“Working teams are the basis for the success of any company. We know that a team that has constant communication, interdependence and fosters collaboration is a team that will surely succeed. Business schools constantly study and analyze the factors that predict the success of a team, what elements are key for its proper functioning.
Most of the time, these factors are related to intrinsic aspects of the team, for example: when each person assumes their own responsibility or when a relationship based on trust is formed between members of the team. But something that we do not often consider are the extrinsic factors. These do not depend so much on each individual, but on the environment that surrounds the team itself. This is where a very important feature comes into play: the work atmosphere.
There is a phrase that caught my attention the first time I heard it. Perhaps it is quite radical but hides a lot of truth: We are environment. If you think about it, how conditioned have you been by your environment from the moment you were born? Surely a lot.
In work teams, this environment involves many components such as lighting, air quality, the quantity of space available, location or the building where our offices are located. There are many intrinsic elements that also influence the life of a team and all its dimensions.
It has been proven, that for example, a group of investigators is much more creative when located in a technological park surrounding than in a conventional industrial estate. This proves that the surroundings influence directly on performance. This explains why nowadays there is a much wider sense of consciousness around this topic, and more companies seek constantly to develop kind designs and working atmospheres that are functional and inspirational for the people that cooperate and operate in them.
Every day I find more companies that value this dimension as one of the main intangibles that the company must consider when wanting to recruit talent. They showcase their offices proudly to new hires, with the aim of incentivizing them into performing their best selves as these environments foster interdependence and a positive and welcoming work climate.
Not long ago I visited the headquarters of one of my main clients based in Madrid, Spain and I saw they had a Trestle table, the same one as per the featured image. It had a very unconventional length and a black matt finish that I loved. I did not wait to order one to my friends at Viccarbe. Today it occupies a central spot in our offices ans since then, I feel working with my small team is much more agile. Everyone is inspired when working in a pleasant atmosphere.
If your intention is building in a high-performance working team you will have to take into consideration many variables, most of them intrinsic, but it is fundamental that you design an inviting atmosphere that encourages people to create, collaborate, communicate, concentrate, and get inspired to perform their best.
Something I like to think regarding to the workplace is how the hardware that makes a team work swiftly. The hardware that makes possible the existence of the team. The software is brought by the people but, how do we get inspired? The environment takes a determinant role here.”
César Piqueras
Writer, speaker, and Business mentor.
Discover more in www.cesarpiqueras.com
