How Does Working Together Strengthen A Friendship? Enhancing Mental Health And Social Connections

Whether you’re working on a passion project alongside someone you’ve been friends with since you were children or forging a new friendship with a colleague or classmate, collaboration can be an effective way to deepen your connection. However, collaboration can also mean confronting obstacles, navigating different working styles, and managing potential conflicts. 

Here, you’ll learn how working together with old or new friends can strengthen a relationship and discover some common challenges of collaborating with friends. We’ll also explore some practical tips for ensuring that both the relationship and the work thrive throughout your shared endeavor so you can achieve your goals and build a stronger friendship. 

How does working together strengthen a friendship?

Shared experiences are foundational to all relationships, and working together towards a common goal can be a particularly intimate experience. Whether working on a team or in a pair, collaboration can deepen both emotional and intellectual intimacy. For instance, you may develop a more nuanced understanding of one another’s strengths and shortcomings or gain a new appreciation for how their mind works.

Working together can also mean being faced with challenges that test both communication and problem-solving skills. In navigating these challenges, you may find yourselves relying on each other for both practical and emotional support. This dynamic of mutual reliance can foster trust, allowing you to feel safe investing more in the friendship. 

Common challenges of working with friends

While working together can add dimension to a friendship, it can also create the opportunity for tension. This tension may arise within the friendship, where conflict surrounding a shared goal may impact the connection. Tensions may also affect a team or organization. For example, friendship may create distraction or cause conflict between formal and informal roles. Here are some key challenges to be aware of:

• Blurred boundaries: In professional settings, friendships can blur the boundaries between work and personal life. This can complicate one’s ability to manage feedback, set expectations, and keep work performance separate from friendship dynamics. The friendship may also become more vulnerable, as work-related disagreements could potentially spill over into the personal relationship.
• Differing expectations: While a friendship dynamic may come naturally, friends may have different approaches to work or a different idea about how to tackle a particular task. For instance, one person may tend towards meticulous planning and structure while the other takes a more flexible approach. 
• Communication issues: Direct communication and honest feedback are vital within professional and academic settings; however, friends may hesitate to offer candid critiques out of concern for preserving the friendship. The friendship dynamic can also lead to more casual communication, resulting in a lack of professionalism that may affect clarity, expectations, and productivity.
• Conflict resolution: Due to the emotional dimension of the relationship, friends may find it more challenging to work through conflict. The personal connection can make it harder to address disagreements objectively, as emotions may cloud judgment or cause individuals to avoid difficult conversations altogether. 

5 tips for fostering friendships and social connection through teamwork

While working with friends can be somewhat more complex than collaborating with professional contacts, friendships often benefit from the trust, communication, and mutual effort that underpins effective teamwork. With these tips, you may be able to build a more solid friendship and thrive in your shared endeavor:

1. Set clear expectations

Level-setting involves setting clear expectations and aligning goals within your team to ensure a shared understanding of the task at hand. Before the work begins, sit down with your friend to establish expectations, roles, and responsibilities. You might also identify potential obstacles, discuss communication preferences, and set some boundaries aimed at preserving the friendship.

2. Use good communication skills

Effective communication is key to strong teams and strong friendships. Practice active listening, be open to giving and receiving feedback, and express your thoughts clearly and respectfully. It may help to schedule regular check-ins to maintain lines of communication and address any issues before they escalate.

3. Balance work and friendship

Maintaining a balance between work and friendship is essential for preserving both the friendship and the effectiveness of your team. Be sure to schedule social time to nurture the personal side of your relationship, and try to keep discussions about work to a minimum. If you find that work issues are seeping into your interactions, it may be necessary to establish clearer boundaries.

4. Maintain boundaries

Clear boundaries are essential for ensuring your friendship can thrive in both personal and professional contexts. Talk to your friend about how to keep your joint pursuit separate from your personal relationship, whether it be using separate communication channels or setting designated times for work discussions.  

5. Approach conflicts with care

Working together often means working through conflict, and there may be times when you and your friend must have difficult conversations in order to make progress as a team. Try to communicate calmly and respectfully, framing the issue as a challenge to overcome as a team rather than an argument. 

Communication skills for managing conflict with friends

Navigating conflicts within a team can be challenging, especially when working with a friend. Effective communication becomes essential in these situations to ensure that disagreements don’t damage the relationship. Here are some practical conflict management strategies:

• Stay calm and composed: While it can be tough to remain calm when tensions are high, try to avoid reacting impulsively. Instead, take time to think before you respond, remaining mindful of your tone, body language, and choice of words.
• Identify common ground: It can help to establish points of alignment early on in the discussion. Reinforce your shared goals, values, and expectations for the project before you move onto the issue you’re seeking to resolve.
• Listen and understand: Give your friend a chance to express themselves without interruption, then reflect back what they say to show that you understand. Make a genuine effort to understand their perspective so you can find a workable solution.
• Stay focused on solutions: Rather than dwelling on the problem, try to redirect the conversation towards finding a mutually beneficial resolution. Be willing to compromise and make concessions if necessary to maintain harmony and benefit the project.
• Keep your sense of humor: Humor can be an effective way to de-escalate tensions and lighten the mood. A well-timed joke or lighthearted comment can help diffuse conflict, ease frustration, and recenter your friendship amidst your differences.

Fostering connection and social support with team-building activities

Team-building activities can be an effective way to strengthen friendships and encourage a supportive social atmosphere within a team. Whether you’re managing a team or seeking to build friendships with your colleagues or classmates, you might consider planning an activity or social event to foster connection, communication, and shared purpose. 

Escape rooms, scavenger hunts, and other problem-solving activities are popular choices for encouraging teamwork and collaboration in a fun and engaging way. For casual, low-stress team-building, you might consider hosting a weekend picnic or after-work happy hour. Volunteering together for a local charity can also be an effective way to strengthen social bonds among teammates. 

Looking to enhance your social skills?

Connect with a therapist.

Mental health support for overcoming social isolation

If you’re struggling to connect meaningfully with others and build close relationships, it may be worth discussing your situation with a licensed therapist. Evidence-based interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT) can help you set and work towards goals, develop stronger social skills, and address any underlying issues that may be affecting you socially.

Through online therapy platforms like BetterHelp, you can attend weekly sessions with a licensed mental health professional from the comfort of home, plus benefit from group sessions, digital therapy worksheets, and in-app messaging with your therapist. Research suggests that online therapy can be just as effective as in-person therapy in many cases and may be preferable for those seeking a more convenient and cost-effective course of treatment.

Takeaway

Working together can strengthen a friendship by fostering trust and mutual understanding through shared experience. It can also create opportunities to learn effective communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, which can serve you in your personal and professional life. If you’re struggling to connect meaningfully in an academic or professional environment, you might consider meeting with a therapist.