The 8c's
Commitment
Constructing a team that does not have a rock solid commitment to the organization, to leadership, and to one another is like building a house on a pile of sand at the beach. No amount of talent or “team building” will change the outcome when the tide rises and the waves of conflict crash on the shore.
Strong commitment has powerful effects. For example, on October 29, 1941, Winston Churchill inspired his country’s commitment as he proclaimed, “Never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.'' With these words, Churchill reminded England the value of commitment.
Employer/Employee commitment is not the norm today. Insightlink's Annual Employee Satisfaction Survey shows that only 21% of U.S. employees feel fully committed to their employers and only 12% agree that their employers are fully committed to them. Not surprising, however, the degree of commitment between employees and employers is directly linked to the level of job satisfaction expressed by employees. Among employees who are extremely satisfied with their jobs, 94% also feel extremely or very committed to their employers. Compare this to those employees who are not very satisfied where only 13% feel that level of commitment.
Communication
With remarkable consistency, the data from survey after survey confirms communication is the keystone in building and maintaining successful teams. In fact, patterns of communication have been proven to be the most important predictor of a team’s success, and may actually be as significant as all the other 8C qualities combined.
Communication affects everything! For a work group to reach its full potential, members must be free to say what they think, ask for help, share new or unpopular ideas, and risk making mistakes. This can only happen in an atmosphere where leaders and team members show concern, trust one another, and focus on solutions more than problems.
Collaboration
Most challenges in the workplace today require much more than good solo performance. The "self-made man" is a myth that both Hollywood and Wall Street has propagated. In increasingly complex organizations, success depends upon the degree of interdependence recognized within the team. Team leaders do well to communicate the impact individual members have on team productivity by clarifying the team values and helpful behaviors that foster collaboration
Cultivation
With remarkable consistency, the data from survey after survey confirms communication is the keystone in building and maintaining successful teams. In fact, patterns of communication have been proven to be the most important predictor of a team’s success, and may actually be as significant as all the other 8C qualities combined.
Communication affects everything! For a work group to reach its full potential, members must be free to say what they think, ask for help, share new or unpopular ideas, and risk making mistakes. This can only happen in an atmosphere where leaders and team members show concern, trust one another, and focus on solutions more than problems.
Contribution
The power of an effective team is in direct proportion to the skills members possess and the initiative members expend. Work teams need people who have strong professional and interpersonal skills and who are willing to learn. Teams need self-leaders who take responsibility for getting things done. But if a few team members shoulder most of the burden, the team runs the risk of member burnout, or worse, member turn-out. To enhance balanced participation on a work team, leaders 8C teaches the 3 factors that affect the level of individual contribution: (1) inclusion, (2) confidence, and (3) empowerment. The more individuals feel like part of a team, the more they contribute; and, the more members contribute, the more they feel like part of the team.
Conflict Navigation
It is inevitable that teams of bright, diverse thinkers will experience conflict from time to time. The problem is not that differences exist, but in how they are managed. If people believe that conflict never occurs in "good" groups, they may sweep conflict under the rug. Of course, no rug is large enough to cover misperception, ill feelings, old hurts, and misunderstandings for very long. Soon the differences reappear. They take on the form of tension, hidden agendas, and stubborn positions. On the other hand, if leaders help work teams to manage conflict effectively, the team will be able to maintain trust and tap the collective power of the team. Work teams manage conflict better when members learn to shift their paradigms (mindsets) about conflict in general, about other parties involved, and about their own ability to manage conflict.
Changeability
Change now or become, at best, irrelevant, at worst, die a slow death. Tom Peters, in Thriving On Chaos, writes "The surviving companies will, above all, be flexible responders that create market initiatives. This has to happen through people." It is no longer optional to have work teams that perform effectively within a turbulent environment. It is a necessity. The most successful teams are usually the first to appropriately adapt to the changes around them. While it is important for businesses leadership to acknowledge the perceived and real dangers in the changes, it is just as important that they also help teams to understand the inherent opportunities. When leadership trusts their teams, it conveys as sense of confidence where teams can thrive in a state of change by taking calculated risks, innovating, and learning from mistakes.
Connections
When a work team is connected to the organization, members discuss team performance in relationship to corporate priorities, customer feedback, and quality measures. They consider team needs in light of what's good for the whole organization and what will best serve joint objectives.
When a work team has developed strong connections, members volunteer to help without being asked, cover for each other in a pinch, congratulate each other publicly, share resources, offer suggestions for improvement, and find ways to celebrate together. Research has proven that a sense of connection profoundly impacts productivity and emotional well-being of team members. Teams that experience a strong connections get more done!