Creating a great IT team means more than just seeking out those with the best qualifications or necessary skills. The best teams are also ones that are highly engaged and excited to come to work.
The idea of engagement gets tossed around in workplace motivation articles, but there isn’t always sensible, actionable advice attached to the concept of “make your team feel more engaged!”
It’s ineffectual and frustrating, and it rarely results in the desired outcome. Instead, let’s talk about the benefits of engaged teams and how to create one.
Engagement Begins With Recruitment
One of the best things your company can do for itself is create an engaging environment for IT team members. This is especially true when hiring new employees. A common mistake that happens during hiring is to scout purely for skill and talent without regard for how the person who meets those requirements will acclimate to the existing company culture.
Finding a person who is a good match for company culture is even more important than finding the most talented candidate. Talent can be found anywhere; engagement is more nuanced and valuable.
This is the basis of how Talent Service operates. We intentionally developed a system that asks candidates to answer questions that will determine right away if they have a mindset that matches the needs of the hiring brand. We call it “talent validation,” and it’s just as beneficial to candidates as employers because it allows us to match people to teams where they will have the highest chance of happiness and success.
The Hidden Benefits of an Engaged Team
Obviously, an engaged team makes for a more positive and pleasant work environment. However, there are many benefits to taking the time to cultivate a happy, dynamic team.
- Shorter work cycles
When employees are locked into their projects, they can work smarter and with greater focus. Placing workers in the teams that are right for them unlocks true potential, especially when they are given the freedom to collaborate and work across specialties.
- Fewer job vacancies
The current labor shortage affects how effectively companies can perform, and it has become increasingly difficult for businesses to fill out their teams adequately.
Most corporations are focused on creating the best possible customer experience. This is admirable, but it’s only one part of the whole picture. The most effective way to improve end-user experiences is to create the best possible work environment for employees.
When companies realize that customer happiness largely stems from employee happiness, the focus can more easily shift to creating a brighter, more communicative workplace. This helps teams feel cohesive and collaborative, both of which are essential to attracting and retaining new talent.
- More loyalty
The Great Resignation has shined a spotlight on how little loyalty most people feel toward their jobs. In most cases, this dissatisfaction can be attributed to a lack of psychological safety. When employees don’t feel like their teammates have their back, they’re less likely to engage on any level for fear of being judged or silenced.
Cultivating psychological safety (especially in the face of challenges or upheavals) is key to making employees feel like they can and should engage with their colleagues and their workload. In turn, this drastically lowers turnover rates, which is especially valuable in today’s market.
Remember that people are less likely to leave an engaged, supportive team.
- Better outcomes
When workers feel engaged with each other and the company, they are more eager to jump into projects. They also feel comfortable sharing expertise and offering advice or ideas throughout the entire product development phase.
For example, if a team has two weeks to develop and implement features for a new product, an engaged team with authority to make its own decisions will always exceed expectations and throw themselves wholeheartedly into the work ahead of them.
They’re also more likely to be creative and take risks that could lead to better outcomes, and it all stems from matching their innate abilities and preferences with the right type of team environment in the workplace.
Engagement Begins Before Hiring is Finished
Clear communication is the most integral part of creating an engaged IT team. How effectively and transparently you communicate directly affects how successful your hiring and onboarding will be.
In most cases, you’re hiring for a specific skill set and temperament. For instance, say you’re hiring a coder who must work as part of a team. If the most qualified candidate answers that they prefer to work independently with minimal communication, that is not the best person for the job. Neither the candidate nor the team will be happy, and you’ll be back to searching for a new hire within six months.
This is why we encourage companies to be exhaustively honest and detailed about what is expected of a candidate when they ask for our services. The more information that can be exchanged in the early stages of recruitment, the better the outcome always is. This is why we tell businesses to evaluate their processes, motivations, goals and existing team structures when they begin the recruiting process.
Creating an engaged team requires an upfront investment of time and planning. It’s essential to think of your workforce as a picture puzzle. You may have two nearly identical pieces, but only one is the perfect fit that allows you to create a beautiful, long-lasting image.
