According to a recent Gallup study, team members who have friends in the workplace are seven times more likely to be highly engaged at their jobs.
Those with friends or close ties display a more positive attitude and often go the extra mile to contribute to the team’s success.
In addition to higher engagement, academic research consistently demonstrates that friendships and strong interpersonal connections in the workplace increase job satisfaction, career advancement, resilience when facing adversity, innovation and creative problem-solving, information sharing, organizational commitment, and overall productivity.
That’s a pretty good list.
Closer workplace relationships can make a huge difference in many of the qualities leaders desire in team members.
Good leaders don’t presume close working relationships will always happen organically. So they prime the pump, so to speak, by setting the stage for workplace connections to form.
Among the more common practices, leaders who foster closer colleague connections create opportunities for unscheduled and informal interactions, such as social events, virtual coffee chats, and learning activities.
They often require cross-functional collaboration by asking unconnected colleagues to work together on tasks. They institute mentorship and buddy programs, pairing colleagues together to learn from and hold each other accountable. Providing the resources for shared interest groups to form and interact is yet another vehicle leaders use to promote workplace relationships.
The best leaders have learned an additional secret. Rather than sponsor a solitary team member to engage in a professional development program or experience outside of the organization, they underwrite team members to attend as dyads or triads.
These leaders know that when team members learn together, especially outside the organization, they generally form closer bonds.
When team members travel, dine, and attend sessions together over an extended period of time, they often form closer ties. The shared sense of identity, as the team members represent the organization in an external environment, also works to build camaraderie and connection.
So, the next time you invest in a team member and broker their attendance at an external program, consider asking one or two other colleagues to join them.
Strong interpersonal relationships can transform a team and enhance many of the attributes that leaders most desire. In good teams, this happens both organically and inorganically.
Good leaders want close relationships between colleagues to form naturally, but know sometimes they need a little push.
A Daily Dispatch from the Front Lines of Leadership.
