Understanding brain architecture to create high-functioning teams

“Our brains respond to social interactions in much the same way they respond to physical threats: with a fight, flight or freeze reaction. The key to creating environments that embrace varied perspectives and ideas – or diversity – is to start by gaining an understanding of the basic architecture of the brain.”

These are the words of Phyllis Ndlovu, CEO of Kisima Psychological Services, who says the brain goes into self-preservation mode in the face of a physical threat, shutting down our higher order thinking processes such as our ability to think rationally and innovatively.

“In much the same way, our brains automate the way we relate to each other in social settings and the workplace. If we have a certain way of engaging with others regularly, our brains automate the relationships we have with those people.

“When someone changes their behaviour toward us or acts differently, we tend to go into self-preservation mode because our brains don’t yet have a programme on how to relate to that same person in a different way than previously,” she adds.

This results in a threat response, which greatly reduces people’s capacity to make decisions, solve problems and collaborate with others in a meaningful way.

“When it comes to matters of diversity and transformation in the workspace, these automated ways of engaging with each other often come into play. Based on our unconscious biases or our previous experience of people who look and sound different from what is familiar to us, we are likely to make deductions about them, especially if we don’t have time to connect with them on a human level,” notes Ndlovu.

If co-workers don’t have time to connect at a human level because they are too busy or chasing targets, conversation becomes mechanical, ideas are not always heard and constructive suggestions are often ignored.

She says it’s difficult to hear the validity of people who have not been humanised. “Part of the humanisation process is to shift our brain programming to acknowledge those people we previously saw as ‘the other’ and therefore as a threat.”

When she runs diversity workshops, Ndlovu uses the basic precepts of the SCARF threat-reward model by neuroscientist David Rock, to promote team effectiveness, diversity and inclusion conversations.

From a diversity and transformation point of view, when leaders are aware of what happens structurally and functionally to the brain and put action steps into place to create an environment where everybody thrives, then productivity improves. If, however, they ignore the brain’s automatic responses, they will promote unhappy and distracted team members who don’t feel safe and are not as productive as they could be.

Ndlovu says team leaders may have a conceptual understanding of what they need to do to promote inclusivity, but practically leaders tend to feel paralysed in doing what is best for their teams and their organisations. “In the final analysis, people need to feel valued in order for them to contribute meaningfully to organisational goals, and that every voice matters.”

While every voice matters, a global study on high-performing teams has demonstrated the biggest variable in enhancing team performance is the equal representation of masculine and feminine energy. “This is not about how many males and females are on a team. Rather, it’s about feminine energy, which is more relationally orientated, balanced with masculine energy, which is more task orientated,” Ndlovu explains.

“Ultimately, for a team to get things done, they must be task-oriented, but they must also work collaboratively – and that requires a good mix of masculine and feminine energy. When you can balance this and understand how the brain can stymie or advance your efforts, you arrive at your finish line much more seamlessly,” she concludes.

Image credit: Freepik