Using cohesion-building techniques

Cohesive teams are unified, allowing members to work together in productive harmony. True cohesiveness is only possible when members cooperate with each other, acting together to further the team's goals. Cohesion also requires mutual respect and trust, and it has effective communication at its base.

• When team members are showing signs of good communication, they're willing to work together as a team and they value each other's skills and abilities. Instead of being offended by ambiguous comments, they assume the best intentions and respond positively.
• Poor cooperation is evident when people do things like try to avoid tasks such as writing up monthly evaluations. To deal with a cooperation shortage on the your team, you should encourage members to adopt a more collaborative approach, pointing out that what's good for the team is good for each individual as well.
• The third element of cohesiveness is trust. When your team doesn't have a lack of trust, members exchange ideas freely and appreciate each other's skills and contributions.

To increase team cohesion, you first identify which areas need help based on the various indicators of poor communication, lack of cooperation, and lack of trust. You then apply the appropriate strategies for improving each area.

The three main elements of team cohesion – communication, cooperation, and trust – must all be optimally present for a strong team to develop. Various indicators can point to which of the three elements you need to address. By applying strategies targeted at the particular element, you can achieve true unity and cohesiveness, which will in turn take the team to new heights.