I need some extra space / resources for now. Will my neighbours give this to me if I ask them? Did I help at least some of them in the past? Have I dealt well with them? Can they see that I am doing something worth supporting – do they see that they themselves might stand to benefit? Do they see that they might stand to lose if they do not help now? Do they believe what I say? Do people in this neighbourhood help one another?
Have you come across Departmental members casting aspersions on other employees and other Departments? Seeing conspiracy in their actions and statements? Making sweeping ‘always’ and ‘never’ statements about others? If you have, then you know what working sub-optimally looks like.
Typically, the self-image of such a team is that they alone do good work in the entire organisation. They hold exalted notions of the quality of work and contribution of the team. And so on.
Looking Beyond the Immediate
Actual good teams take on tall tasks. They know that they will struggle. That is why they keep good relations with others they deal with – they know they will need support, although they may not know when they will need it.
Keeping good relations means helping others when they need it. It also means staying connected even when there is no need for any transaction. Staying updated on the challenges others are dealing with, sharing one’s own challenges authentically with others helps to stay connected.
Scholarly studies of long-standing, successful business communities across the world has shown that members help one another through hard times and seed funding. They use their social networks to help one another’s business.
Keeping good relations means helping others when they need it. It also means staying connected even when there is no need for any transaction.
This unfortunately, is a capability that is not found widely among functions. Yet, one might argue that without it, we don’t really have an organisation, only a collection of rigid, walled entities called functions.
Related Readings :
PIAZZA C ( 2013 ). Collaborative Organizational Cultures : Belonging To The Entire Organization, Saybrook University.
