By Pheona Croom-Johnson
In the evolving landscape of business and leadership, the ability to navigate the dynamics of a team has never been more critical. One of the cornerstones of effective team coaching lies in the journey from self-regulation to co-regulation. This journey is not just an abstract theory but a fundamental process that shapes high-performing teams and effective leaders. At Sandown Business School (SBS), we emphasise the importance of understanding and mastering these concepts to foster collaboration, innovation, and resilience within teams. This article delves into the interplay between self-regulation and co-regulation and explores the benefits and challenges that arise as teams transition from one to the other.
Understanding Self-Regulation and Its Importance
Self-regulation refers to the ability to manage one’s thoughts, emotions and behaviours in alignment with goals, values and external demands. In a team context, self-regulation is the foundation upon which individual members operate effectively, contributing to the collective success. High levels of self-regulation are characterised by emotional intelligence, the capacity to handle stress, and the ability to stay focused and motivated in the face of challenges.
Five Key Benefits of Strong Self-Regulation
To fully appreciate how self-regulation lays the foundation for effective team dynamics, let’s explore its key benefits.
1. Enhanced Decision-Making: Individuals with strong sense of self-regulation make decisions more rationally and less impulsively. This leads to better problem-solving and more strategic thinking within the team.
2. Improved Stress Management: Self-regulated individuals have better coping mechanisms for managing stress, enabling them to maintain performance levels – even under pressure. This stability contributes to a stronger, more resilient team environment.
3. Consistent Productivity: Self-regulation enables consistent focus and discipline. Team members with this trait can sustain their productivity over time, which is crucial for long-term projects or when working towards shared goals.
4. Positive Interpersonal Relationships: Self-regulated individuals are more likely to approach conflicts constructively and maintain positive relationships with teammates. This contributes to a collaborative and respectful team atmosphere.
5. Alignment with Team Values and Goals: Self-regulation gives individuals the opportunity to align their personal goals and behaviours with those of the team. This alignment is essential for cohesion and for driving towards common objectives.
Silo Teams
The Transition from Self-Regulation to Co-Regulation
As teams evolve, the shift from self-regulation to co-regulation becomes vital. Co-regulation refers to the process where team members not only manage their own behaviours but also actively influence and support the regulation of others within the team.
This transition involves moving from individual responsibility to collective accountability, where team members synchronise their efforts and create an environment of mutual support and shared regulation.
Understanding these processes is crucial. Let’s explore the six key processes that drive a successful transition to co-regulation.
The Process of Transition
1. Building Trust: The first step towards co-regulation is establishing a foundation of trust. Without trust, individuals will hesitate to be vulnerable or to rely on others for support in managing their behaviour or performance. As we know, trust is a forerunner in psychological safety.
2. Establishing Open Communication: Open and transparent communication is vital for co-regulation. Teams must develop norms where feedback/feedforward is constructive and welcomed. Where individuals feel safe sharing their struggles and successes. A team can then have a healthy attitude and approach to challenges, failures (remembering there is no failure only feedback!) and successes.
3. Creating Shared Goals and Values: Transitioning to co-regulation requires a clear understanding of shared goals and values. When team members are aligned with these, they are more likely to regulate their behaviours in ways that support collective success. If a team does not know its common purpose, how can it foster buy-in or develop accountability and ownership over the team’s outputs? Knowing one’s place in the team provides the autonomy needed to contribute meaningfully toward shared goals and values.
4. Developing Empathy and Perspective-Taking: Co-regulation thrives in teams where members empathise with each other’s challenges and perspectives. This empathy supports a productive environment, enabling individuals to step in with help or adjust their behaviours to accommodate others’ needs. Developing a robust, healthy approach to differences in perspectives will only enhance team dynamics. Without this development, teams may find themselves ‘walking on eggshells’ around each other, leading to stifled communication and ultimately reduced collaboration and growth.
5. Encouraging Interdependence: Successful co-regulation requires teams to embrace interdependence, where each member’s success is seen as integral to the success of the whole. This mindset shift transforms the team from a collection of individuals into a unified entity working towards common objectives.
Challenges in Transitioning to Co-Regulation
While the benefits of co-regulation are significant, the transition can be fraught with challenges. Understanding these challenges is essential for coaches and team leaders who aim to facilitate this shift.
1. Resistance to Vulnerability: Co-regulation requires individuals to be open about their weaknesses, struggles, and areas where they need support. Some team members may resist this vulnerability, fearing judgment or rejection.
2. Communication Barriers: Inadequate communication skills or a lack of established channels for open dialogue can hinder the shift to co-regulation. Miscommunication or a lack of feedback loops can disrupt collective efforts.
3. Misalignment of Goals: If team members are not fully aligned on the overarching goals and values, it becomes difficult to regulate behaviour collectively. Misalignment can create friction and reduce the effectiveness of co-regulation.
4. Dominance of Individualism: In teams where individualism is highly valued, the transition to co-regulation can be stunted. Individuals may prioritise their personal goals over the team’s needs, leading to fragmented efforts.
5. Trust Deficit: Without a strong foundation of trust, co-regulation cannot flourish. If past conflicts or unresolved tensions exist, they can erode trust and make it difficult for team members to rely on each other for support.
The Benefits of Co-Regulation
When teams successfully transition to co-regulation, the benefits extend far beyond just improved performance. Co-regulation enhances the dynamics, resilience and effectiveness of the team as a whole:
1. Collective Resilience: In a co-regulated team, members support each other through challenges, leading to a collective resilience that allows the team to bounce back more quickly from setbacks.
2. Enhanced Innovation and Creativity: Co-regulation fosters an environment of psychological safety where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas without fear of criticism. This openness enhances creativity and leads to more innovative solutions.
3. Stronger Collaboration: Co-regulated teams naturally collaborate better because they are attuned to each other’s needs and strengths. This results in more fluid teamwork and efficient division of labour.
4. Increased Accountability: When team members engage in co-regulation, accountability is shared. This reduces the likelihood of underperformance going unnoticed and ensures everyone remains committed to the team’s goals.
5. Improved Team Cohesion and Morale: A team that co-regulates effectively builds stronger relationships, as members feel supported and valued. This fosters a sense of belonging and enhances overall morale.
Conclusion: The Power of Co-Regulation in Modern Teams
In conclusion, the journey from self-regulation to co-regulation is integral to creating high-performing teams. Strong self-regulation provides the foundation for individual excellence, while co-regulation transforms that individual excellence into collective achievement. For team coaches and leaders, facilitating this transition involves building trust, encouraging open communication, aligning team values, and fostering interdependence. While challenges may arise, the rewards of effective co-regulation—such as increased resilience, innovation, collaboration, and cohesion—are well worth the effort.
At Sandown Business School, we encourage our students to not only understand these concepts but to embody them in their leadership practices. By mastering the balance between self-regulation and co-regulation, future leaders can create teams that are not only productive but also adaptive, innovative and ready to thrive in the face of any challenge.
Case Study: The Transition from Self-Regulation to Co-Regulation in a Product Development Team
Context: A mid-sized tech company formed a cross-functional team to develop a new product within six months. The team comprised members from engineering, design, marketing and sales, each bringing diverse expertise. Initially, the team operated on a self-regulation model, where individuals were highly skilled in managing their tasks and deadlines independently.
Initial Stage – Self-Regulation: In the first two months, each member was focused on their specific deliverables. The engineers focused on technical development, designers worked on the product interface and marketing planned the launch strategy. Each member displayed strong self-regulation, consistently meeting their targets and managing their workload effectively. However, as the project progressed, the team began encountering silos, communication gaps and overlapping priorities that impacted overall cohesion.
Challenges Encountered:
1. Misalignment of Priorities: While each member was disciplined in their own work, the lack of synchronisation led to misaligned outputs.
2. Communication Barriers: Feedback loops were infrequent with updates less often shared in time, many delays which was causing friction and confusion. There was no process set up for feedforward in the process – so everything was past focused.
3. Trust Issues: Without established trust, team members hesitated to share struggles or request help, fearing judgment or appearing incompetent.
Transition to Co-Regulation: Recognising the growing challenges, the team leader initiated a shift toward co-regulation. They began with trust-building activities, encouraging vulnerability through regular check-ins where team members could openly discuss challenges. A new communication framework was implemented, including daily stand-ups and a shared project management tool to provide real-time updates. The team also co-created a set of shared goals and values, ensuring alignment across all functions.
Outcome: Co-Regulated Environment: Within weeks, the team experienced significant improvements. They began supporting each other proactively. Designers consulted engineers early to ensure design feasibility, while marketing collaborated more closely with both teams to align messaging. Empathy grew as team members better understood each other’s pressures and they adjusted workloads to maintain collective balance.
Key Benefits Observed:
1. Enhanced Collaboration: The team’s synchronised efforts led to quicker problem-solving and fewer delays.
2. Increased Accountability: Shared responsibility ensured that any issues were addressed collectively, boosting overall performance.
3. Stronger Team Cohesion: As trust deepened, the team worked more fluidly, creating a unified approach to achieving their goals.
The project was completed ahead of schedule, with the final product exceeding expectations – a testament to the power of co-regulation in driving team success.
