In agile organisations, where the focus is on rapid high-performance delivery with continuous improvement, personal and team well-being can be overlooked. Either due to concerns about exposing vulnerability, or perceived as incompatible with the pace of high-performance environments, this approach is nonetheless a misconception. New findings show that agile organisations cultivating a supportive - and more humane workplace - outperform those that don’t.
At Kaleidoscope we advocate the philosophy that when organisations link mental well-being inextricably with their DNA, they create environments where teams can bring their whole selves to work, balancing personal pressures with professional demands in ways that improve performance instead of detracting from it. Our experience working with organisations confirms that companies who embrace this approach tend to survive longer, grow faster and are better positioned to shape the future.
The Workplace Well-Being Report
Recently, the Kaleidoscope Team were privileged to attend Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), in collaboration with October Health: Employee Well-being Index for the launch of The Workplace Well-Being Report
The Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), is globally recognised for its entrepreneurial thinking and excellence in advancing world-class business practices. GIBS notably circulates thought leadership and research findings, highlighting the importance of “humanising the world of work.
The Workplace Well-Being Report tracks the overall well-being of working South Africans, across three main domains:
The well-being domain has six distinct but related domains: mental, physical, financial, social, emotional and work;
The availability of resources in the workplace supporting well-being; and
The role of leadership in contributing to overall well-being.
The Well-Being Domain is a tool which asks critical questions to visually map key areas impacting us. We tested this tool on the Kaleidoscope team finding it to be hugely valuable enabling us to quickly move beyond the preliminary safety zone to delve into the areas needed to help us bring our best selves to work.
For example:
Well-Being Domain: Physical
Team Member A is spending long hours at work. As a result, he doesn’t have time to go to the gym so feels tense and frustrated. If he can realise that this is the real reason he feels this way, the solution then is to find ways to integrate a mid-morning session into his workday to help boost his energy. Problem solved.
Well-Being Domain: Financial
Team Member B’s spouse is creating a new start-up business which puts their finances under extreme strain. The stress of this causes Team Member B to feel irritable and preoccupied at work. Unpacking this with the team not only articulates the unrelated work problem but helps the team unite to devise solutions to help their teammate manage this stress.
Well-Being Domain: Work
Team Member C oversees a large work portfolio, which has recently expanded causing her anxiety about meeting delivery. Sharing this with the team enables the team to seek ways to help and alleviate the workload constructively.
Six well-being domains
Our Roadmap: Implementing Well-Being in Practice
The following examples serve as illustrative scenarios to showcase how we apply the insights from the Workplace Well-Being Report within the Kaleidoscope team. While these cases are fictional, they accurately reflect the types of challenges we address and the strategies we implement to create a balanced, high-performance work environment.
Team Monthly Feedback & Reflection
Our process begins with structured team monthly feedback and reflection, where every team member fills out a form designed to assess their energy levels, work experiences, and contributions over the past month. This retrospective exercise helps us gauge individual and collective well-being, identify recurring challenges, and recognise achievements.
A key component of this process is the battery gauge, which allows us to assess how energised or drained each team member feels. By tracking these responses over time, we can proactively address burnout risks and adjust workloads where necessary.
Beyond personal reflections, team members also provide peer feedback, acknowledging what their colleagues did to accelerate progress and where potential slowdowns occurred. This feedback is then compiled into a team insights table, such as the examples provided for John and Emily. These insights enable us to pinpoint trends, optimise workflows, and enable accountability in a psychologically safe environment.
By starting with this reflective process, we ensure that well-being and productivity remain aligned rather than at odds with one another.
Understanding Team Dynamics – Team Rankings & Ratings
Building on these reflections, we then turn to the Team Rankings & Ratings, which offer a holistic view of team sentiment. This includes an aggregate score of how the team is feeling, helping us spot fluctuations in morale and well-being at a glance. The rankings also provide a comparative view of energy levels, allowing us to assess overall team engagement and identify any shifts in motivation.
This visual snapshot serves as an early detection system, helping us take proactive steps to support the team where needed. Whether it’s recognising standout contributions, balancing workloads, or introducing additional support structures, these rankings provide data-driven insights that fuel better decision-making.
Turning Feedback into Action – Personal Insights & Key Takeaways
Once team members have received their feedback, they engage in a personal reflection process, as illustrated in the Personal Insights from John and Emily. This step is designed to help individuals internalise their feedback, extract key learnings, and consider actionable next steps.
By reviewing how their contributions impacted the team—both positively and where there were challenges—each team member gains a well-rounded perspective on their role and interactions. This not only creates self-awareness but also encourages proactive problem-solving and continuous improvement.
A crucial part of this reflection is identifying key takeaways from the feedback. This could include recognising patterns in their work habits, acknowledging areas for growth, or celebrating strengths that contribute to the team’s success. From here, individuals can propose potential solutions, set personal goals, or raise questions to the team for further discussion.
This final step ensures that feedback is not just received but actively used as a tool for development and collaboration. It creates a culture where transparency and self-improvement go hand in hand, reinforcing the idea that well-being and performance are deeply interconnected.
Resources in the workplace
“October Health is a proactive and phenomenal mental-fitness solution for large agile teams, which we can highly recommend.”
-Angé Hattingh, Kaleidoscope SA
October Health is a revolutionary mental health and well-being platform designed to meet people at every stage of their mental health journey. Awarded Best Health Solution in 2024 by FNB App of the Year, October Health combines live expert coaching with cutting-edge technology and resources, in a safe, confidential and comprehensive South African-specific ecosystem.
“It is no longer viable for companies to focus on profits and productivity without considering the comfort and contentment of those who must deliver these objectives. Employee well-being and mental health service providers like October Health can assist workers in their pursuit of happier, healthier lives within and outside of office hours.”
Are you leading a high-performance organisation and wish to assess the well-being of your business and teams? If you are looking to increase retention, job satisfaction and teamwork while identifying opportunities to grow, we can help.
Click on the free business assessment below to get started: https://kaleidoscopesa.consulting/free_business_assessment
Kaleidoscope guides high-performance teams towards an agile, New Way of Working (NWoW), enabling you to adapt, collaborate, innovate, scale and grow. Partner with us today to create healthy workplaces that are more human, collaborative and agile.
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