Feelings… emotions… connections… bonding. No, this isn’t a group therapy session or a self-help book.
They’re what a leader is focused on when developing and maintaining an affiliative style of leadership. In the eyes of the affiliative leader, when people and relationships are put first, a peaceful workplace environment naturally develops, leading all members of the team to feel supported and valued.
In its simplest terms, affiliative leadership is a people-first approach to leadership.
Leaders who utilize the affiliative leadership style work to create a true team atmosphere, a feeling of togetherness and, ultimately, a harmonious team. If you’re a leader looking to create strong bonds with members of your team, then you’re likely focused on developing your affiliative style of leadership.
The Affiliative Style of Leadership Explained
When leaders struggle to bring their team together, the whole process suffers. Creativity, teamwork, efficiency, productivity – they all require a team that works well together.
So, what do leaders do when members of the team just aren’t jiving, or when there seems to be a lack of cohesiveness? In some cases, they focus their attention on building those bonds and creating those connections between themselves and their team and between the members of the team.
In other words, they begin to adopt the role of an affiliative leader. Some leaders naturally lead in this style, but in most cases, an affiliative style of leadership is implemented as needed.
The affiliative style of leadership can be best described as inclusive. It’s all about adopting a style of leadership that lets employees know they’re more than just a number or a tool used to accomplish organizational objectives. In the affiliative style of leadership, leaders keep the focus on the employee, letting them know they’re all valuable and important. It’s a modern form of leadership that flies in the face of the traditional, top-down leadership role where it’s all business, all of the time.
Leaders ask questions to really get to know their employees, and most importantly, to show their employees that they care about them both as a person and as an employee. They also encourage employees to do the same with their colleagues.
In the affiliative style of leadership, employee well-being is prioritized, and strong emotional bonds are created between the leader and their employees and between all members of the team. In this environment, leaders are ultimately seeking out a happy, high-performing team where employees share a sense of belonging.
Exercises to Strengthen a Team-Based Workplace
A leader’s most important role in the affiliative style of leadership is to create an emotional bond with the members of the team. Open, honest dialogue; plenty of interaction; and a supportive environment where questions, ideas, and complaints are always heard and valued provide the foundation for a successful work culture that’s led in the affiliative style.
Here are some team exercises that will allow you to boost morale, increase lines of communication, and create the team-based atmosphere you seek in an affiliative style of leadership:
Shared Values
Demonstrate your team’s shared values by writing an adjective down the white board about what you hope to accomplish with your team. For example, you may write down the word “trust” on the board.
You’ll then ask your team members to describe what trust as part of a team means to them. For the next few minutes, you’ll encourage the members of your team to share their answers, which you’ll write down as a mind map on the board. For example, a team member may say that trust to them means “always speaking the truth to members of the team.”
Once the ideas are jotted down, you’ll ask all participants to explore what each answer means to them and how they would go about achieving this goal. Achieve consensus from all participants and dive deep into what building trust means to the team.
The results make up what the team will refer to as the team’s “shared values,” which will serve as a code of conduct for the team.
Workplace Stories
Learning from past mistakes is a big part of growing as an individual and as a team.
Assemble the team together in a comfortable environment and then ask each member of the team to share a negative work experience from a past job. As each team member retells their story, write down adjectives that you hear onto a whiteboard.
For example, some of the adjectives you may hear include “traumatizing,” “upsetting,” or “embarrassed.”
Explore with your team how these words make them feel and how you and the team can work together to produce more positive workplace experiences.
Two Truths and One Lie
A fun way to bring together members of your team and allow them to get to know each other better is through the Two Truths, One Lie game.
Before this group bonding exercise, ask each member of your team to think of two truths and one lie about themselves. Then, each person takes turning telling their two truths and one lie to the team. It’s up to the other members of the team to guess which is the lie among the person’s three statements. Encourage your employees to think creatively and this game is sure to be a hit!
Blind Artist
Outstanding communication is necessary for the vitality of a team. Here’s a lively game to improve your teams’ communication skills.
Divide your employees into two teams. Each team picks one person to be the blind artist. All other members of the team receive a picture of a common object, such as a bicycle or a dog, but they don’t show the picture to the artist.
It is up to them to verbally instruct the artist on how to draw the object without giving away what it is they’re drawing. The team whose drawing is closer to the picture wins!
Key Points of the Affiliative Style of Leadership
Chances are, you’ve achieved an affiliative style of leadership when:
- Employee morale and trust take center stage – Forming bonds and nurturing relationships trumps all else in the affiliative style of leadership.
- Feedback is consistent and constructive – In the affiliative leadership style, the leader takes the time to provide the members of the team with consistent feedback. Feedback doesn’t always need to be positive, but the leader takes care to balance positive feedback and constructive criticism to keep employee morale high.
- High standards of conduct are practiced all of the time – The team culture in the affiliative style of leadership is built on high standards of conduct. Here both the leader and the members of the team value honesty, integrity, dependability, respectfulness, and kindness.
- Communication is encouraged all of the time – Leaders in the affiliative style of leadership create an open-door policy where employees are always welcome to share their thoughts, ideas, struggles, and accomplishments.
The Pros and Cons of the Affiliative Leadership
Much can be accomplished when the affiliative leadership style is implemented:
- Greater job satisfaction and higher employee morale – When people feel heard and respected by their leader and by the other members of their team, optimism, confidence, and job satisfaction naturally follow.
- Improved productivity and efficiency – Because employees are happier and more content, they are inspired to give more back to the team and to the company, thereby increasing productivity and efficiency. An employee who feels supported is much more likely to put in a little more time to finish a project or go the extra mile to produce top-notch work.
- Better flow of ideas – Employees who feel comfortable in their work environment are likely to share their ideas with the leader and with the team, thereby increasing the quality of the work produced.
But it’s not always sunshine and roses in the affiliative style of leadership. There are times when this type of leadership tends to fall flat. Some of the drawbacks of the affiliative leadership include:
- Poor performance – Because employees feel so comfortable and leaders are so focused on boosting their confidence and building rapport, poor or inadequate performance can go unchecked for too long. And leaders may be unsure how to provide the constructive feedback needed to fix employee issues.
- Difficulty implementing big changes – When a more straightforward, assertive style of leadership is required to accomplish a big task or realize a specific goal, the affiliative leader may find it difficult to serve in a more autocratic leadership role.
- Less motivation to perform – Because leaders who utilize the affiliative style of leadership look to build emotional bonds with their employees, they are often viewed as unassertive or unintimidating. As a result, some employees may push their boundaries and become lazy, undependable, or careless with their work.
- A Loss of Focus – A focus on relationships and team harmony may cause leaders and team members to lose focus of the company or team’s true business goals, thereby resulting in major performance problems. Leaders in the affiliative style of leadership must be able to strike a healthy balance between caring for employee feelings and meeting organizational objectives.
What Does Affiliative Leadership Look Like? A Glimpse Into an Affiliative Work Environment
Leaders in an affiliative style of leadership create work environments where employees are valued and encouraged. Leaders serve as close mentors and confidants, thereby creating a work culture where support is always offered, and thoughtfulness and consideration naturally result.
Leaders in an affiliative style of leadership focus on achieving a well-rounded, supportive team atmosphere where you’ll find:
- Employees who have a clear understanding of what value they bring to the team and how their efforts contribute to team and organizational success.
- Employees and teams who are always learning and growing through training, constant feedback, and self-development.
- Leaders who ensure that every employee is being used to their full expertise and capability.
- Leaders who always make a point to recognize and reward employees and teams for their individual and group contributions and achievements.
- Leaders who ensure that all employees and teams have access to a bevy of resources and support that allows them to perform to their fullest expertise and capability.
- Leaders who demonstrate their trust in their employees by giving them the space to work autonomously and rise to the occasion. Employees in this environment feel empowered and liberated as a result.
- Leaders who are always willing to engage with, and learn from, the members of their team.