90% of employees aren't getting along with their coworkers

Getting along with coworkers can be a challenge for many employees, and issues are often exacerbated when they find themselves on the same team. 

Ninety percent of employees have encountered difficulties with the team they're a part of at work, according to a report from organizational development platform TeamDynamics. And when teams can't get along within organizations, it can have widespread negative effects on the company as a whole. 

"When you have bad team dynamics, productivity suffers significantly," says Christopher Morrison, founder of TeamDynamics. "That's because when a team is out of alignment and they aren't given the tools they need to find a way to cope, you're adding an unnecessary layer of stress and tension — things that over time lead to stress, burnout and disengagement." 

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As for what's driving the disconnect within teams, 91% of individuals said they have working preferences that don't align with their team's core behaviors, 70% of employees prefer detailed project plans while only 27% of teams implement them, and over half of teams blamed their teams' rigid communication style for hindering their adaptability and efficiency. 

However, much of the disconnect between team members may be due to their own leaders. Nearly two-thirds of managers misunderstand their team's behaviors, according to TeamDynamic's findings, and it's negatively influencing organizational dynamics more than they may think. 

"There's a classic saying that goes: 'If you can measure it, you can manage it.' The flip side of that is if you can't measure it, you can't manage it — that's what's true here," Morrison says. "Managers have to have a way to benchmark the quantitative aspects of their team better. How is your team working? How are individuals relating to your team? That's one of the most powerful things they can deliver." 

Platforms like TeamDynamics can help facilitate conversations between managers and their teams as well as analyze those conversations to outline areas where the team needs more support. Investing in communication platforms also gives employees a common outlet, and encourages them to resolve many of their issues among themselves. 

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"Participating in those sorts of team conversations is really important," Morrison says. "It fosters a willingness [for employees] to speak up when there are circumstances where they feel more or less comfortable, and come up with strategies they can implement as an individual to cope with that tension and stress to overcome those areas of misalignment." 

In the end, Morrison encourages teams to go above and beyond their current communication strategies — especially now that a majority of the workforce faces remote or hybrid settings, which can often heighten misunderstandings and miscommunication. 

"We're all adults and we all have a role to play in creating the team environment that we want," he says. "It's not just about showing up when you have conversations about this, it's also about the actions you take as individuals — whether you're a teammate or you're a manager — for the organization."