SOCIAL INTERACTION

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A company has two sides to it.  It is a business selling products or services with the aim of making a profit.  An economic machine that succeeds based on sales, revenue, costs, margins. 

 

A company is also run by people interacting with other people; employees, customers, suppliers.  And humans are powerfully attuned to social interaction and feedback, whether they are aware of it or not.  They gain social rewards, the little emotional lift you get from human interaction, which flows from social connection.  People get validation from eye contact.  And casual social bonding releases the love hormone oxytocin.  These ‘boosts’ push the day along, easing difficult tasks and smoothing out moments of boredom or discomfort.

 

A company is more than a business, it is a social hub that delivers a large element of the day-to-day purpose and community in our lives.  Therefore it has a moral as well as a material existence, to deliver a common good to those who participate in its activities.  Companies can choose to accept and act upon this moral responsibility.   

 

Embracing Social Dynamics

 

Employees will find their own ways of communicating and develop their own network of colleagues and friends with whom they work well.  They will also develop mechanisms for developing those friendships, and common interests.  But employees are busy, and in large organisations it is often difficult to know with whom to develop a friendly relationship and having the time and opportunity for doing so.  

 

And not everyone is ‘a friend’.  Employees who are not friendly, and somewhat distant, are likely to be more constrained in their communications.  They need to assess each other’s different perspectives, and their approachability.  At such times, there can be a reluctance to express views, nervous of being judged, unsure of their role or when to speak.  The contribution can become inhibited to some extent.  It can be easier (and safer) to say nothing.

 

In some cases, communications can become confused, tense and disagreement can develop.  In these circumstances, resolving problems and finding mutually beneficent outcomes becomes difficult.  In the worst cases, disagreements and resentments can develop, and communications can effectively break down.  The company does not get the benefits of employees working together for a common cause and the success of the organisation.  

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‘Ideal' Way of Working 

 

To engage positively and fundamentally in people’s lives, for the benefit of the company, management must embrace the social nature of group dynamics.  It is relatively easy and inexpensive to create a social, friendly environment in a workplace.  At the core, it requires those in leadership roles to embrace a set of ideals, based on strengthening communications, and then lead from the front by embracing them on a personal level.  Management has this choice to make: action or inaction.  Leaders make the right choice.

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