Creating a cohesive group

Some jobs can be performed by individuals. You won’t call a group of people to repair your sink. It is usually more efficient to perform certain actions if you do them alone. But it is not always the case. Most of the things in our environment are a product of the group. Humans are used to working together, joining their forces and resources in order to perform magnificent things. All the wonders of the ancient world were produced by big groups of people who had enough skills to finish the job at hand. Although it may seem so easy and quick, forming a group can usually be a tedious job. It all comes down to human individualism and different perspectives when performing a certain task.

How do the humans bond between themselves? As we know, we often pick friends who are like us. These are individuals with similar backgrounds, education and moral values. It is easy for us to relate to people who are so familiar. Furthermore, after brief period of time, we develop a certain trust which stays during the entire length of relationship. It might seem easy and logical, but there is an additional element which is guiding us during this process. This is the biological component of our body in a form of oxytocin hormone. This particular hormone is a product of our brain and it regulates all the social relationships with other people (although we can use oxytocin nasal form). When we meet a person, this hormone either warns us through fear, or it approves a person through trust and loyalty. This is exactly why it is easier for us to bond with people with similar interests. The similarities are a good basis which breeds trust within us. At the same time, if a person is different, that can only lead to fear as we don’t know what to expect from that individual.

Biological components and oxytocin are not the only things which lead us to behave this way. Sometimes, formation of the group is a calculated process based on our self-interest. If we think that something will benefit us, we are prepared to cast aside our fears and to join a group. This is a necessity if you are trying to form a group with people with different interests. Although there won’t be natural trust and loyalty towards individuals within a group, you will start trusting the group itself. It is something that can be referred to as higher cause. We are able to put aside our differences and to create a good working environment while working with people who we don’t like just so we can attain the ultimate goal.

So, it comes down to two main elements which we can do to create cohesion within a group. We can either create a team spirit, where individuals will get closer to each other, or we can create a common goal which can force individuals to work together.

This is a collaborative post.

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