Internal cohesion is, perhaps, one of the most sought after goals for any leader. Unfortunately —or luckily, actually— it does not depend, as some argue, on chance. Cohesion must be worked on daily and from multiple perspectives.
We searched for a specialist-sanctioned definition and found that it is “a dynamic process reflected in the group’s tendency to stay and remain united in the pursuit of their instrumental objectives and/or to satisfy the emotional needs of members. “(Carron, Brawley, and Widmeyer, 1998).
We like to define it as the magic that happens when employees no longer feel members of a group, but become part of a team instead.
But what makes internal cohesion an object of desire?
Getting your personnel to feel part of a unit brings many advantages for them, that will directly translate into benefits for your company. Among the most outstanding, the following must be mentioned:
- Greater effortat securing collective achievements
- Greater direction towards marked goals
- Decrease in absenteeismand increase in punctuality
- Increase in the degree of personal satisfaction
- Greater staff stability
And how is it accomplished?
As we told you at the beginning of this blog entry, cohesion sadly does not occur by chance. It requires daily, medium-to-long term work which you must undertake with your staff. The good news is that it is something that will end up happening naturally after the right training, that is.
For the time being —and as some kind of an appetizer— we leave you with a conversation about leadership between the world-renowned former footballer and current Manchester City FC manager Pep Guardiola and award-winning film director Fernando Trueba. Leadership is undoubtedly one of the keys to achieving cohesion. The leader will be the one who will guide our people towards the team-building goal.
“I try not to be seen as a superior rank. Working with people must imply those complicities that stem from touching each other and sharing spaces. It becomes absurd otherwise.”
Pep Guardiola
In future articles we will progressively reel off everything you need to accomplish it. Stay connected!
If you want us to supply more information, if you wish to suggest a topic for future posts, or if you want to tell us about your experiences, please do leave us a comment.