Dive Brief:

• Only 21% of full-time and part-time workers polled strongly agreed that their team enthusiastically embraces change, according to Eagle Hill Consulting's The Change Agents Hiding In Plain Sight: Workforce Teams. "An inability to effectively manage change can prevent business from achieving results at a time when many industries are undergoing radical change," the company said in its report.     
• Although aligning around a goal is crucial to a team's success, Eagle Hill said, just 28% of respondents strongly agreed that their teams have a stated purpose. About a quarter strongly agreed that their teammates are highly dedicated to the team's work, and 29% strongly agreed that they trust their teammates, the poll found.
• On team performance, only 21% of respondents strongly believed their team regularly meets its goals and 24% strongly agreed that their team constantly learns and improves, Eagle Hill said. Respondents cited team leaders (46%) as the most important influencers for change, while far fewer believed their teammates (25%) and the C-suite (12%) inspire the most change. 

Dive Insight:

Teamwork has long been important to organizations, but the changing nature of work will likely require greater commitment to being a team player. The trust needed for teams to realize success can be bolstered by a shared experience, like collaborative learning, according to HR experts. Shared learning in the workplace occurs when a group of employees are assembled and presented with a problem to solve. By working together and focusing on the skills and knowledge each person brings to the experience, strong teams are forged.

"Shared experiences are important for anyone that wants to form a high-performing team, fast," Augusto Giacoman, director at Strategy&, previously told HR Dive. "Anecdotally, in my personal experience once you have shared experiences you bond as a team and are able to work faster and better together," he said. With automation due to change the nature of work in all industries, the ability to band together may help teams weather the shifts. 

Environmental and operational changes might foster further team bonding. Office spaces often are designed with teamwork and the future of work in mind. As well as saving space and lowering costs, open-plan office layouts can foster collaboration among workers — although not all not all employees like working in open areas. HR also might analyze how communications platforms, like Slack, might help managers foster collaboration among teams or hinder them from communicating in person.