5 Things Resilient Teams do Differently
By Susan Peppercorn
Whether it’s a scientist who generates the breakthrough formula for a life-saving medication after years of failed drug trials, an entrepreneur who finally succeeds after numerous failed business attempts, or a concert violinist who overcomes a severe injury to win a seat in a major symphony orchestra, resilience is often identified as one of the factors that helps individuals succeed. Since few of us work in complete isolation, how our teams persist matters just as much as individual resiliency.
So how do teams build resilience? A recent survey of almost 2,000 NCAA coaches and hundreds of business leaders revealed that resilient teams have five things in common.
They share a common model of teamwork. Resilient team members have a shared mental model of teamwork that helps them communicate effectively, predict one another’s behavior, and make time-critical decisions. In order to be effective, these mental paradigms have to be both accurate (Are we doing the right thing at the right time?) and shared (Do we all agree on the actions we’re supposed to take?). Having one or the other is not enough. When team members share an accurate understanding of what needs to be done and how their roles — and the roles of others — contribute to the big picture, they are well positioned to respond to adversity effectively and efficiently.
They have a growth mindset. As defined by psychologist Carol Dweck, people with a “growth mindset” thrive on challenges and see failures as springboards for growth and for stretching their abilities. Beyond each person believing in their ability to contribute, team members with a growth mindset believe that they can effectively complete tasks collectively. These teams also manage their confidence by not becoming complacent — they remain vigilant for challenges ahead. They also push themselves beyond timidity by taking necessary risks.
They can improvise. Improvisation is the conscious process of adjusting to changing circumstances in real-time. Teams must be able to improvise and create new ideas or ways for handling unpredictable situations. To improvise effectively, teams need to tap into knowledge from past experiences and adapt those ideas into new and novel solutions when facing a setback. Resilient team members are familiar with one another’s knowledge, skills, and strengths and are able to draw upon the right expertise at just the right time.
They trust one another and feel safe. Commonly referred to as psychological safety, team resilience is enhanced when members share the belief that it is safe to take risks, such as offering unusual or creative ideas without fear of being criticized or rejected. Studies have shown that on resilient teams, members respect one another’s thoughts and trust that they will not be ridiculed or rejected for speaking up. This feeling of security enables members to openly and honestly voice their ideas and opinions, which leads to a greater diversity of perspectives, especially at times when such novelty is badly needed.
They talk about and practice well-being. Resilient teams speak openly about and utilize strategies to mitigate stress and burnout — the process of exhaustion, pessimism, and inefficiency caused by a disconnect or a disparity between job demands and resources. Interestingly, research indicates that team debriefs are linked to lower levels of burnout. Why? Debriefs facilitate information exchange and processing, so there is less ambiguity (a known contributor to exhaustion). Debriefing also enables team member support and increases self-reflection and self-efficacy. Resilient teams also encourage taking time for exercise and mindfulness activities.
Resilient teams are as vital to businesses as resilient individuals and must be deliberately cultivated by leaders. The actions leaders take to ensure team resilience as a widespread team attribute, rather than a scarce one, is hard work but the payoff is worth it!
ClearRock can help your team or your whole organization thrive during these challenging times with our new Resilience Series: workshops designed to help companies focus on operational realignment and team cohesion to support leaders and teams. Learn more about the Leading in Crisis and Team Building through Change workshops, and reach out any time with questions.
