What’s the recipe for a healthy work community and strong collegial relationships?
The recipe includes a number of essential ingredients, as well as several variable factors that need to be measured and applied with care.
Among the key ingredients are trust, conflict resolution, communication, expectation alignment, and a shared focus on results.
The most important element of good collegial relationships
The most crucial factor is the mutual trust between the people who need to collaborate and solve core tasks together. We know that trust is the foundation of a well-functioning team and that it is essential for employee well-being.
In my work with team development and optimization, I often see that collegial relationships suffer when the recipe’s ingredients are not used in the right amounts—or not used in time.
Trust is typically weakened when communication is lacking or unclear, or when one employee dominates the conversation at the expense of others being heard.
Expectation alignment based on assumptions and personal beliefs can also challenge and disrupt strong collegial relationships.
That’s why much of my work involves helping build a culture that prioritizes trust and supportive collaboration. This includes improving internal communication so that employees feel safe expressing themselves about how the collaboration is going, and see that discussing well-being at work, as well as challenges in task-solving, has a positive impact.
I often find that starting a conversation about disagreements in a shared forum can be difficult. But I also see that when it succeeds, the value is significant because the workplace is then addressing issues before they escalate into actual conflicts. In teams and departments where trust is strong, people speak more openly about collaboration, and most problems and disagreements are solved along the way, without external help.
Facts, feelings, and needs
I always work from the fact–feeling–need model and train teams in being open about what is actually happening, how the situation affects them, and what would be helpful to do about it.
Focusing on facts ensures that employees don’t talk past each other due to differing assumptions or beliefs. They speak from what they know, not just what they think. They understand what a colleague means, why they hold a certain view, and how they are affected by the situation.
In this way, the team shares a common foundation and can make decisions that are both aligned and constructive.
A strong sense of collegiality is built on mutual trust, shared ownership of the core task and, not least, a genuine and curious interest in one another.
Create a shared language
GAIS is an ideal platform to help articulate and support a culture where employees regularly talk about wellbeing. A GAIS survey gives both leaders and employees a shared language around engagement and job satisfaction.
“With GAIS, employees and managers gain a common reference point for meaningful conversations. Suddenly, it becomes legitimate to keep the dialogue on wellbeing alive. GAIS encourages a culture where talking about engagement and motivation is natural, because everyone has heard the same message. This also makes it easier to agree on how to move forward together in strengthening workplace wellbeing.”
Wellbeing and strong colleague relationships don’t happen by chance. They require dedicated time and space to reflect on collaboration and teamwork. It also takes recognition and courage, such as when a colleague dares to speak up about areas for development. Only then does it become part of the culture to openly discuss relationships and shared responsibilities at work.
When the right conditions are in place, strong collegial bonds can thrive, leading to higher engagement, better employee retention, and not least, shared results.
A strong, trust-based, and result-oriented workplace community is the best branding any organization can have.
