Making it Happen
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Make or break There is a strong link between good leadership and high levels of team engagement Writing Sharon Olivier
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Leadership lessons The combination of the team leader’s attitude and behaviour is the key factor that influences these dimensions, and can either make or break team
engagement. We found that there are three things leaders do well in highly engaged teams. They: 2 Create a climate of emotional support and care; 2 Role model the attitude and behaviours that they want to see in their team; 2 Ensure a sense of challenge, purpose and stretch.
SMALL THINGS BECOME EMOTIONAL BLOCKAGES IF THEY ARE NOT DEALT WITH
When these behaviours are lacking, there can be active disengagement, complacency or even pseudo engagement (people following their own agenda while ‘pretending’ to be engaged). We studied one team from the aviation industry that left us, as researchers, feeling moved and inspired. On arriving at the team’s site one drizzly UK winter morning, we were warmly welcomed with a cup of tea and taken on a tour by an enthusiastic team leader (let’s call him Dave). We soon became aware that there was something special and different about this team leader. He invited us into a meeting room filled with comfortable pale blue leather sofas arranged in a circle, where we settled to have our interview with him. Next, we sat in on the weekly team meeting, and had a focus
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hat do leaders do well in highly engaged teams? A recent study led by Ashridge Executive Education at Hult International Business School offers insight into this question. Researchers worked with 195 participants, from 28 teams, across seven industry sectors, to try and unearth some truths about team engagement. Our study, which was conducted on behalf of voluntary movement Engage for Success and supported by technology company Oracle, found that team engagement revolves around two essential dimensions: the team climate (how team members feel) and team behaviours (how proactive and reactive team members are).