Leveling Hierarchies, Building Trust: How Nature-Based Facilitation Advances Team Dynamics
“Nature dissolves titles and roles, leaving just humans.
That’s when trust begins.”
– Peter Senge
In Transformation Through Pattern Interrupts: Anchoring in the Power of Place, we examined how stepping away from routine environments into nature-based settings levels the hierarchical playing field, allowing for ‘pattern interrupts’ that transform and connect leaders and team players alike. We emphasized the role that the power of place has in affecting our patterns – for the better, when chosen with intention, but for the worst when we mindlessly lose energy in environments that do not nurture our full capacity.
Today we will further unearth the benefits that nature-based environments have not solely for renewing our patterns, but also for healing team dynamics. Let’s talk about the benefits. How, exactly, does nature-based facilitation advance team dynamics?
#1: Levelling Social Hierarchies
“I think a big thing that differentiates how we go about our work is understanding that people who are participants or travellers on our experiences are co-creators of those experiences.”
– Tony Cox
In your professional experience, would you say it has more so been the case that you either tell others what to do or are told by them yourself? Or, do you find you have experienced a more collaborative approach?
Chances are, if you have spent years or decades in the modern workplace, you are either experiencing or have experienced what it is like to be under the thumb of someone with a top-down approach. You have most likely been partaking in social hierarchies, feeling either ‘at the bottom’ or that you have to ‘work your way up’ a corporate ladder to gain further expertise, approval, and validation.
But this divide is manufactured as opposed to natural for humanity. Being in nature, as Terry Dubroy reminds us of in the groundbreaking book Transformative Education, brings us back to our most primal, simple, and fulfilling instincts. In the natural world, we meet the people around us on a truly human level, rather than constantly assessing how we ought to interact with them based on their title, social standing, or follower count.
#2: Encouraging Vulnerability
In our prim and proper uniforms, we can default to playing a part and putting on a strong, stoic mask to get through our days. We can become detached from our feelings and ability to connect with others emotionally when we are on the constant grind, and often shield our vulnerability as a defence mechanism, divorcing emotion from action.
Plus, the modern workplace system is too frequently designed to fry our nervous system. Rest and digest, the saying goes – but you know what it’s like on a hectic day when you work for hours straight without meals.
We’ve all been there, but the truth is that being in nature provides an environment where our nervous system truly has a chance to relax, even when there is still work being done and to be done in the future. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that just 20 minutes in a natural setting significantly lowers cortisol levels - a key indicator of stress when checks are out of balance - in adults. Similarly, research conducted by the University of Exeter revealed that people who spent at least two hours per week in nature were substantially more likely to report good health and psychological well-being.
When our nervous system relaxes, our armour comes down. We quit scanning our environments for threats and open our hearts and minds to energizing moments of connection that recharge us between tasks throughout our days.
#3: Renewing Communication
“If our communication only has a very shallow bandwidth at work, then we don’t really get to know people, right? When we connect in meaningful ways, which an outdoor environment often facilitates, we get the affirming feeling that we're all human beings doing our best here.”
– Tony Cox
Speaking of energizing moments of connection, time outdoors actually renews our ability to communicate with sophistication, clarity, and even depth.
Spending time outside in nature has been shown to renew and improve communication by fostering emotional openness, reducing stress, and enhancing social connection. Studies suggest that natural environments promote more positive social behaviours and increase the quality of interactions. For example, research published in the journal Ecopsychology found that individuals who engaged in outdoor group activities reported better communication and stronger social bonds compared to those in indoor settings. Similarly, a study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign revealed that exposure to green spaces can enhance attention and reduce mental fatigue, which in turn improves our ability to listen and engage thoughtfully with others.
These findings indicate that nature not only supports individual well-being but also creates the emotional and cognitive space necessary for more authentic and effective communication.
#4: Encouraging Authenticity
We all know the power of authenticity, and that all of the benefits of nature-based environments regulate our nervous system and make us feel more comfortable showing our true selves. But how do we actually embody authenticity as leaders, in turn inspiring the individuals we lead?
Consider the following pillars of authentic leadership, delineated by Thrive CEO Terry on Thriving Perspectives:
“Be present in the moment. Be mindful of the experience that you're in. Look towards the authenticity of things. Make a difference in the time that you have. Work towards things. Find positive solutions. Reach desired outcomes together.
This is all starting to sound like leadership to me.”
– Terry Dubroy
Overall, open environments level the hierarchical playing field, encourage vulnerability and authenticity, and renew the capacity for communication and finding meaning in a shared purpose.
#5: Re-inspiring Shared Purpose
With all of the prior principles noted creating a sense of psychological safety, the foundations for renewing team dynamics are laid. From there, what takes flight is a spirit of inspiration – people begin to reconnect to the deeper meaning behind the work they do, both within themselves and also with the people around them.
With the hierarchical playing field levelled, communication enhanced and more authentic, reflective, and vulnerable mindsets, the people on your team will become more open and impacted by the words you share about your company’s mission.
Journalling Prompts for Nature-Based Facilitation
While this post explored the values and conditions necessary to build trust through nature-based facilitation, leadership is more than just the thoughts we think – it’s the actions we take to initiate concrete change.
That’s why this journaling session combines prompts with exercises. If you’re ready to renew trust, communication, and more areas of your team’s foundation that are falling through the cracks, the questions below will be a small, simple, and rewarding first step for you to follow.
What could a nature-based retreat look like for your team?
What is an attainable goal that you could set to seek out this experience? (e.g., researching once a week for 30 minutes, or 5-10 minutes daily.)
While you are seeking out a nature-based experience to either facilitate or co-create, reflect on one thing you would like to improve in your leadership at the workshop/retreat based on the following principles explored:
Level social playing field (leadership approachability)
Vulnerability
Communication
Authenticity
Connecting your team to a shared purpose
