Have you ever had the privilege of being part of a cohesive, thriving team?
Or.
Have you ever been assigned to a work group and found to your dismay that rather than being a thriving team, they were a dysfunctional group of individuals concerned only for themselves?
I have. The former is a glorious feeling, while the latter made me want to poke my eyes out with a dull fork.
Work Group or Thriving Team?
If you’re not sure about the difference between them, let me describe them for you.
Thriving teams are characterized by:
- Fellowship and genuine friendship
- Care, support, and encouragement of one another
- Connectedness to each other and the broader organization
- Similar values
- Shared vision, purpose, and goals
By contrast, dysfunctional work groups are characterized by:
- Shallow relationships based on expediency
- Little/no concern for others
- Selfish ambition drives behavior and decisions
- Personal values dominate individual behavior
- Vision, purpose, and goals serve and promote the individual
Of course, there is an infinite number of variations on the sliding scale between dysfunctional work groups and high-performance thriving teams.
But given a choice, I was always happier and more productive working on the thriving team end of the spectrum.
God Designed Us for Community
I think, as a Christian, the reason I was always happier among a thriving team is that’s how God designed us to live. As members of the Christian community, God created us to work harmoniously for the greater good. That is why Paul wrote to encourage the Corinthians, saying we are all members of the same body, no one is more important than another, but all are important and necessary (2 Corinthians 12:12-27).
In my experience, work groups comprised of selfish individuals will never outperform a thriving team in business, government, ministry, or anywhere else over the long haul.
So, what does it take to have a thriving high-performance team?
Building A Thriving Team
Transforming a group of selfish individuals into a thriving team is difficult, and it cannot be done overnight. Moreover, it will be especially difficult for you to accomplish as a Christian leader in a secular world.
Scattered throughout the Scripture are numerous references to how we should treat each other, and these support a thriving team. Here is a sampling of a few of the most important:
1. Love One Another
We begin with Jesus’ command to the disciples that they love one another as He loved them.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).
The Greek word Jesus used for love here is “agapaō.” Agape love does not come naturally to us; it is a choice we make. It is demonstrated when we give to others by sacrificing our time, energy, and resources for someone else, expecting nothing in return.
2. Be at Peace With One Another
Jesus exhorts the disciples to live in peace with one another. The ability to live in peace, says Jesus, comes when they have “salt” represented by His righteousness in their own lives.
“Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another” (Mark 9:50).
While this verse is focused on the actions between believers, it makes sense that acrimony will cause dysfunctional work groups, whereas peace and unity help build thriving teams.
3. Bear with and Forgive One Another
Writing to the Colossians, Paul tells them they must bear with and forgive one another.
“bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:13).
We forgive one another in the workplace because God forgave us first, and we must likewise forgive others. Therefore, grudges have no place in the Christian workplace.
4. Regard One Another More Highly Than Ourselves
Self-centered behavior is typical in the workplace, but Paul exhorts the Philippians to avoid selfish ambition.
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).
Thriving teams are characterized by immense respect for the gifts and skills each member contributes to the team.
5. Speak Truth to One Another
There are dozens of Bible verses about the importance of telling the truth (“Thou shalt not lie” comes to mind)! Writing to the Ephesians, Paul says that we should always be truthful because we are one body in Christ.
“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:25).
Truthtellers characterize thriving teams. They have learned to deal with even hard truths. Unfortunately, liars and deceitfulness are typical among dysfunctional work groups.
6. Encourage and Build Up One Another
Every team encounters trials that test the morale of the organization. Writing to the Thessalonians, Paul commends them for their willingness to encourage one another when facing great trials.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
Dysfunctional work groups are most often critical of one another, whereas thriving teams are characterized by members who openly encourage one another.
7. Bear One Another’s Burdens
It is not unusual for workloads to shift and become too much for one person. Writing to the Galatians, Paul tells them to share each other’s burdens.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
In a thriving team, members will help each other during a time of need. Unfortunately, members of dysfunctional work groups are far too selfish with their time and talents to help one another out.
8. Serve One Another
A step beyond sharing one another’s burdens is the act of serving one another out of love. Jesus served the disciples when He washed their feet (John 13:1-7). Paul exhorts the Galatians to use their freedom in Christ to serve one another.
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).
On a thriving team, coworkers will step up and take opportunities to serve one another because they care for their coworkers. Unfortunately, members of dysfunctional work groups don’t care about their coworkers and feel no need to serve one another.
9. Pray for One Another
Praying for one another is the most challenging aspect of implementing a thriving team in a secular workforce. Nonetheless, James reminds us that there is great power in the prayers of a righteous person.
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).
No one can stop us from privately praying for the members of our team. However, if you have the luxury of being in a Christian organization or ministry, teams can pray together for one another. There is nothing more powerful than prayer, whether it is individual or corporate.
Making the Transformation to a Thriving Team
Transforming a dysfunctional work group into a thriving team is not an easy task. Even maintaining high performance in a thriving team is often a challenge! However, every one of the nine “one anothers” we discussed is part of the process to move people from the selfish behaviors characterized by dysfunctional groups to the caring, selfless behavior symbolic of the thriving team.
If you lead a dysfunctional group and are looking for the first step toward a thriving team, the perfect place to start is with prayer. Remember, there is nothing more powerful than the prayers of a righteous leader on behalf of their team!
More Articles
I have written several articles on interpersonal relationships. You can find them by typing “Interpersonal Relationships” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are several of my favorites.
- #451: Is Loneliness Costing Your Business in More Ways Than You Realize?
- #425: Is Expressing Your Faith in the Workplace a High-Wire Balancing Act?
- #328: Our Employees Need Doctors More Than Judges!
- #310: From A Somebody To A Nobody and Back Again
- #308: Is All This Division and Animosity Necessary?
- #270: Acceptance and Approval Are NOT the Same Things!
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Have you worked in a dysfunctional work group? What contributed to their dysfunction? Or have you worked with thriving teams? What made them special?
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Category: Relationships | Interpersonal Relationships
“Regard one another more highly than ourselves.” When I was police chief I used to remind everyone to assume the best in each other instead of the worst. Because people always assumed the worst. “I’ll bet Bruce isn’t really sick today. He just called in to have a day off.” Thinking like that. People often assumed the worst, and often were wrong.
Very true, John. It seems we live in a world that defaults to the negative assumption. A little grace for others goes a long ways in life!