimes wonders if he is doing everything correctly. Their regularly scheduled meetings often wrap up quickly because members of his team tend to agree with the first decision suggested. And now, Thomas himself is also reluctant to offer his own opinions because he does not want to disrupt the already formed dynamics in his group.
Scenario B
Lisa had recently started her new job at an engineering company. She was surprised by how open and friendly everyone was from the get go. As soon as she starts her job, Lisa knows exactly what is expected of her and what goals her team are working towards.
She finds that members of her team do not hesitate to ask questions and seek clarification. They are also willing to point out her mistakes and allow her time to fix them before they snowball into a bigger problem. This also encourages Lisa to voice her own opinions on how to make their team better. Sometimes members of the teams clash, but their team leader always offers space for them to resolve their conflicts and come back stronger and more united.
Strategies to optimise your group dynamics
If you’re part of a team or managing a team, there are several strategies that you can employ to ensure every member of your group is playing their part.
1. Create an open and inclusive culture
For groups to work effectively, they need the right environment to thrive. An inclusive culture allows group members to work comfortably and safely. If team members feel safe, they’re more likely to share their opinions with everyone. Inclusivity also fosters a sense of belonging, which creates long-term employee satisfaction.
2. Employ a strong but empathetic leader
An authoritarian leader often prioritises their own opinions over others, which creates a divide between them and the rest of their team members. On the flip side, there are leaders who are too afraid of their members viewing them negatively, which results in them not having any authority over their team members’ actions. There needs to be a balance.
It’s the leader’s job to lay the groundwork for a conducive work environment. They should communicate their expectations, while also ensuring everyone feels safe to participate. They should be open to hearing everyone’s opinions, but know when to be firm and take charge. Leaders should not be afraid to call out any mistakes but should also be receptive to constructive criticism from others.
3. Define clear roles and responsibilities
It’s not uncommon for work teams to neglect defining clear roles and responsibilities for every member of the team. In this case, there might be tasks that are not finished in time because nobody knows who’s responsible for them, or tasks that were completed by multiple people. Both scenarios result in delays for the project.
On the other hand, clear roles and responsibilities provide the team with structure and transparency. It allows everyone to know exactly what is expected of them. Ultimately, the team becomes more productive and effective because they know which task to prioritise.
Understanding the stages of group development
Psychologist Bruce Tuckman proposed that there are five stages of group development. In each stage of the development, the team has different needs and the leader has different responsibilities. You can optimise the dynamics in your team by fulfilling these needs, so it is important for teams to understand which stage they are at and how to make the most out of each of those stages.
- Forming: This is the process of putting the group together. At this stage, members may feel the need to be overly polite and act tentatively around each other. During this time, it’s important to establish the vision and mission of the team, and outline expectations and rules to prevent issues from arising later. Team leaders should provide instructions, guidance and structure for the team.
- Storming: As the team develops, like-minded members may start gravitating towards each other and conflicts may also arise. At this stage, members need to identify their differences and work together to reach a consensus. They need to give and listen to feedback in order to grow better. It’s very important for group members to overcome this stage together, otherwise they would not be able to move forward.
- Norming: Members of the team come together to achieve a common goal. A group that successfully enters the norming stage becomes more cohesive and trusting. The leader’s role in this stage is to provide space for team members to collaborate more effectively, encourage interactions between the members and support them in making the right decisions.
- Performing: A truly successful team reaches the performing stage where every member of the group can pull their own weight, but also help out one another. At this stage, members develop a high commitment to the team, create strong bonds, and are able to work productively. As the team works independently, leaders are mostly there to provide support and guidance as needed.
- Adjourning: Not every team reaches the adjourning stage immediately after completing a project. But for teams that do, the termination marks a significant change to the team’s dynamics and structure. At this stage, the team needs to evaluate and recognise their efforts and managers need to support members of the team and ensure they carry the skills they have learnt to the next opportunity.
What to do now?
Understanding and managing the dynamics within your team is critical because it could be the thing that makes or breaks your next project (or entire business). As the name suggests, managing group dynamics is a team effort, but it starts at the top. It requires proactive strategies and ongoing effort to build a positive team environment. Luckily, you’re not alone in this journey. If you need help improving group dynamics and productivity, we can help. Download our FREE whitepaper to discover how to build a highly productive and high-performing team.
