How To Solve Your Cohesion Problem

With any situation where circumstances change dramatically, there is usually a time lag before some of the deeper issues start surfacing. Over the last few months organisations have had to adapt to so much, so quickly, focusing on priorities, making do, and trying to be agile and fleet of foot. But the longer the Covid-19 situation has continued, the more some of those less obvious issues, which have been quietly building and building, have started to break the surface.

One of these is cohesion. I have heard this word come up a lot in the last few weeks, as leaders and leadership teams realise that this is an issue that needs to be addressed. And of course something that is potentially much more of a challenge under the new remote working arrangements that many organisations have put in place.

The dictionary definition of cohesion talks about forming a united whole. We are of course as humans hard-wired for connection, feeling part of something. And our ancestors learnt long ago the simple truth that where we can co-operate, and drive cohesion, the outcomes are vastly superior.

Some of my favourite quotes are around working together. “None of us is as good as all of us.” “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” But this principle requires something further to truly come to life: cohesion.

So how can you drive cohesion within your organisation in these more complicated times? Below are six areas of focus that can make a difference.

Purpose

An organisation with a clear purpose, or cause, that can act as a North Star for its people, will find it easier to drive cohesion. If you have this, then make sure you reinforce it consistently. If you don’t, then use this opportunity to decide on what this is for your organisation.

Identity

There is a huge amount of research showing the benefits on performance of creating a strong group identity. One of my favourites relates to nursing teams in hospitals. A particular hospital in the States was having significant issues with recruitment and retention of its nursing staff. However, within the hospital, there were some outlier teams who were very good at this. When the hospital analysed the differences between the teams, one of the key factors was the sense of identity, and belonging, that these outlier teams fostered. The nursing staff were made to feel part of a very special group, that had a particular identity, and the team leaders worked really hard to make them feel a strong sense of belonging.

Does your organisation have a strong identity? Are you clear on who you are? What your Values are? And if so, do you work hard to support your people in feeling a strong sense of belonging?

Communication

Clear, consistent communication can help drive cohesion. Communication which fosters that sense of organisational identity referred to above; communication that, at regular intervals, provides people with that warm feeling of belonging; communication which reminds people of the common goal, and their shared endeavour towards it.

Individual value

In order to foster cohesion, and drive the underlying sense of connection and belonging, people need to feel relevant. They need to feel heard. And they need to feel, and see, the value they are contributing. Make sure you are providing the forums and feedback for this to happen.

Use networks

As leaders and leadership teams this isn’t all down to you. Make sure you use or build networks and structures (even if informal) to ensure that all of this can cascade down throughout the organisation. Give the right people responsibility for this in the right places. You’ll be amazed at the Multiplier effect that can be achieved.

Beware factions

At all levels, beware factions. At the individual team level, beware the unwitting creation of factions between those who have returned to the office, and those who are still working remotely. Work hard to keep that team cohesion. Ditto at the department level, and the overall organisation level. Whilst every team will have its own distinct shape and form, and you certainly don’t want identikits, there is a need to work especially hard at the moment to prevent unintentional factions forming due to new ways of working.

Like many of these areas that sit in the culture side of the equation, you cannot afford to take your eye off the ball. You will have had many pressing demands as clear and obvious consequences of the Covid-19 situation. But this more insidious area around cohesion is a challenge that must be understood and faced. As legendary American football coach Vince Lombardi famously said:

“The challenge of every team is to build a feeling of oneness, or dependence upon one another. Because the question is not usually how well each person performs, but how well they work together.”

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