New Work = New Teams
who develop their relationship intelligence
How to develop high-performing teams in the New Work era?
CEOs, HR managers, managers - you all know that work relationships become more expensive the worse they are. According to this Gallup findings, unengaged or actively disengaged employees cost the world $8.8 trillion in lost productivity. The reasons for disengagement are diverse, but a poor work atmosphere (aka "bad relationships") is one of them.
New Work: more than just free fruit and coffee
And what's more, recruiting has become more difficult: The shortage of skilled labor and younger generations' demand for "less work, but better work" presents new challenges for employers: What's hidden behind this wish? And what can we do to attract competent people who want to contribute and create added value?
Your challenge: Create value and competitive advantage in a multi-complex environment...
Once the talents are on board, the focus shifts to retaining them within the company and developing their skills, both hard and soft. You also need to ensure that your teams collaborate efficiently to meet the demands of the customers: Production "on cost, on time, on quality" - in a technically, economically, politically, and humanly complex and constantly changing environment. So, how can you maintain some stability to benefit from the investments you have already made in your employees?
…and without toxic culture
This nightmare, you know just too well: a technically brilliant manager who is unable to build positive relationships within the team can significantly affect the performance and morale of your teams. You need his skills, but you no longer want to tolerate his harmful behavior... So, how do you prevent toxic cultures and egocentric behavior?
My answer: relationship intelligence in the workplace!
I recommend you to invest in the basic need of your employees to feel belonging, to be valued, and to make a difference. And this is NOT at the expense of others. Invest in relationship intelligence in the workplace! I am deeply convinced that new work means also new teams - and employers able to nurture and grow these teams!
...and why systemic thinking helps
As we're talking about growth: Grow your vision beyond the individual. Look at your teams! I suggest you consider your teams as independent, living systems. What if you focus more on the relationships between team members, or even the relationships between your organisational system and your customers' organisational system? Thinking in systems means thinking about interaction and co-creation. If you want more team spirit and collective performance, it's crucial to focus on systemic relationship intelligence!
A new intelligence to develop –
the art of living together
Systemic relationship intelligence means, simply put, an understanding that we are always in a relationship and constantly influence each other through our interactions. Since we cannot not communicate, we cannot not be in a relationship. (The monk who meditates in peace and solitude is deeply connected to himself.)
More specifically, systemic relationship intelligence is the ability of a system (= a person, a couple, a team/group/organisation...)
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to recognize itself as a unit that is more than the sum of its parts (the famous 1+1=3),
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to recognize, understand, and influence the individual subsystems and the relational structure for the purpose of a common task (what happens in the relationship if we do x?) , and
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to interact in a calm, effective, clear, and respectful manner with oneself and others, even in difficult times (how to stay a strong team even in difficult times)
This is indeed somewhat complex, but your profession, your organisation, and all our interactions today are also complex. And my profession is to help you understand and regulate relationship dynamics in your organisation so that you and your teams can benefit from it.
Good news: The art of living together can be learned in the workplace!
Yes, we can learn intelligent interpersonal relationships like riding a bike, learning a foreign language, or a profession! Unfortunately, most of our schools in the past have not prepared us much for it, and our upbringing in our families has had its own relationship requirements and limitations. But the art of living together is not limited to privacy: we spend much more time at work than with our families. So it's completely normal to learn intelligent relationship building as a grown-up.
Let's learn together!
As a sociologist and systemic relationship coach in organisations, I offer you my support in this process. Together, we work for the well-being of your employees, for team spirit, and ultimately for the productivity and sustainability of your company. My approach, my network, and my multifaceted profile will be useful to your organisation as needed!