The Importance of "Voice" in Teams

Have you ever been in a team where only one person did the talking and no one else was “allowed” to speak or where everyone else’s opinion was stylishly discarded except for that one person? Am sure most of us have been. The concept of having or enabling “voice” in a team refers to ensuring that a team evolves to the point where each team member is able to express thoughts, ideas and concerns openly in the team without the fear of being judged, ridiculed, fired or punished. The concept of enabling “voice” in a team is also closely related to the concept of psychological safety - where each team member believes that it is acceptable for a team member to speak up about concerns, ideas, mistakes - without the fear of experiencing any negative consequence.

Creating an environment where every team member feels safe to use their voice is a requirement that all leaders should prioritise as this fosters collaboration, improves decision making, fosters innovation and improves problem solving. In industries where quality is valued alongside time to market, having everyone’s idea and input at the early stage of the development of a product helps to greatly improve product outcomes. This is so because mistakes are caught early in-house and improvement discussed openly. Asides from tech industries, industries such as the healthcare industry will greatly benefit from having all team members voice as an input towards innovation and decision making, this is because a team members voice could lead to a breakthrough in technology and better patient treatment outcomes.

Encouraging voice in diverse teams have also been proven overtime to lead to a broader range of solutions and approaches - which helps teams tackle challenges more effectively. Either from an experienced team member or from a new team member, speaking up about concerns and ideas should be encouraged at every level as this helps to build trust and respect amongst team members. Employees who feel heard and whose opinions are not always discarded have also been seen to be more satisfied in their roles. This sense of belonging and satisfaction leads to higher retention rate both within the team and in the organisation. Higher retention rates improves motivation within the team, reduces unnecessary recruitment cost for the organisation and improves the culture within the organisation.

In addition, teams that welcome different voices and approaches to solving problems are better equipped to identify problems early. For example, a tester in a cross-functional team whose input is always welcome by developers can be of immense benefit to the team, as issues and problems with the product will be identified early thanks to the testers expertise. This early identification of bugs will improve product quality, improve efficiency in the team as well as help to improve team dynamics.

In conclusion, a variety of viewpoints and opinions in a team encourages more thorough discussions about a particular subject or product. Teams that encourage and welcome everyone’s voice can make better informed decisions by considering different viewpoints, insights as well as reduce the bandwagon effect in teams.