Your team is stuck in a rut. How can you break out of it?

1 Assess your current situation

Before you make any changes, you need to understand what's causing your team's stagnation. Is it a lack of motivation, communication, feedback, or recognition? Is it a mismatch between your team's skills and goals? Is it a physical or mental fatigue from working in the same environment for too long? To find out, you can use various tools, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or performance reviews, to gather feedback from your team members and stakeholders. You can also observe how your team works, what challenges they face, and what opportunities they miss.

2 Redefine your team's purpose

Once you have a clear picture of your current situation, you can start to redefine your team's purpose. This means revisiting your team's vision, mission, values, and objectives, and aligning them with your organization's strategy and culture. You can use methods such as brainstorming, mind mapping, or storytelling to generate new ideas and perspectives. You can also involve your team members in the process, and encourage them to share their opinions, insights, and aspirations. By doing this, you can create a shared sense of direction, meaning, and ownership for your team.

3 Rethink your team's structure

Another way to break out of a rut is to rethink your team's structure. This means reviewing how your team is organized, coordinated, and supported, and making adjustments to optimize your team's performance and well-being. You can consider factors such as team size, roles, responsibilities, authority, autonomy, diversity, and inclusion. You can also experiment with different types of team structures, such as cross-functional, self-managed, or virtual teams, and see how they affect your team's dynamics and outcomes.

4 Revamp your team's space

One of the most visible and tangible aspects of your workplace design is your team's space. This means the physical environment where your team works, such as the layout, furniture, equipment, lighting, color, and decoration. Your team's space can have a significant impact on your team's mood, energy, creativity, and collaboration. You can revamp your team's space by applying principles of ergonomics, aesthetics, and biophilia. You can also involve your team members in the design process, and let them customize their own workstations or co-create common areas.

5 Reinforce your team's culture

Finally, you can break out of a rut by reinforcing your team's culture. This means the intangible elements that shape your team's identity, such as the norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors that guide your team's actions and interactions. Your team's culture can influence your team's trust, commitment, learning, and innovation. You can reinforce your team's culture by celebrating your team's achievements, recognizing your team's contributions, providing your team's feedback, and nurturing your team's relationships. You can also create opportunities for your team to socialize, have fun, and relax.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?