You just started a new job at a global events company, and you have a big task ahead of you. The company is growing and succeeding like never before and they have locations all over the country, with new offices coming online every couple of months. The problem is, it feels like 20 different companies, all with unique, BIG personalities running the show and your team feels disconnected – from the company AND from one another.  And, no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to find the tools to fix it.  You feel stuck…  How much does connection really matter, anyway?

Defining Connection

We describe the driver of connection as a fundamental human motivation to have shared experiences, relatable feelings, and develop confidence with others.

Humans are hardwired for connection. We are tribal creatures, and evolutionarily speaking, we literally used to depend on one another for survival. In tribal times, if a hunter was injured while on the hunt, he depended on his tribe to provide him with food and healing care until he was ready to get back on his own two feet and resume providing. When a hunter was unable to hunt and provide for the tribe (the hunter not giving something), the tribe was still there to care for him and nurture him back to health (the hunter taking something). It’s the hard-wired nature of our brains for that connection that kept us together as humans, increasing our chance of surviving, adapting, and evolving.

So how does this translate into today’s workplace?  Even today, when our dependence on one another can feel different from tribal times, we depend on each other. It’s easy to see at work- those who have been ‘through the fire’ together- of an intense project, conference or business trip- form connections and have a bond that others may not share.

Humans are Motivated for Connection

Humans devote an enormous amount of time and energy in an attempt to connect with one another. A popular dating app, Tinder, had its highest amount of activity (3 billion swipes) when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in 2020. Other apps also saw significant increases over the next couple months when social distancing regulations were enforced and people stopped spending time together like they previously had. While  it’s easy to argue that dating apps or other technology like social media actually create disconnection in our society, it’s hard to deny that humans are intrinsically motivated to act in order to connect with each other.

Creating connection between humans leads to improved health and brain function. For example, when mothers are nursing their babies, the bonding hormone, oxytocin is released, which has been shown to decrease blood pressure, increase generosity, and improve performance even during a stressful task. As adults, engaging in a 20-second hug has been shown to result in an increase in the hormone oxytocin, which can reduce your blood pressure and improve your mood.

Humans suffer without Connection

Numerous studies have connected loneliness, or the absence of human connection with premature death, and other negative physiological symptoms. Research has shown that a baby who is not held, and not loved, even if they are being fed, and seemingly having “basic” needs met, will fail to produce sufficient amounts of the human growth hormone, their immune system development will suffer, and in some cases, they will even die.

When leaders connect people through the three “missing links” of openness, trust, and compassion, a culture of Community is created. Openness is a willingness to be vulnerable by disclosing your awareness of your own experience or what feels true for you. Trust is a firm belief that someone has your best interest at heart and has the ability and commitment to do what they said they would do. And Compassion is an understanding of how others feel with a corresponding desire to take action to support.

Organizations who foster connection between leaders and employees will create cultures that fulfill this basic human need, enabling those humans to lean in toward one another, increasing collaboration, compassion and community.

We have an entire module on our Insider Edge platform that focuses on creating connection at work. You’ll learn how to help your team feel connected to one another and be able to build teamwork by developing your own skills like openness, trust, and compassion. Join Insider Edge, today!

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