The psychological climate in the team - what is it? Study and formation

The effectiveness of the activities of any organization depends on the psychological climate in the team. Moreover, the positive result of each team member determines the success of the entire enterprise. Only being in a healthy environment, you can generate interesting ideas, reveal your potential, as well as competently and quickly implement complex projects.

What is a psychological climate?

The psychological climate in the team is a complex characteristic of interpersonal relationships, the degree of satisfaction of workers with working conditions and a quantitative assessment (that is, salary) of their activities in the group, as well as conditions conducive to (and perhaps even hinder) productive collaboration and the full development of the personality in this particular community of people.

A favorable psychological attitude promotes labor motivation and increases the level of social optimism of everyone. The socio-psychological climate in the team (SPKK), maintained at a normal level, allows each participant in the labor process to feel like a particle of a huge group of people who make a certain contribution to the common cause. Thus, the person maintains an interest in what he is doing, which is an incentive for a fair assessment of the successes (and sometimes even failures) of not only his own, but also of his colleagues and the whole enterprise.

The psychological climate is a well-defined system of customs and norms adopted in this particular group of people. Each participant in the labor process depends on each other (that is, the so-called social connections work), at the same time, they depend on jointly performed functions (that is, task connections function).

SPKK influences labor productivity, on the attitude of workers both to the organization in general and to a particular leader in particular, as well as to their immediate responsibilities.

What can affect the psycho-climate?

The main factors determining the socio-psychological climate in the team:

Satisfaction, and therefore the attractiveness of what you have to do in this particular organization.
Working conditions.
Mode.
The quantitative expression of labor assessment (i.e. wage size).
General leadership style.
Possibility of growth on a career ladder.

Mutual understanding and the desire to come to the rescue if necessary, that is, the ability to "substitute the shoulder."
The presence of only one leader, namely the leader (which, incidentally, must be recognized by absolutely all employees). Otherwise, there will be “confusion and vacillations” in the team, which will not lead to anything good.
Harmony of all participants in the labor process (that is, a clear delineation of the functions performed).
Compatibility at the level of a small group or the entire office as a whole.
The team should have an atmosphere of cooperation, not suppression of each other.
Cohesion.
The organizational culture as a whole influences the creation of a psychological climate in a team.
Recognition by each employee of the professional qualities and merits of other participants in the labor process.
The nature of the relationship between colleagues. Tensions can build up in the team due to the fact that some people are communicative and open, while others are quite secretive and uncommunicative.
Personal qualities of each employee, as well as his education and level of culture.

On a note! The presence of aggressive, envious, proud, touchy and dissatisfied employees negatively affects the creation of a favorable psychological climate in the team and the work of the entire enterprise as a whole. If this is the case, then certain trainings or the work of a psychologist with individuals can help. Sometimes such events help to improve the situation in the team, but not always.

Let us dwell on some factors of the socio-psychological climate of the collective in more detail.

Leadership style

There are several management styles that directly determine the presence or absence of psychological comfort in a team:

Democratic style (or collegial).
Authoritarian (i.e. directive).
Liberal (the so-called anarchist or conniving).

Democratic style

This type of management is based on the very trusting and friendly relations of all team members, as well as goodwill and sociability. In this case, all responsibilities, authorities and initiatives are distributed between the head, his deputies and subordinates. All decisions are made collectively.

The director, who takes the democratic management style as a basis, is interested in the opinion of his subordinate team on key production issues. The communication of the head with the employees takes place exclusively in the form of wishes, requests, advice and recommendations. Incentives for quick and high-quality work are not excluded. Communication takes place in a polite and friendly manner. If necessary, orders are used (extremely rare).

Authoritarian style

It is based on the dominance of unity of command, which is expressed in the fact that only the leader himself makes all the important decisions (without consulting anyone). The opinion of the team in this case is not taken into account.

The main management methods are orders, directives, reprimands, remarks and punishments. The communication of the leader with subordinates takes place in a rude and harsh manner. The team welcomes “headphone” and ubiquitous control. Any initiatives of employees are not supported, and the interests of the company are put above the interests of people.

A similar leadership style can cause a certain psychological discomfort in a team, conflict, fear, envy, ingratiation, and hostility.

Liberal style

In this case, the head to some extent eliminates his active participation in the management of the company. He either simply “goes with the flow”, obeying the will of chance: either falls under the complete influence of the collective, or waits for instructions from above. Such a leader tries not to "lean out" and not take risks. He evades from directly posed questions and resolving conflicts that have arisen, and also does not take responsibility for anything (but tries to find someone who can be “blamed” for his fault, that is, a “scapegoat”).

Such leadership style does not contribute to increasing labor productivity and improving the climate in the team.

Search for the scapegoat

Either a person or a group of persons who have absolutely nothing to do with the incident is chosen as a “whipping boy”. But they differ from other workers in that their behavior does not seem to be generally accepted, and such people are not able to fend for themselves (that is, they do not have a strong character). Therefore, it is they (these "white crows") who become targets for attacks, unfounded accusations and hostile attitude from everyone else. The presence of a “scapegoat” allows the company’s team to release some tension and dissatisfaction, which, as a rule, accumulate in large volumes where there is an atmosphere of fear and mistrust.Such actions help employees maintain imaginary cohesion.

On a note! Such a “whipping boy” is sometimes vital for the normal work of some teams, as it acts as a kind of “valve” that allows “letting off steam” of the negative that has accumulated.

Why are relationships between colleagues so important?

We have already said that the moral and psychological climate in a team depends on the nature of communications and the personal qualities of each employee. Yes, indicators such as humidity in the room, temperature conditions and lighting, that is, sanitary conditions, are very important for the normal work of the team. But the nature of the relationship between employees also affects the psycho-climate in the team (maybe even more so). If the employees communicate well with each other, this helps people to reveal their creative potential, take the initiative and quickly cope with their goals. Otherwise, there is a desire to "close", "do not protrude" and rather leave such a team.

Psychological compatibility

The psychological compatibility of employees, which implies good communication of all employees in a given company (due to the same characters, motivations, and behavioral types) and their ability to act together, is a component of the psycho-climate in the team in general.

It is much easier for people with similar personal qualities to “find a common language,” that is, to establish the interaction that is necessary for the successful implementation of a project. At the same time, communication between people who experience negative emotions in relation to each other does not contribute to effective work.

Psychophysiological compatibility

This type of compatibility includes concepts such as hearing, vision, touch, smell and temperament. For example, choleric and phlegmatic (due to their characteristics) will work on the implementation of a task at a completely different pace. As a result, certain interruptions in the labor process and tension in interpersonal relationships may occur, which cannot but affect the activities of the entire company.

Socio-psychological compatibility

This type of compatibility includes the coordination of interests, social attitudes, and roles. In the event that two (or more) individuals work on the project and each claims a dominant role, it is unlikely that their joint activity will end in success. Most likely, the task will be disrupted.

It would be more advisable to pair with a hot-tempered (that is, impulsive) person to put an employee who is distinguished by a calm and balanced disposition, and also who is able to listen and relate tolerantly and trustingly to his partner. Everyone will “benefit” from such a tandem: both the company and both employees who complete the task in the shortest possible time in a normal psychological environment (and, possibly, receive remuneration in monetary terms).

We determine the psycho-climate

To study the psychological climate of the team, you can use this method as a questionnaire, which includes the following questions:

Do you like what you are doing now?
Are you thinking of changing this job to another?
Do you find this activity interesting?
Do you enjoy authority, trust and respect among your colleagues?
Are you comfortable with working conditions at your workplace?
Would you like to upgrade your qualifications?
If you were currently looking for a new job, would you choose our organization?
Are you satisfied with the condition of the equipment on which you have to work?
How can you characterize the relationship with your immediate boss?
Are you satisfied with interpersonal communication in the team?
How would you characterize your colleagues?
How do you assess the socio-psychological climate of the work team in which you work (trusting, friendly, tense, disgusting)?
How much daily work do you have to do? Can you do it?
Are you satisfied with the payment of your work?
Do you have to stay working after hours (due to the fact that you don’t have time to do everything during working hours)?
What would you like to change in the process of your activity?
Do conflicts arise in the team and how often?
Can you call your colleagues people responsible and professionals?

There are a number of indirect signs that determine the psychological climate:

labor productivity;
the number of absenteeism and lateness;
product quality;
Staff turnover;
maintaining equipment in good technical condition;
how clearly the deadlines are met;
frequency of unplanned breaks during the workflow;
number of complaints from customers.

Favorable psycho-climate

The criteria for a favorable psychological climate in the team:

Optimism and confidence "in the future" that all employees experience.
The joy of commuting with each other.
Trusting relationships between employees, which do not exclude exactingness in relation to each other.
Satisfaction with the fact that you work in this team.
A feeling of comfort and security.
Respectful and fair attitude to all participants in the labor process.
Hard work, selflessness and honesty are welcomed and encouraged.
The presence of mutual assistance.
Full awareness of employees about their goals and how to achieve them.
Employees remain loyal to the management of the company and to the enterprise as a whole.
The favorable psychological climate in the team is expressed in the fact that all participants in the labor process not only work together with pleasure, but also relax.
The management does not “press” subordinates and leaves them the right to make decisions that are important for the activities of a group.
New employees are welcomed positively in the team.
Freethinking. Employees do not feel any fear in expressing their opinions on a particular issue (including criticism about the business qualities of colleagues).
There is the possibility of intellectual and professional growth, as well as the opportunity to show their creative potential.
Each employee is ready to be fully responsible for the work done.
Success and failure are shared by all employees.
Each employee is happy to make his personal contribution to the common cause.
The ability to make mistakes without fear of punishment.

Adverse climate

The criteria for an unfavorable psychological climate in the team are diametrically opposed to what was stated above, so it makes no sense to list them all again.

Sometimes an adverse situation may not extend to all members of the team, but may concern individual employees who are constantly criticized and ridiculed for their oversights in their work. Only the leader has the power to change this situation for the better. He can conduct a conversation with each of the members of the warring parties. In extreme cases, in order to improve the situation and bring the company to a new level of development, it can offer the main “balamutes” to quit at their own request. Very often you can observe a similar psychological climate in the teaching staff, 99.9% of the composition of which are women.

The formation of a favorable climate in the team

What can the leader do to improve the atmosphere in the team:

First of all, it is necessary to try to eliminate negative factors and be sure to carry out some work with "troublemakers."
To analyze the current situation, observing the team and comparing such indicators as labor productivity, staff turnover, the number of absenteeism and lateness, as well as complaints.
Having assessed all the indicators, develop a strategy and tactics for the formation of a socio-psychological climate in the team so that it becomes completely favorable for fulfilling the goals and objectives.

Make the right selection of the leaders of groups and divisions (so that one of them has about 6-8 subordinates). Constantly send them for certification and additional training.
You can conduct a survey with a list of questions that were given above.

On a note! The survey should be conducted exclusively on condition of anonymity. If this is not done, then it is impossible to guarantee that the answers will reflect the true state of affairs.

Sometimes it makes sense to rethink leadership style.
Trainings, business games and leisure activities (for example, corporate parties, birthday greetings for employees) can contribute to the formation of a psychological climate in the team that will be distinguished by a positive character.
You should not "discount" the effectiveness of such a method as employee incentives.
Try to constantly adjust team management methods to specific conditions and circumstances.
It is necessary to correctly distinguish the rights of employees and their official duties.
The staff should not have an overabundance of personnel, but vacancies should also not be observed. Otherwise, a high proportion of conflict situations, as there is a risk of uneven workload of working employees.
To show all support, respect and trust to those active employees who have been working in the company for several years and enjoy well-deserved authority among their colleagues.
Timely identify, resolve and prevent any conflict situations.
If necessary, use the services of a psychologist who works on a regular basis or is engaged on time.

If all these measures are implemented, then any leader can safely hope that close-knit people who are happy with “everything and everything” work in his team.