A Guide to Enhancing Team Productivity
Understanding Wellbeing
Achieving Fulfilment
Wellbeing can be defined as a sense of fulfilment, where individuals feel they are fulfilling their roles and making a meaningful, positive difference in their work.
Support and Appreciation
Feeling appreciated, having support from leadership, and experiencing a sense of belonging contribute to overall wellbeing.
Flow and Engagement
Incorporating elements of flow, where individuals are fully engaged and absorbed in their work, also enhances wellbeing.
The Role of Psychological Safety
Inclusion and Belonging
Psychological safety is rooted in an inclusive environment where everyone feels included and valued.
Continuous Learning
Creating a safe space for learning encourages team members to actively participate and contribute openly.
Challenging the Status Quo
Psychological safety enables individuals to challenge the status quo and provide constructive feedback without fear of negative consequences.
Nine Steps to Creating an Effective Wellbeing Meeting
Preparation and Collaboration
Establish a framework that promotes safety and open communication. Encourage team contributions to the agenda and provide opportunities for written, anonymous feedback first. Personal oral feedback can be added, when the team feels safe to express their personal feedback.
Fostering Relationships
Diminish the power imbalance by treating team members including yourself as equals and listening actively. Create an atmosphere of trust, vulnerability and respect.
Open Dialogue Moment
Initiate the meeting with an open dialogue about wellbeing. Start by sharing your own experiences and ask team members to define, what wellbeing means to them.
Anonymous Reflections
Request team members to anonymously write down their thoughts on wellbeing or use an app like Mentimeter for it. Focus on what they wish to have more of rather than what they want less of.
Small Group Discussions
Divide the team into small groups to ensure everyone’s voices are heard. Engage in trust-building exercises and active listening activities.
Shared Perspectives
Give each team member an opportunity to express their opinions on wellbeing. Establish a time limit, such as two minutes per person.
Identifying Next Steps
Reflect on the discussions and collectively decide on actions that align with the team’s wellbeing priorities.
Concrete Actions
Implement small, tangible actions to promote wellbeing, such as greeting each other in the morning or giving an honest answer to the question “How are you?”. These simple gestures can have a significant impact on building a strong, trusting relationship between you and your team members.
Follow-Up Meeting
Arrange a follow-up meeting to evaluate progress, exchange feedback, and reinforce the importance of wellbeing.
Building Trust in Your Team: An Ongoing Journey
Evidence-Based Results
Research consistently shows that trust-building exercises lead to enhanced collaboration, improved productivity, and increased employee satisfaction.
Creating a Foundation
By incorporating trust-building exercises into your team’s routine, you can establish a solid foundation of trust that nurtures a positive work environment.