Strategies for Building Team Cohesion

Tips and strategies for improving communication, cooperation, and trust when building team cohesion.

Communicating within your team

  • Create a sense of partnership.
  • Express your desire to work as a team.
  • Assume good intentions.
  • Don't retaliate.
  • Move forward.
  • Talk to each other.
  • Get to know one another.

Promoting cooperation

  • Put the team's needs first.
  • Accept unpleasant tasks with a positive attitude.
  • Discourage competition.
  • Be proactive in finding ways to help the team.
  • Consider the team's success as your own.
  • Encourage others to adopt a collaborative approach.

Building trust

  • Be supportive of your teammates.
  • Acknowledge their skills and their contributions.
  • Show you trust your teammates by involving them.
  • Help teammates learn new skills.
  • Give others responsibility and let them make decisions.
  • Be truthful when communicating.
  • Take responsibility for your actions.
  • Share responsibility for the actions of your teammates.
  • Act consistently.
  • Follow through on promises.
  • Say what you mean and mean what you say.
  • Give and receive constructive feedback.
  • Admit mistake.
  • Perceive everyone's mistakes, including your own, as team mistakes.
  • Maintain confidentiality.
  • "Walk the talk."