Want to reduce stress and improve team collaboration & performance?

Are you looking for a proven strategy to reduce stress, improve collaboration, productivity, and overall performance in your team? Why not explore the SCARF model, a powerful tool for creating a positive and supportive work environment.

This model was developed by neuroscientist, David Rock. It identifies five key social domains that influence our behaviour: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness. When we feel threatened in any of these areas, our brain perceives this as a threat to our survival, triggering the stress reaction in the body.

Let’s dive in and begin with probably the biggest threat perceived in the workplace:

Status

Status refers to our relative position in a social hierarchy, and it affects our sense of self-worth and confidence. “Where am I in the pecking order” is the subconscious rhetoric going on in the background. Historically, a perception of higher status, favoured survival, we only have to look at the titanic to see how this played out. Regardless of hierarchy, a perception of low status leads to continual low-grade anxiety which can be detrimental to performance.

In an organisational context, as a leader or manager what can be done to reduce this threat? It certainly isn’t all about pay increases and promotions. Giving praise and a simple thank you, light up the same part of the brain as an actual monetary reward and help reduce that threat. On the other hand, habitually jumping to the one error, continually criticising and questioning will only serve to keep the recipient in a continual state of threat, negatively impacting on performance and wellbeing.

Providing opportunities for employees to gain recognition and increase their perception of their status will help to reduce the threat and ultimately can boost motivation, engagement, and performance.

Reluctance to participate or speak up in a meeting is generally down to fear of rejection or judgement, a perceived threat to status. In other words, the subconscious is driving the message 'if I make a mistake or say something that they don’t like or agree with they will think I am not up to the role or title I hold'. Unfortunately this will be perceived in the brain in a similar way to a real life or death situation. Is it any wonder that so many individuals are terrified to speak up in meetings.

However if the status threat is understood and managed well, this can have a hugely positive impact in any team since without doubt, when we feel that our status is secure, we are much more likely to collaborate and contribute to the success of the team.

Certainty.

This refers to our sense of predictability and control. We all need a certain amount of uncertainly or variety in our lives to grow and develop but too much uncertainty particularly in times of change, drives the stress reaction, prompting us to make irrational decisions- we need only look at what happened in March 2020 when the first lockdown was announced- the world went out and bought up every toilet roll in stock…..hardly the most vital tool to save us from Covid!

In a organisational context, when employees feel uncertain about their environment or role, the stress reaction is triggered. On the other hand, when they have a clear understanding of the role and what is expected, they are much more likely to feel motivated and focused. In times of change, regular updates do wonders to reduce the sense of threat. Even if there is no update, communicating that message will curb the brains tendency to catastrophise – 'what are they not telling me?' is an ongoing rhetoric that only serves to send stress levels skyrocketing.

As a manager or team lead, clear expectations communicated effectively, including regular check-ins and constructive feedback can help employees feel more certain about their role and what is expected of them, moving them away from the threat reaction towards reward.

Autonomy.

This is one that is continually coming up in the current environment as a huge source of stress in teams. As humans, we do not like to be micromanaged. When we have no control over what we are doinig and feel like every move is being watched, it heightens the social threat and triggers a stress response, negatively impacting on performance. On the other hand, when we perceive that our opinion matters or that we can be trusted to make a decision or contribute in a meaningful way, the reward part of the brain lights up and productivity improves.

As a manager or team lead, providing opportunities for employee to make decisions and take ownership of their work, helps the employee feel more empowered and autonomous, thus reducing the stress trigger.

Relatedness.

The brain is continually scanning its environment – friend or foe, friend or foe?? It is wired for social connection and belonging. Employees who feel connected to their colleagues and the organisation as a whole, are more likely to be motivated and productive.

A perception of lack of connection has become a big challenge since the pandemic when many employees felt completely isolated with no sense of belonging or connectedness. There are huge opportunities for teams and organisations to work on this by creating simple opportunities for social interaction. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. I recently worked on this with a team lead and the feedback I got, was that a simple cup of coffee and chat with a couple of colleagues was a game changer and their relationship has greatly improved since making this a regular monthly thing. The impact on employee wellbeing and productivity of building a sense of community within the workplace cannot be underestimated.

Fairness.

Fairness refers to our sense of justice and equality.  A perception of unfairness in a work environment, triggers a very strong threat reaction leading to a surge of strong negative emotions such as anger, frustration and resentment. On the other hand, employees who perceive that they are being treated fairly are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs and committed to the organisation. Simple things like ensuring that policies and procedures are transparent and applied consistently or clearly and openly communicating decisions that impact employees also helps to reduce this threat.

The SCARF model is a valuable tool for organisations to understand and address the social needs of their employees. By paying attention to status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness, and providing consistent regular communication, teams and organisations can create a more positive and supportive work environment that reduces stress and encourages employee engagement, collaboration, and performance.

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