Major organizational changes present significant challenges for teams. The functional dynamics of such changes are increasingly being examined in team research. Findings show that teams go through distinct phases in which their functionality and dynamics shift noticeably. For executives, HR leaders, and change managers, the key question is: How do change processes impact team dynamics, and what should leadership focus on in each phase?
This article uses data-driven insights to examine the impact of change on teams over time and provides concrete action points for leaders.
Contents
- How change impacts team dynamics
- Four success factors for strong teams in times of change
- Exclusive insights: These four success factors are critical in change processes
- Foster openness to change
- Making purpose and meaning visible
- Strengthening interface competence and collaboration
- Anchoring feedback as a stabilizing factor
- Steering change processes with AI-based insights
How change impacts team dynamics
Change affects team dynamics in multiple dimensions. The following aspects highlight where leadership can intervene effectively:
- Trust and uncertainty: Research shows that trust within the team and toward leadership is crucial to maintaining cohesion. Transparent communication plays a central role here.
- Team cohesion: During periods of disruption, measurable team cohesion often drops by as much as 25%. Subgroups with differing attitudes may form, leading to tension and inefficiencies.
- Communication patterns: Team communication changes significantly. More frequent but less in-depth interactions can cause misunderstandings. Structured, transparent processes are especially important during these phases.
- Feedback culture: Teams with an open feedback culture adapt more effectively to change, as they can respond to issues more quickly.
- Increase in conflicts: Both task-related conflicts (due to differing approaches) and relationship conflicts (due to stress) tend to rise during change. Effective conflict management can channel these productively toward innovative solutions.
- Role flexibility: The ability to adapt and shift roles is a key success factor. Teams whose members can flexibly assume different roles show greater adaptability to new demands.
Four success factors for strong teams in times of change
Analysis shows that team cohesion, trust, communication patterns, conflict dynamics, and adaptability largely determine success during change. Teams that actively manage these dimensions are more resilient.
But how can leaders act decisively amid uncertainty and complexity? In practice, four success factors have proven particularly impactful across all phases of change, driving both team strength and adaptability. These factors directly connect to the dimensions outlined above and offer actionable implementation strategies.
Exclusive insights: Four decisive success factors in change processes
Analysis of data from our unique team database of over 3,500 teams highlights four factors that have proven critical to successful change and have significantly strengthened both leaders and teams in client organizations:
1. Foster openness to change
A change-ready mindset is the most important starting point. Encourage curiosity, experimentation, and the willingness to embrace the unfamiliar. Change becomes a learning opportunity when a safe space exists for both mistakes and progress.
2. Make purpose and meaning visible
Especially in dynamic phases, teams need orientation. Clearly and repeatedly communicate the purpose behind the change. A shared understanding of the “why” strengthens identification, motivation, and clarity of goals.
3. Strengthen interface competence and collaboration
Cross-team collaboration is often underestimated but central to successful change processes. Initiate active knowledge exchange, transfer, and cross-team synergies.
4. Anchor feedback as a stabilizing factor
Continuous, constructive feedback fosters clarity, strengthens collaboration, and reduces uncertainty. Establish regular reflection formats, celebrate successes, and make feedback a fixed element of team culture.
Change demands a lot from teams but also creates opportunities. Leaders who guide teams intentionally, build trust, and activate the right levers can turn change into a productive force. The four success factors—openness, purpose, collaboration, and feedback—are crucial levers to strengthen teams during these phases. With the right leadership approach and a data-based understanding of team dynamics, change can be actively shaped.
Steering change processes with AI-based insights
The digital assistant for team leadership helps organizations manage change more successfully, quickly, and securely.
It enables leaders to maintain oversight, deploy team potential effectively, and react early to deviations—minimizing the typical productivity drop during change and securing sustainable success. Regular measurements and comparisons against a large benchmark of over 3,500 teams provide valuable AI-driven insights, enabling precise and targeted implementation of measures.
