When hiring, employers look for skilled individuals. However, it is also important that they choose people who can work well as part of a team.
Putting together teams that work well will enhance a business’s performance, making it more effective and efficient.
There are several elements that affect whether a team works well together, but one of them is trust. If trust breaks down, so does the team.
This means that it is important for employers to look for ways to build trust within their teams.
Why Trust Is Important
Trust within a team creates a better working atmosphere where employees can feel comfortable carrying out their tasks.
It allows team members to make suggestions and be confident that they will not be ridiculed or disregarded, which leads to greater innovation.
It also encourages them to ask questions without fear of being laughed at. This will result in improved clarity and understanding. In a team built on trust, there is a higher level of creativity, collaboration and productivity.
Without it, team members are more cautious and spend more time protecting themselves, rather than working to achieve the goals of the team.
Avoiding Distrust
Trust can break down in a team for a few reasons. However, a key reason is if some people in the team think that a member is not bringing enough to the team effort on a regular basis.
For employers, identifying and resolving issues before they become a problem can be key to preventing the breakdown of trust.
Some factors may be out of the employer’s control if they stem from issues in an employee’s personal life. Financial or personal problems can mean that an employee is distracted and unable to focus fully on their work.
Personal issues can also lead to people turning to alcohol or drugs to help them cope. However, someone with an alcohol or drug addiction is unlikely to be performing at their best, which can increase distrust as their colleagues will often not know the reason why.
This can be solved with a testing routine for all employees. This way, nobody is left feeling singled out. Matrix Diagnostics is a drug and alcohol testing specialist, and among its services, it offers drug testing lab services with a quick turnaround time.
By identifying if there is a problem, a company can offer support to resolve it, and with evidence-based information, distrust is not increased by false accusations.
Regardless of the personal problems, managers can mitigate the impact on workplace efficiency by maintaining a supportive atmosphere were employees can feel comfortable alerting their managers and team members to any problems.
Knowing Each Other
When team members know each other personally, it becomes easier to communicate and work together.
A good way to help team members get to know one another better is to arrange social events after work or encourage socializing during lunch breaks.
It is vital that these social events include everyone to avoid cliques, which could result in distrust if one employee feels like an outsider.
Avoid Blame
Not all plans run smoothly and when things go wrong, avoid pointing the blame at a single person. If a team is all trying to put the blame on someone else, trust will break down and the problems will only increase.
As well as lowering morale, it will also discourage both the individual and other team members from contributing ideas in the future as they will fear being singled out for blame.
This can result in a loss of creativity and innovation. Instead, teams should take collective responsibility. Working together to resolve issues is a more constructive way of resolving problems while maintaining an environment of trust.
Communication Strategies
Misunderstandings are a common cause of a breakdown in trust, and this can be avoided with good communication strategies.
Team-building exercises can help teams learn to communicate openly and effectively. It is also a good idea for a team to have a charter that identifies the roles and tasks of each individual in a project.
Through honest, meaningful communication, a trusting working relationship is much easier to build.
Collaboration Enhances Performance
When teams can build trust, they will become more than the sum of their parts. The atmosphere will be positive and innovative, with all team members keen to play their part and ideas sparking off each other. With this collaboration-enhancing performance, time spent creating trust will be well spent.
