I’ve been working with a client whose organisation is going through a structural change. They are changing the way their people work by adopting the Agile Framework, where people work in clusters known as tribes and squads. Squads are small, self-managed teams made up of people with different professional specialties, and Tribes are larger groups made up of several squads. Reorganising a workforce around the agile framework is thought to foster increased collaboration, faster decision-making and greater autonomy for individuals and teams.
With regards to increasing collaboration from a psychological perspective, it’s important that the squad members 1. Like each other, 2. trust each other, 3. feel aligned around a set of shared values, and 4. are prepared to proactively help each other.
Movement Research
So what has movement, or dance, got to do with this? Research (e.g. Tarr, Launay & Dunbar, 2016; Wiltermuth & Heath, 2009) shows that when people move together, they report these four and other positive changes. When people move together in synchrony they report, amongst other things:
- An increase in how much they like each other,
- Levels of trust between group members goes up,
- People feel more similar to each other in terms of their values,
- People are more likely to show prosocial, helpful behaviour towards the other people with whom they have been moving.
Some Movement-based solutions
There are many ways of using movement and dance to foster collaboration between group members. Here are three to get you started:
- Walk Together
Go for a squad walk or hold a walking meeting. I know this may sound like a trivial thing to do but walking and moving together can have significant benefits in terms of social connectedness and professional cohesion.
For some academic evidence of the link between walking and social connectedness see Glover, Todd and Moyer (2022).
It’s one of the reasons why so much business is done on a golf course. Golf has been described as a good walk spoiled.
- Movement Dynamics
Notice the movement dynamics of your squad. Who is fast/slow, close/distant, big/small. Notice, without judgement, the impact different movement dynamics have on the squad – who is in front, who opens the door. Get to know the movement habits of your squad.
For a deep dive into movement dynamics and how movement might be applied in everyday life, read: The Mastery of Movement by Rudolf von Laban – first published in 1950 and still highly relevant today.
- Squad Movement Signature
Create a simple movement signature for your squad. It could be a basic clapping rhythm, an arm stretch, or a standing up/sitting down pattern that you might start and end squad meetings with.
For some short movement ideas, have a look at the Doctor Dance Catalogue where you’ll find dozens of doses of movement that will inspire you to move. Here’s a short example of a Dose of Doctor Dance (from the Doctor Dance Catalogue) that is perfect for facilitating connectedness and collaboration in squads:
Ready to Move Your Team?
If you’d like to take these ideas further, I’d love to help. I deliver the research-based, high-energy Doctor Dance Keynote Experience and Doctor Dance workshops that bring movement psychology to life for organisations around the world. You can also dive deeper into the science and practice through my book, The Dance Cure: the surprising secret to being smarter, stronger, happier or explore more resources and training at doctordance.com and academy.doctordance.com.
Dr Peter Lovatt
AKA Doctor Dance
22 September 2025
Contact: lindsey@doctordance.com
