Resource Center - Industry Articles
Is Your Team Dysfunctional?
December 8 2009
Think of the best team you’ve ever been on? What were some of the qualities the team exhibited? Trust? Communication? Supportive? Leadership? Accountability? Fun? Vision? Clear goals and objectives? Development opportunities?
Now think of the worst team you’ve ever been on? What were some of the qualities of that team?
When it comes to working in teams, it’s supposed to make our lives easier. We’re supposed to be able to accomplish more together. Yet how many times have we experienced that teams are a cluster of different personalities, work ethics, and ideas that end up in more conflict than collaboration? More “work” than “team”.
So what is the secret to team harmony and productivity?
In the book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”, Patrick Lencioni discusses five different areas of dysfunction that hinders teams. They are:
1. Absence of Trust
2. Fear of Conflict
3. Lack of Commitment
4. Avoidance of Accountability
5. Inattention to Results
The way this model works is that each dysfunction leads and contributes to the next. Let’s look at each one separately and in its transition.
Absence of Trust – Teams won’t have trust if their members aren’t willing to be vulnerable with each other. Vulnerable about what? Their limitations, mistakes and challenges. Too many times, we try to seem perfect and don’t want to admit our faults. This may be a protective move on our part – after all we were raised to believe that work is a competitive, “dog eat dog” world.
However, in a team (just like in a one-on-one relationship) vulnerability is the beginning of bonding. People who let their guard down and share some of their own insecurities are usually embraced, not rejected by others. So to build trust with others, sometimes we need to take the first step and admit we’re not perfect. If we share a little of our own foibles, we often find this allows others to do the same. If team members don’t have trust, this leads to a…
Fear of Conflict – If people don’t feel safe, they aren’t going to speak up. Period. So instead of getting everything out on the table, you have team members who hold back their ideas, concerns, and objections. People may look like they are in agreement (we’ve all seen the neutral head nod and mistaken it for “I’m with you”) but are not willing to speak up and disagree.
When that happens, you get…
Lack of Commitment – Most of us have sat in those meetings where there are some who aren’t on board with the rest of us. They aren’t speaking up, they may even be nodding their heads, but you know they haven’t bought into the decisions of the team. Without speaking up and sharing their concerns, they aren’t willing or able to fully commit to the next steps with the team.
Without their commitment, you have an…
Avoidance of Accountability – Have you ever gone to someone for something they promised you and it’s not done? What usually happens? You get a lot of excuses. And when you try to pin them down to when it will be done, it’s like nailing Jello to the wall. This is a sign of someone who wasn’t truly committed to the outcome. It’s impossible to hold people accountable if they haven’t really committed. And if you can’t hold people accountable, you will have…
Inattention to Results – You either get excuses or you get results. You never get both. So if you’re getting excuses when you’re trying to hold team members accountable –you guessed it– they aren’t producing results. Instead they become occupied with watching their back, managing their own careers, protecting their egos, and all sorts of anti-team behavior.
So what is the solution? Start at the beginning. Trust is the foundation of any relationship and must be constantly tended to. So if there are issues of mistrust in your team, they have to be addressed.
One way to start that process is with some type of team building exercise. I’m not talking about the kind where you fall into each other’s arms while singing Kumbaya. A simple self-evaluation that delivers each individual’s strengths and weaknesses can be a great way for a team to bond over similar and diverse personality types.
I know that every time I lead a Team Building using the DISC Behavioral assessment, even dysfunctional teams start to use the information to de-personalize conflict and understand each other better.
For more information on different options for team building, just send me an email at info@discwizardonline.com. Certified Behavioral Analyst Nancy Roberts, founder of iNsights and "The DISC Wizard", publishes the bi-weekly DISC Wizard Ezine. To subscribe, go to www.discwizardonline.com.
