We’re all unique individuals in life, with different likes, dislikes and perspectives on the world. When putting a team together, having various strengths, weaknesses and areas of expertise to pull from is incredibly valuable. It provides opportunities for sharing experience and knowledge, and for each person to bring something different to the table.
As great as having such a team can be, it’s inevitable that individual differences can appear. Being able to support and help individuals work better together in these moments is essential. After all, it’s unlikely that teams are going to be performing at their best if they are in conflict every step of the way.
First, let’s look at what we mean by differences in teams before diving into 5 tips for managing them.
What are individual differences within teams?
Individual differences are the varied perspectives, preferences and experiences people bring to a team. They influence how colleagues communicate, make decisions and approach their work. Differences are not problems in themselves, but they can create friction when people misunderstand one another’s intentions or expect everyone to work in the same way.
You might notice differences in:
- How people prefer to share and receive information
- The time they need to reflect before making a decision
- Their comfort with uncertainty and trying new approaches
- The priorities and perspectives they bring to a task
- Their expectations around feedback, meetings and collaboration
Imagine two colleagues, Alex and Gina, working on a new approach to a problem. Alex wants to review the evidence before choosing a direction. Gina wants to test an idea quickly and learn from what happens.
Both want the project to succeed, but each sees a different way forward. Without discussing their reasoning, Gina may interpret Alex’s questions as resistance, while Alex may mistake Gina’s enthusiasm for a lack of preparation.
Their communication preferences add another layer. Gina finds it helpful to talk ideas through, while Alex prefers time to reflect and respond in writing. Neither approach is inherently better. The challenge is agreeing how to work together without expecting one person to do all the adapting.
A conversation about what each person needs could help. They might share ideas in writing before meeting, agree which evidence is essential and choose a small test they can review together. This gives Alex room to consider the detail and Gina an opportunity to put an idea into practice.
Understanding differences does not mean agreeing on everything. It means looking beyond your first interpretation of someone’s behaviour, asking questions and finding ways to draw on each other’s strengths.
So, how can you make that understanding part of everyday teamwork?
How to manage differences within a team
The key to effectively managing differences is understanding why they are happening in the first place. Being able to take a step back and evaluate what’s going on is the first step to resolving problems. The more you know about the individuals that make up your team, the better prepared you’ll be to handle issues that crop up.
Here are five tips for managing personal differences at work:
- Give each person a chance to contribute
Sometimes it can feel like the loudest voices in meetings are the only ones that are getting their opinions heard. Making sure everyone has a way to communicate and contribute in a way that works for them is important. Encouraging a mixture of speaking out during meetings, writing down thoughts and ideas on a shared platform or problem solving during one-on-one conversations gives your team multiple avenues to collaborate.
- Communicate information effectively
Sometimes differences can occur due to a lack of clarity around information, or because key details have been miscommunicated. Taking the time to clearly structure and share the information that’s needed so that everyone understands what’s expected of them leaves no room for uncertainty. It’s also important to make sure this is being shared equally, so that everyone in the team feels included. Being available to answer questions for colleagues who might need more detail or context also goes a long way.
- Establish a common goal to work towards
Make sure everyone knows what they are aiming for and that they’re all striving for the same thing. Working towards a collective goal helps to strengthen teamwork and reduce the risk of competitiveness or personal agendas within a project. It builds a good foundation for giving recognition to each person’s contribution, and in achieving the goal you also prove the value of having succeeded as a team.
- Encourage open communication
Establishing a positive work culture which encourages open, constructive communication between colleagues is a great starting point for enabling teams to tackle differences before they turn into issues. Talking to each other about where they are coming from in a considerate, respectful manner allows teammates to get their differences out in the open and look for a solution, rather than letting things fester. Of course, it might take a bit of time and work to get to that point, but this will be a huge benefit in the long run.
- Get to know each other, and yourselves, better
Having a deeper understanding of both your own and your teammates personalities opens the possibility for building stronger relationships and helping everyone to work together better. A methodology like Insights Discovery gives you that unique perspective so that you can understand why you work in a certain way and how other people in the team might see and approach things differently. It’s this deeper understanding that gets underneath the surface of what makes each person in the team tick, leading the way for better teamwork and connection.
