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Get to Know Each Other: It Dramatically Changes the Relationship

January 27, 2009

From:  Wilkinson, P.R. (2008).  Aha: insights for effective leadership and management.  Baltimore:  Publish America.

There is great team building power in getting people to know each other outside the work environment.  That is because the dynamics of their relationship changes, and therefore, their behavior towards each other changes.

What we know about our co-workers in the workplace is largely related to work.  However, when we interact with people in a social setting outside of the workplace, we usually talk about family, interests, and other non-related work topics.  Once we have done that, we now know each other as human beings, in addition to co-coworkers.  Consequently, our relationship has changed, and we generally react to each other with a lot more concern.  Normally, we become more supportive and that new relationship usually generates a more cooperative and productive relationship at work (Wilkinson, 2008, p. 66).

Aha: Insights for Effective Leadership and Management is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  To borrow this resource or any other resource, please go to the resource search page http://spectrum.cfaes.ohio-state.edu/

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Created: 2009-01-27, Updated: 2009-09-05