You have an all-star roster, every position is filled with people qualified for their role, every task is being completed, not a single process is falling through the cracks, yet you’re not hitting your targets and your goals seem to be falling further and further out of sight, so what’s the problem?
You have a dysfunctional team — that’s the problem!
The Five Key Sources of a Dysfunctional Team
1. Dishonesty and mistrust:
Have you ever been in a relationship where you don’t trust the other person? You don’t open up, you become suspicious and put a wall up to protect your feelings and yourself. Now, imagine having a whole team of people that don’t trust each other; brainstorming sessions, idea-sharing, and collaboration ceases to be effective because people are hesitant to share.
Being able to be open with each other is essential to a productive team and to do that, teams need to have trust and psychological safety. Your team needs to feel safe to be comfortable taking risks and being vulnerable in front of each.
2. Lack of healthy conflict:
When people hear the word, “conflict”, they often think of people engaged in a fight, but when it comes to conflict, that is not always the case; there’s healthy conflict. A passionate debate can shake out the cobwebs of stale processes and allow a team to create, innovate, and reach peak performance.
3. People aren’t committed:
If people don’t believe in the importance of what they’re working on or have a full understanding of their role, they won’t be invested and they won’t care about outcomes. Team members need to clearly comprehend their objectives and how their role contributes to the overall success of the team to truly be committed.
4. Accountability is unclear:
Accountability does not rest solely on the shoulders of whoever is in charge; high-performance teams hold themselves and one another accountable to their commitments and the results that they are striving to achieve. But, sometimes the lines of who does what can become crossed creating tensions among a team. To minimize unhealthy conflict, avoid power struggles, and territorial disputes, a clear understanding of how everyone on the team contributes needs to be clarified. Team members should be aware of reporting structures, their specific role, and the role of others so they can be accountable for their actions and responsibilities. Without that clarification effective communicate and healthy trust falters.
5. Unity and results are inadequate:
Teamwork makes the dream work — it’s true! Team building leads to effective and productive teams for a reason; when team members bond and feel united, they act cohesively rather than individually. Team member looking out for their own interests above shared goals breeds conflict, dissension, resentment, and inaction.
Effective, innovative, and productive teams trust each other, have healthy debates, know their purpose, are committed to the overall mission, and most importantly, work together!
Are you seeing the traits of a dysfunctional team among your employees? Contact us about how team building can help you eliminate: disengagement, dysfunction, and non-productive behaviors on your team.
Deseri Garcia
Most leaders struggle with disengagement, dysfunction, and non-productive behaviors with their teams. We deliver training that develops leaders and engages teams to increase your company results.