How to Increase Team Engagement at Work

Knowing Your Team to Increase Team Engagement at Work
Beyond the scope of your teammates’ roles, skills, and responsibilities at work, how much do you know about them?  And should you care? Yes, if you want to increase team engagement at work.

If you care about your team performing at its peak, you should want to know more about your teammates — both personally and professionally. The more you can learn about their perspectives and experiences, what they like to do, and what they do well, the better the connections you can make. And we know that making meaningful connections is a proven way to build trust and increase team engagement at work.

Two Foundational Factors of High Performance Teams
Assuming high levels of strategic clarity regarding team goals, roles, and success metrics, there are two additional drivers of high performing teams:

1. Purpose
   High performing team members are strongly committed to each other and the team’s purpose.
   
2. Greater Good
   High performing team members prioritize the success of the whole before their individual success in terms of decision-making and resource allocation.

How to Build Commitments to Each Other and to Team Success
Here are three ways you can begin the conversation that will deepen your understanding of who, at their core, is on your team. Ask your team members to:

1. Share Their Story
   While it seems corny and “touchy-feely,” knowing people and what matters to them directly impacts team performance.  The majority of individuals and teams at work report knowing very little about each other. What if you learned that a team member is the sole care giver for a dying spouse? Or that they escaped their war-torn country as a teenager on their own?
   
   Granted, you may not uncover such dramatic information. But, guaranteed, as you deepen your understanding of the people working alongside you, it will allow your team to grow and become stronger.  Learning more about the people you work with is an instrumental part of a healthy workplace culture.  It also allows leaders to play to people’s strengths, minimize workplace conflicts, maximize career development, identify mental health issues, and make better decisions.
   
2. Measure and Share Their Level of Employee Engagement
   How would each team member assess their level of team engagement? What would it take to consistently engage and retain top talent? Take this opportunity to identify what people want to start, stop, and continue to keep to raise each person’s level of loyalty, discretionary effort, and advocacy.
   
   In the final analysis, a well-functioning team is made up of individuals. The better you assess your team’s strengths, weaknesses, motivations, and aspirations, the better you can develop, engage, and retain them by putting the right people, in the right seats, doing work where they have the competence and confidence to succeed.
   
3. Create a Culture of Continuous Improvement and Learning
   Once people know each other better and you understand what matters most to each team member, high performing teams take visible and meaningful engagement actions to continuously learn, listen to employees, and improve.

The Bottom Line
High performance teams are highly engaged teams. Their members work together to create something special and are excited to do so. They are committed to their individual and collective success. Can you say that your team has reached this level of engagement and performance?

To begin to increase team engagement at work, download Sample Team Charter Template