Why Companies Should Prioritize Community
It wasn’t until I moved abroad that I realized the value of a company functioning as a community. And I think it’s because as a foreigner, I was especially grateful for a sense of belonging. It may sound counterintuitive, but the reality is that most companies don’t function as communities; most function as strong networks at best. And when you really think about it, that’s a huge opportunity lost. Because communities transcend the limits of a company’s individual teams and employees. In other words, the sum is greater than each of its parts. And where there’s community, there’s a will to find a way. No matter what the challenge is. In fact, I recall former colleagues explaining to me how the threat of a hostile takeover by a competitor resulted in the company’s employees pulling together at a magnitude stronger than ever before. As a result, they miraculously fended off the attack.
And while unity in times of crisis is essential, it begs the question, why don’t companies generally invest greater efforts in building community as a strategic priority?
Imagine what this could do for your company on a daily basis.
What does community mean on the most profound level?
Community is a feeling more than anything else. It’s the comfort, connection, and opportunities for co-creation that can only be found amongst people who share a key interest, goal, or belief. And the best communities are impossible to replicate. They have a unique feel which both engages and energizes members in ways that make them grateful and proud to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
What does it mean for a company to function as a community?
Great companies embody communities through the Care, Believe, Join framework. Meaning that they intentionally and consistently recruit employees who care about the problem they’re solving; and who believe in their approach and potential to solve it. By qualifying potential hires based on these two elements, and co-creating needs-based opportunities to join their organizations, companies can engage and energize employees from the start. Which equates to better performance and contributions to the company as a whole.
With that in mind, here are three reasons why your company should prioritize community building going forward:
1. Employees will be more proactive about their professional growth and well-being
Appreciation is a powerful motivator
Think about a time when your hard work went unrecognized. How did it feel? Though it’s said that true validation comes from within, I bet you felt disappointed, if not sad. I’ve been there; we all have.
Now think about a time when your hard work was not only recognized, but celebrated by your colleagues or peers. How did that feel? Most likely, really good. In fact, you’re probably smiling as you reminisce about it. And rightfully so. Because that’s how everyone should feel in their daily work: appreciated. In fact, I’ll never forget the first time a teammate said to me “I appreciate you”. It made me realize the shortcomings of saying “I appreciate it”, or “I appreciate that you did x,y,z”. Because when you value someone, you should tell them so. You can add specifics on top of that. Because it goes without saying that when you feel appreciated, you want to exceed expectations. For yourself, for your team, and for your company. And when you leverage the essence of community to establish an environment of psychological safety, employees will feel empowered to suggest new ideas, and champion various initiatives. It also empowers them to be failure immune by encouraging experimentation, and embracing mistakes as opportunities for learning and improvement as part of the creative process. Most importantly, it encourages employees to ask questions; whether they’re about a specific project, or the company’s overall strategy. And that’s important because an employee with a question is an employee with a learning goal. So motivate your employees with the appreciation that they deserve.
Guidance and encouragement are powerful facilitators
At any given time, an employee’s learning potential can be defined by what’s called a “zone of proximal development”. In other words, the range between what an employee can do without help, versus what they can do with guidance and encouragement from those skilled in that area. By fostering a community dynamic, the abundance of guidance and encouragement readily available helps employees move quicker across these zones to master new skills. Which in turn creates more space and momentum to strive for mastery of other skills with confidence.
Resource efficiency is a powerful time and energy saver
Community dynamics make employees more resourceful because they know who to go to, and where to look for specific information. And they’ll do this more efficiently given they’re less likely to have to introduce themselves to someone in the organization for the first time, or provide detailed information on the context of their request given everyone should have at least a minimum viable pre-existing connection. That said, communities ultimately reduce the cognitive effort required by employees to obtain necessary information, resources, and advice on a daily basis. Which ultimately provides employees with more time to dedicate to meaningful work.
2. Employees will be more invested in their colleagues’ professional growth and well-being
It’s often said that a great team with a mediocre idea is more likely to succeed than a mediocre team with a great idea. Simply because great teams are made up of employees who not only proactively own their learning and performance, but invest time and energy into helping their teammates do the same. As a result, employees are better able to recognize how and when they can seize opportunities to support their colleagues through:
Recommendations in support of their professional growth
Have you ever had a manager offer you the opportunity to be involved in a project that they knew would be of interest to you based on your career development goals? Or had a colleague extend an invitation to a meeting or event about a topic of professional interest? Hopefully, the answer to both of these questions is yes. Because no matter how small the gesture, it’s the instinctive nature of knowing what matters to your colleagues, and how you can be instrumental in supporting their professional growth that counts. And that ongoing practice can be sustained through community.
Empathy in support of their well-being
Teammates are also more likely to be empathetic toward each other in a community dynamic. Because when you have a greater awareness and in-depth understanding of the challenges your individual teammates are facing — which often include factors in their personal life, such as health issues — it’s easier for you to conceive of how difficult it may be for someone to perform at a given time. And this is likely to engage and energize you to find a way to lend a helping hand, where you might otherwise not be so compelled without knowing the backstory of why someone doesn’t seem to be “pulling their weight”. Empathy naturally makes us more considerate, flexible, and overall supportive. And when you’re part of a community, you’re more conscientious of yourself and others. And you appreciate that you can rely on the community should you find yourself in a similar position. Which you inevitably will at some point because everyone goes through difficult times. And everyone needs to know that it’s safe to be vulnerable without fear of judgement. You need to give as good as you get, and sometimes that means working harder when someone else needs a break. Conversely, sometimes you need to let go and lean on your teammates for support; which ironically is more difficult for proactive employees. But remember, the upside to falling down is the opportunity it gives your teammates to catch you. Which ultimately brings you closer together, and strengthens your work relationship going forward.
3. Employees will be more invested in the company’s growth and well-being
When it comes to company outputs, the sum is greater than each of its parts. Therefore, the stronger the community, the more effective the organization. It goes without saying that salaries and equity are important. But studies show that financial benefits are rarely enough to engage and energize employees — at least in the long term — in the absence of community. The need for employees to embrace radical collaboration — high impact team collaboration based on mutual trust and respect between members — further drives this need. It also prevents employees from seeing colleagues as competition or opposing forces.
Informal learning is a powerful advantage
As far as sharing knowledge goes, storytelling is where the diamonds are found. Colleagues who truly connect and relate to each other naturally share stories and volunteer information that likely wouldn’t come up in small talk with other teammates. These informal learning moments feel effortless and enjoyable, while drastically augmenting collective knowledge. This also drastically increases the amount of learning about concepts — in other words ideas or notions — within an organization. Stories can simplify complex concepts in ways that make them more relatable and memorable to listeners. Which is important because enduring understanding is what facilitates the transfer of knowledge to application moving forward. Without these informal learning moments, most corporate training initiatives are largely process focused, in which learners are trained to follow specific steps without the need to think and reflect as they go along. That’s why community is key to maximizing informal learning.
With these benefits in mind, how can companies make the shift from a network dynamic to that of community?
This question will become more and more important to building and sustaining work relationships amongst increasingly remote teams and organizations following COVID-19.
Next week, I’ll delve into how companies functioning as networks can begin transitioning to a community dynamic, and ways in which these “company communities” can be animated.
