Understanding the Pain Points of Teams

Strategies for Alignment, Communication, and Cohesion

In today’s busy work world, most teams face problems that stop them from working well together. Teams sometimes struggle with aligning their goals with the company’s vision, leading to wasted effort. Communication may break down, and team members can feel lost and unmotivated without a shared purpose.

The Challenges

One major issue is the lack of alignment. For example, at a new client last month, one of the teams found that they were working on projects that did not match the company’s top priorities. Problems arose from the misalignment; everyone faced extra work and significant confusion.

Communication is a real issue. When team members do not share updates or ideas clearly, it can create information silos. Unequal access to information creates friction. Conflicts are bound to happen when some people are better informed than others.

Real Cases

Recent studies support what many of us have seen in the workplace. Researchers Buła, Thompson and Jak (2024) discussed how teams shifting to hybrid work models can struggle with connection and creativity. Similarly, Jeske and Olson (2023) highlighted that a “silo mentality” makes it hard for teams to share information, which can lead to disagreements. Minor conflicts between teams have sometimes slowed progress. However, better communication helps solves this problem.

Solutions

Clear strategies are needed to fix these issues. Start with clear goal setting so every team member knows what to achieve. We’ll all be on the same page if we check in often. Establishing open channels of communication allows ideas and concerns to be shared freely. Using today’s collaborative tools can boost team spirit and efficiency. Think of shared documents and project management software. It’s a game-changer. Teamwork improves when everyone’s on the same page and problems are solved directly. Trust may grow from this.

These solutions help teams conquer obstacles and improve their collaboration. Communication and teamwork get a boost. After all these strategies are in place, consider bringing in a Team Coach to speed up and solidify your team’s alignment, collaboration, and focus while creating new ways of working together – this will pay off in terms of your team being effective working together for the future!

Cristina Ferreira da Costa
President & Founder
CDCConsulting Partners, LLC