Building Stronger Teams in the Workplace with Intentional Connection

All employees, irrespective of their roles or locations, have to communicate amongst each other in order to ensure progress within an organization, but often times colleagues interact with each other without truly connecting with one another. Good relationships create a strong foundation for success, which is why fostering a culture of intentional connection in the workplace is so important. Intentional connection refers to connecting to people with purpose, to build trust, respect and empathy. When employees or teams connect with each other intentionally, it benefits the organization as a result of better communication, collaboration and employee job satisfaction.

This blog speaks to why intentional connection is important in the workplace, what the five pillars of intentional connection are, as well as strategies to foster and overcome barriers to intentional connection in the workplace.

Why Intentional Connection is Important in the Workplace

Having a meaningful connection with colleagues in the workplace not only makes work an enjoyable experience and one that you look forward to, but it also benefits the greater organization in the following ways:

Enhances team dynamics
When people form a meaningful connection with each other, it builds a foundation of trust and creates a space of safety which ultimately leads to increased productivity amongst teams.

Improves communication
When employees actively engage with one another meaningfully it also improves communication and reduces potential misunderstandings or conflict.

Increases job satisfaction and retention
When employees create meaningful connections in the workplace, it increases job satisfaction and the likelihood of them remaining loyal to the organization, essentially reducing employee turnover.

Boosts productivity and operational efficiency
When employees are engaged and connected with one another, it’s more likely for them to be more productive and perform better in their roles, increasing operational efficiency.

Five Pillars of Intentional Connection in the Workplace

To create a workplace of intentional connection, it is important to consider and encourage the five most important pillars;

Purposefullness
Purposefullness refers to going into employee interactions with clear objectives, this ensures that everyone is on the same page and aligned towards acheiving a common goal.

Active Listening
Active listening refers to the exercise of listening to understand, as opposed to listening to respond. To exercise active listening, it’s encouraged to paraphrase the person you’re speaking with to show that you are engaged and understand what they are saying.

Empathy
Empathy refers to the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It’s important to be empathetic toward colleagues when they are going through challenges or when they offer a different perspective.

Consistency
Consistency refers to regularly meeting with colleagues to maintain a meaningful and strong connection.

Mutual Value
Mutual value refers to the result of both parties benefiting from the relationship to ensure a balanced outcome.

Strategies to Foster Intentional Connection in the Workplace

When it comes to fostering a culture of intentional connection in the workplace, it requires buy-in from all members of the organization, from leaders, teams and individual employees.

Leaders can foster intentional connection in the workplace by having regular meetings with team leads to understand needs and gather information and feedback. Another beneficial way of obtaining important feedback is to make use of surveys to ensure all opinions and perspectives are acknowledged and considered.

Additionally, team leads can foster intentional connection with their team members by checking in with each of them personally before starting daily operations or meetings.

Lastly, to foster intentional connection between teams, organizations can host workshops or encourage teams to work together on specific projects.

Solving Barriers to Intentional Connection in the Workplace

It can be argued that there are many barriers to creating a culture of intentional connection, with some of the most common barriers including time management, remote work challenges and diverse teams. In order for teams to overcome time management barriers, employees can make a concerted effort to have quick check ins with colleagues in the morning or after work to ensure their daily operations aren’t affected. In addition to this, employees who work remotely may find it difficult to form meaningful connections with other colleagues, however by making use of technology such as Slack or virtual meeting platforms, you can schedule virtual check ins or communicate in non-work related channels. Lastly, there are many organizations who commendably have diverse teams which can often be difficult to bring together. To bring people from different cultures and generations together, organizations can host regular casual meet ups to encourage intentional connection among colleagues from all backgrounds.  

How to Measure the Impact of Intentional Connection

There are various methods to measuring the impact of intentional connection in the workplace, however one of the most effective methods is to obtain information from employees themselves via regular employee engagement surveys that can track imprtovements in trust or team cohesion. In addition to this, it is also important to keep track of key people metrics, such as employee retention rates or project success rates. Lastly, it may also be beneficial to speak with employees directly and hear about their individual experiences when it comes to their relationships with other colleagues in the workplace.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when employees form meaningful relationships with one another, it has a positive effect on the organization as a whole. Whether it be by enhancing team dynamics, improving communication, increasing job satisfaction and retention or boosting productivity and efficiency. By engaging with colleagues on a regular basis, being purposeful and exercising active listening, employees and the organization to which they belong will reap the benefits. In order to truly achieve a culture of intentional connection, it is vital that all members within the organization contribute and make it a priority to engage with one another, whether that’s through regular meetings, workshops or through virtual coffee catch ups. Lastly, in order to measure the success of team cohesion and dynamics, regular employee engagement surveys should be conducted to obtain important feedback from employees and to hear of their experiences first hand, which will enable the organization to pivot their strategies accordingly to ultimately ensure a winning team.

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