The Importance of Transformational Team Communications

Complex global business environments, and the need for agility in both decision making and execution, are driving organizations towards ever greater collaboration and teamwork as the means of resolving challenges and creating competitive advantage. Most leaders agree that one key component in ensuring effective team functioning is the content and quality of communications to, and among, team members. Interestingly, I found – in both my work with teams and my research on team performance – that few team leaders appreciate the far-reaching consequences of their approach to communications. The content and quality of communications are more fundamental to team success than many team leaders imagine.

In an experimental study conducted by Kathleen Boies and John Fiset of Concordia University and Harjinder Gill of the University of Guelph, 44 teams were asked to work on a creative resource maximization task that demanded high levels of communication and teamwork among team members. Early in the experiment, each team was exposed to a team leader that focused their communications on the intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation of the team. They did this by:

  • Establishing a clear vision and purpose
  • Instilling the aspiration to compete and win
  • Emphasizing the importance of teamwork
  • Challenging conventional assumptions
  • Thinking outside the box

The teams were then evaluated across four dimensions: internal communications, team trust, task performance, and creative performance.

Research Results

Focusing leader communications on the intellectual stimulation and motivation of the team were found to be key contributors to the level and quality of communications among team members. In turn, the increased frequency and quality of team communications contributed to improved task and creative performance. The key question was why? The research results uncovered that, by improving the level and quality of communications within a team through encouraging intellectual stimulation and motivation, team leaders triggered trust-building behaviors within the team. As trust among teammates increased, the teams performed at higher levels on measures of tasks and creativity.

Good team communications are a critical element for improved performance, greater creativity, and enhanced well-being. Share via Twitter
Across a broad range of research on team effectiveness, good team communications have been shown to be a critical element in enabling improved performance, greater creativity, and enhanced well-being. Less evident was what type of content produces superior results and why. In my discussions with team leaders about their communications style and practices, I found that too often team communications are transactional versus transformational. This is particularly true in more hierarchical organizations where team leaders see themselves as managers above the team, rather than being responsible for fostering transformation and the emergence of shared leadership across the team. The research by Boise et al., (2015) demonstrated those team leaders who are purposeful in facilitating transformational communications by inspiring and stimulating their team to foster strong, trusting team relationships. That trust sets the stage for superior team performance and increased individual well-being.

The Role of Communications in Building a Highly-Effective Team

The fundamental nature of team leadership is rapidly changing, and the implications for team leaders are far-reaching. A focus on building strong, trusting relationships is essential for team success. To do that, team leaders must see purposeful communications as a key element in developing a great team. It requires solid fundamentals, a focus on individual motivation, and the development of strong, trusting team relationships. Equally importantly, it requires a transformational team leader to communicate in a manner that stimulates, inspires and elevates the team’s performance and experience.

Boies, K., Fiset, J., & Gill, H. (2015). Communication and trust are key: Unlocking the relationship between leadership and team performance and creativity. The Leadership Quarterly, 26, 1080–1094. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.07.007

 

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About the Author

Dr. Jeb Hurley is a leading expert on team dynamics and building high-performance hybrid / remote teams. He guides leaders in understanding and influencing human behavior and creating trust and psychological safety. Jeb’s innovative, behavioral science-based approach to leadership development improves team performance and people’s wellbeing faster and at a lower cost. Learn more about Jeb’s work at Brainware Partners.