Most organisations spend a lot of time talking about performance, objectives and results – what often gets far less attention is how people work together to achieve those results.
Yet in our experience, many of the challenges organisations face aren’t caused by a lack of capability or commitment … they’re caused by misunderstanding. We all have our own way of approaching work. Some people are likely to move quickly, others prefer time to think. Some want detail, others want the headlines. When workloads increase or tensions rise, those differences can become much more apparent.
We’ve worked with many teams over the years through leadership development programmes, team effectiveness workshops and Insights Discovery sessions. One thing consistently stands out: people are often surprised by how differently their colleagues experience the same situation!
Once those differences become visible, conversations become easier and teams are able to work together more effectively.
Working style differences
The impact of working style differences often shows up in everyday frustrations. A leader believes they’re being clear and decisive, while their team experiences them as abrupt. A colleague wants time to think before making a decision, while others see hesitation or a lack of confidence. Someone who focuses on detail becomes frustrated by what they see as a lack of rigour, while others feel overwhelmed by too much information. None of these situations are unusual.
When left unaddressed, they can slow decision-making, create unnecessary tension and drain energy from the work that really matters.
The challenge is that these issues are often labelled as personality clashes when they’re actually differences in preference, communication style or approach.
Why self-awareness matters
The strongest teams aren’t made up of people who think the same way – they’re made up of people who understand themselves and understand each other.
When individuals have greater awareness of how they operate, they become more intentional about the way they communicate and collaborate. They recognise the situations that energise them, the pressures that can knock them off course and the impact they have on those around them.
Instead of assuming everyone works the same way, people learn how to adapt and meet others where they are.
What changes when teams understand each other
The most noticeable shift is often in the quality of conversations. Teams spend less time making assumptions and more time seeking understanding. People become clearer about what they need from one another and more willing to have honest discussions when things aren’t working.
We’ve seen teams use this understanding to improve decision-making, strengthen relationships between departments, navigate periods of change and build greater trust across leadership groups.
The real value comes when insight is connected to the realities of day-to-day work. Questions such as:
- How do we make decisions?
- What happens when we’re under pressure?
- Where do misunderstandings tend to occur?
- What conversations are we avoiding?
- How can we get the best from one another?
These discussions often unlock far more value than people expect.
Making it practical
Building team awareness doesn’t require a major culture programme.
It starts with creating opportunities for people to better understand themselves and each other… that might be through team workshops, leadership development activities, facilitated discussions or tools such as Insights Discovery that provide a shared language for understanding different preferences and approaches.
The important part is what happens afterwards; the most successful teams continue to use those insights when discussing projects, giving feedback, navigating change and managing performance. Understanding how people work becomes part of how the team operates rather than a one-off development activity.
An opportunity many organisations overlook
When organisations are looking to improve performance, they often focus on processes, structures or systems. Those things matter, but sometimes the biggest opportunity is already available to you within your team …
When people understand how their colleagues think, communicate and contribute, then collaboration becomes easier. Teams move forward with greater clarity. Leaders spend less time resolving avoidable tensions and more time focusing on what comes next.
In almost every team we’ve worked with, there has been far more value sitting in the room than people realised. Often, unlocking it starts with helping people better understand themselves and each other.
To find out more about how we work with organisations to strengthen team effectiveness, get in touch today to see how we can add value to your organisation. Email us at info@mcleanhr.co.uk
