Looking to Lower Your Taxes? Try More Cohesion.

A disconnected team is a disengaged team. And disengagement? That's a tax no leader can afford to pay.​ Cohesion is a cure for disengagement. Are you and the leaders in your organization intentionally building and constantly reinforcing cohesion? When employees feel like they’re working toward something meaningful together, engagement skyrockets—and so do results.

Cohesion happens when people feel aligned, valued, and invested in a shared vision and mission. When teams lack cohesion, employees feel isolated, misaligned, or undervalued, and their enthusiasm for work diminishes. Silos form, collaboration suffers, and the organization's overall energy declines–disengagement has arrived. This isn't just a cultural issue—it's a performance problem.​

The Hidden Cost of Disconnection

Cohesion differentiates a high-performing team from one that merely coexists. According to Gallup's 2024 report, only 77% of employees worldwide are not engaged in their work. This lack of engagement leads to decreased productivity and increased turnover.

When teams lack cohesion, the cracks start to show in performance, culture, and retention. At its core, cohesion starts with shared values—but when those values aren’t clearly defined or reinforced, alignment crumbles. Here’s what that looks like:

• Silos & Poor Communication: Teams operate in isolation, hoarding information instead of collaborating. Without a shared foundation of core values, departments prioritize their own goals over the greater mission, reducing innovation and efficiency.

• Low Trust & High Turnover: Employees who don’t feel connected to their team or the organization’s values struggle to find purpose in their work. The result? A revolving door of talent as people leave in search of a workplace where they feel they truly belong.

• Missed Opportunities & Stagnation: When people aren’t aligned around a strong cultural foundation, engagement plummets. Employees hesitate to contribute new ideas or take initiative because they don’t see how their work ties back to something bigger.

  
  

Cohesion doesn’t happen by chance—it’s built through deliberate leadership, clearly defined values, and a workplace culture that reinforces them every day.

The SKOR Solution: Building Cohesion

Strong leaders don’t wait for cohesion to happen—they cultivate it. By leveraging SKOR to measure the cohesion within your organization, you can create an environment where employees feel connected, motivated, and engaged.

Here’s how:

• Establish a Shared Purpose: Employees need to see how their work connects to the bigger picture. Align teams around a mission that inspires action.

• Foster Trust & Recognition: People who feel valued work harder and stay longer. Recognize contributions that align with core values as a way to reinforce ideal behaviors.

• Break Down Silos: Promote open communication across departments. Cohesive teams innovate faster and solve problems better.

  
  

Cohesion isn’t just about making people feel good—it’s about driving real business results. When employees feel part of a united team, engagement skyrockets, productivity soars, and the Disengagement Tax starts to decline.

Don’t let disconnection derail your business and increase your share of the Disengagement Tax. Strengthen team cohesion and start reclaiming lost potential today.

Next week, we’ll explore how Clarity—the second C of SKOR—reduces uncertainty, aligns efforts, and empowers employees to take ownership of their work.