How Can Emotional Intelligence Make Your Team More Flexible?

When you think about team flexibility, you might imagine a group that works proactively and quickly, adapts to new challenges, gathers information, communicates, has a clear business strategy, and is decisive, intelligent, and improvisational in the face of stress and rapid change. These flexible traits are essential for any team to succeed.

Flexible teams, according to research, have higher production, a higher sense of satisfaction among employees, and a higher sense of trust and respect among the group. According to a Gallup research, employees who see their businesses as adaptable are twice as likely as others to believe in their organization's financial stability and leadership.

So how does the team develop its resilience?

Many of the fundamental traits that determine team resilience depend on the amount of emotional intelligence the team has. For example, an emotionally intelligent team can build an atmosphere of trust, withstand stress through transition, and communicate openly and effectively to develop and implement any strategy.

Focus on the following 6 emotionally intelligent team behaviors that resilient teams rely on to succeed to help your team become more flexible:

1. Create a trust-based environment

Flexibility entails finding quick and effective solutions, making the correct judgments in the heat of the moment, performing well under pressure, and taking calculated risks. None of this is possible without a trust-based work environment since employees must first feel secure.

In a year-long study of Google teams, Google discovered that the most significant component for a team's success was an attitude known as "psychological well-being," rather than personality type, IQ, or structure.

Psychological well-being is a collective mentality in which people feel comfortable taking risks and are not afraid of rejection or ridicule. Google teams that felt this sense of security contributed more, were better at reading their teammates' emotions through tone of voice and body language and were better at recognizing when a team member felt isolated or annoyed.

So, how do these groups achieve psychological well-being? The solution is simple and straightforward: Take the time to discuss personal struggles and events with the rest of the group.

2. Communicate honestly and fearlessly

By enabling each team member to make decisions and test new ideas, flexible teams reduce obstacles to innovation and development. However, with such tremendous flexibility comes significant responsibility, such as informing the rest of the teams when major changes are made.

Not only does informing your team about your activities allow for extra improvements or cooperation, but it also aids in detecting faults and preventing negative consequences.

3. Individuals should not be overvalued at the expense of the group

According to research conducted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a team's collective intelligence has a greater impact on team performance than the sum of individual intelligences. This is excellent news since developing group intelligence is considerably easier, and it all boils down to refocusing attention away from individuals and towards the group and its interactions. To boost collective intelligence, researchers recommend the following:

• Identifying each member’s specific responsibilities.
• Teaching the team how to resolve conflicts.
• Recognizing team achievements and rewarding members.
• Not rewarding your team based on how busy its members are, but based on the results they achieve, their happiness, and good communication.
• Ensuring everyone participates equally.

4. Stress management

Researchers discovered some concerning findings in a study looking at the impact of stress on the team. They discovered that stress may completely change people's perspectives from focusing on the group to focusing on the self. When a group is under a lot of pressure, members tend to prioritize their personal interests over the group's success.

As a result, emotionally intelligent teams work together to execute stress management techniques. They do things like checking in on anxious members individually, taking turns to share how they feel about a critical deadline, and practicing individual self-care through breaks, exercise, and pleasant conversations. All these steps help keep the team on track during stressful times. This is the difference between obsessing over one's negative emotions and rising to the occasion to adapt and boost productivity.

5. Taking a different route by concentrating on values

People frequently mistake resilience for just being accustomed to change and learning to live in a state of flux, but even the most inventive teams benefit from focusing on purpose and values.

In fact, focusing on principles and standards often leads to confidence in making a change or exploring new ideas without fear. Emotionally intelligent teams pre-set their values and standards (and constantly review them) to provide everyone with a common ground for action and decisions, which is especially useful when we're under a lot of pressure and our emotions are at their most vulnerable once we take implementation decisions.

6. Make sure that everyone is held accountable

Flexibility does not mean following orders without discussion or remaining in a chaotic environment; rather, it entails allowing individuals to make decisions and test ideas by removing barriers. When team members are granted freedom, they are required to think about their job and recognize their own flaws, anticipate upcoming changes, and communicate properly with their manager and teammates.

Wrapping it up

Emotional intelligence is the foundation of a strong team. Without it, teams may succumb to high levels of stress, alienation, a work atmosphere where some individuals are dominant while others are reluctant to speak up, and a lack of direction and stability. Team performance and growth will be improved with emotional intelligence. So, include these goals in your team's plans in order to help them overcome obstacles.