What about the role of group harmony in promoting effective and high-performing workplace teams? We all know how important harmony is in creating successful outcomes within team-based environments. Sports teams, for instance, excel when the members agree on the rules of the game, the strategy which they will use, and the relationships which exist between the players. Don’t rock the boat or change the plan, and everything will be fine. Sound advice, which most people would probably agree on. However, Dave Winsborough, leadership expert and founder of New Zealand-based consultancy Winsborough, has some interesting insights into the role of harmony in the workplace. In particular, Winsborough notes that harmony within a team does not necessarily lead to high performance or success. For example, team members may work very hard to get along with each other and to avoid upsetting other people’s feelings for a variety of social reasons, including insecurity, politeness, or patch-protection. If I don’t challenge you, then you won’t challenge me. Alternatively, team harmony can be an indicator of proscriptive boundaries within a workplace, with set rules and processes dominating the work environment. As with our observations regarding tactical performance, things get done-by-the-book, risks are minimised, and if something goes wrong then we can blame a process issue rather than a person. Each one of us can probably think of multiple occasions when we have kept quiet on an issue, just to preserve an agreeable and harmonious workplace environment, or to avoid outright conflict. But is this really a good idea? Healthy debate is a sign that people really care about their mission, even if they disagree on the method. Moreover, Winsborough argues that ‘winning’ (i.e., being successful) is a more powerful contributor to group cohesion than absolute harmony. For Winsborough, the challenge is to transform complacently harmonious teams into powerful and creative teams, where the emphasis is on achieving a clear and demonstrable result. Central to this approach is the idea that team harmony is an end-goal, and not a specific strategy leading to that goal. In order to create harmonious business outcomes, Winsborough suggests using four tactics. Firstly, increase diversity-of-thought within the business. If everyone thinks the same way, then there is no opportunity to arrive at constructive consensus, by exploring new ideas and perspectives. Winsborough cites McKinsey research which found that teams which are cognitively diverse (e.g. in terms of personality and values) produce more ideas. Secondly, increase task uncertainty inside the business. State the issues which you are facing in broad terms (rather than narrow ones), in order to keep the ideas flowing. Problems with clearly defined parameters tend to lead to less innovative thinking. Thirdly, limit your available resources. Fewer resources tend to force people towards finding more creative solutions to problems. Winsborough also suggests trying ‘crazy ideas’, such as forcing solutions in hackathon-type environments. Finally, Winsborough notes that dissatisfied people provide the impetus for change. The less comfortable that we are with the status quo, then the more likely we are to stimulate robust conversations. The challenge for leadership, in these cases, is to make it safe to be courageously disruptive, so that harmonious outcomes can be achieved in a constructive manner. For some people, Winsborough’s advice is strikingly counterintuitive. We naturally assume that harmonious teams are productive precisely because they avoid wasteful conflict. In contrast, Winsborough is actively advocating uncertainty, dissatisfaction, and disruption as a means to achieving end-goal harmony, and therefore success. If that seems strange, then remember that effective team harmony is an outcome, rather than a part of the process which we go through. So, if you are looking to build successful and productive teams, then maybe the Winsborough approach is worth looking at, a bit more closely? About the author Phil Sales is specialist business coach, interested in 'cool stuff' in the business development sector. For more about Phil, see https://iact15.wixsite.com/iactltd/who-we-are williambuck.com Complete your MOE audit now. Our team audits centres nationwide to comply with MOE requirements. We provide an easy to follow guide and tailored templates to use. From $875 + GST. Contact us to get started Caragh Holtzhausen 09 366 5000 audit@williambuck.co.nz William Buck is a preferred supplier to the Early Childhood Council. December 2023 { 27 }
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