Summary of the five dysfunctions:
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| Five dysfunctions of a team |
1. **Lack of Trust:** This dysfunction emerges when team members are unwilling to show vulnerability. When individuals are not open about their mistakes, weaknesses, or concerns, it prevents the team from building a solid foundation of trust. Trust is crucial for effective teamwork, as it fosters an environment where members feel safe to take risks and communicate honestly.
2. **Fear of Conflict:** Without trust, teams struggle to engage in constructive conflict. Instead of having open and passionate discussions about ideas, team members tend to avoid conflict or engage in superficial and guarded conversations. This avoidance prevents the team from addressing important issues and hinders innovation and problem-solving.
3. **Lack of Commitment:** When team members do not voice their opinions and engage in healthy conflict, they fail to fully commit to decisions. Even if they appear to agree during meetings, their lack of genuine engagement means they are not truly invested in the outcomes. This lack of commitment leads to ambiguity and inconsistency in the team's actions and goals.
4. **Avoidance of Accountability:** Without a clear commitment to a shared plan, team members hesitate to hold each other accountable for their actions and behaviors. This reluctance to confront peers about performance issues or unproductive behavior can lead to a decline in team standards and overall effectiveness. Accountability is essential for maintaining high performance and achieving team goals.
5. **Inattention to Results:** When team members are not held accountable, they may prioritize their individual needs, such as personal recognition, career advancement, or departmental goals, over the collective objectives of the team. This focus on personal or divisional success undermines the team's overall performance and can lead to missed targets and suboptimal outcomes. To succeed, teams must prioritize the group's results above individual interests.
Below are several highlights that I find useful:
1. Start your speech
...Kathryn smiled at her staff and addressed them calmly and gracefully.
“Good morning, everyone. I’d like to start the day by saying a few words. And this won’t be the last time I say them.” No one knew just how serious Kathryn was about that remark.
“We have a more experienced and talented executive team than any of our competitors. We have more cash than they do. Thanks to Martin and his team, we have better core technology. And we have a more powerful board of directors. Yet in spite of all that, we are behind two of our competitors in terms of both revenue and customer growth. Can anyone here tell me why that is?”
Silence.
Kathryn continued, still as warmly as when she started.
“After interviewing with every member of our board and spending time with each of you, and then talking to most of our employees, it is very clear to me what our problem is.” She paused before completing the thought.
“We are not functioning as a team. In fact, we are quite dysfunctional.”
A few of the staff members shot glances toward Jeff to see how he would react. He seemed fine, but Kathryn picked up on the tension.
“I’m not saying this to call out Jeff, or anyone else, in particular. It’s just a fact. One that we are going to begin addressing over these next two days. And, yes, I know how ridiculous and unbelievable it feels for you to be out of the office for so many days this month. But by the end of it all, everyone who is still here will understand why this is so important.”
That last comment got everyone’s attention.
“That’s right. I want to say right up front that DecisionTech is going to experience some changes during the next few months, and it is very possible that some of us here won’t find the new company to be the kind of place where we want to be. That isn’t a threat or a dramatic device, and I don’t have anyone in particular in mind. It’s just a realistic probability, and it’s nothing to be in denial about. All of us are eminently employable, and it wouldn’t be the end of the world for anyone to leave if that is the right thing for the company—and the team.”
...
“I want to assure you that there is only one reason that we are here at this off-site, and at the company: to achieve results. This, in my opinion, is the only true measure of a team, and it will be the focus of everything we do today and as long as I’m here. It is my expectation that next year and the year after that, we will be able to look back on revenue growth, profitability, customer retention, and satisfaction, and if the market is right for it, maybe even an IPO.
But I can promise you that none of that will happen if we do not address the issues that are preventing us from acting like a team.”
2. Absence of Trust
"Trust is the foundation of real teamwork. And so the first dysfunction is a failure on the part of team members to understand and open up to one another. And if that sounds touchy-feely, let me explain, because there is nothing soft about it. It is an absolutely critical part of building a team. In fact, it’s probably the most critical."
"Great teams do not hold back with one another," she said. “They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal.”
Most of the staff seemed to be accepting the point, but without a lot of enthusiasm.
Kathryn pushed on. “The fact is, if we don’t trust one another—and it seems to me that we don’t—then we cannot be the kind of team that ultimately achieves results. And so that is where we’re going to focus first.”
3. A lack of debates likely means a lack of trust
“Theoretically, if everyone is completely on the same page and working in lockstep toward the same goals with no sense of confusion, then I suppose a lack of debate might be a good sign. But I’d have to say that every effective team I’ve ever observed had a substantial level of debate. Even the most trusting teams mixed it up a lot.”
4. Meeting rules
Kathryn remained calm and continued to speak in a measured tone. “I think this is a good time to talk about ground rules for the off-site and for our meetings going forward.”
Martin looked up from his computer, and Kathryn continued, directing her comments to the entire group. “I don’t have a lot of rules when it comes to meetings. But there are a few that I’m a stickler about.”
Everyone waited for her to begin.
“Basically, I want you all to do two things: be present and participate. That means everyone needs to be fully engaged in whatever we’re talking about.”
Even Martin knew when to pull back a little. He asked a question, but in a slightly conciliatory tone that the group was not accustomed to hearing from their chief scientist. “What about when the conversation is not relevant to everyone? Sometimes it seems that we talk about issues that would best be handled off-line. One-on-one.”
“That’s a good point.” Kathryn was reeling Martin in now. “If there is ever a time when we think that we’re wasting the group’s time by dealing with issues that should be dealt with outside the meeting, then everyone here should feel free to speak up.”
5. Inattention to results
“We are going to the top of the chart now to talk about the ultimate dysfunction: the tendency of team members to seek out individual recognition and attention at the expense of results. And I’m referring to collective results—the goals of the entire team.”
Nick asked, “Is this about ego?”
“Well, I suppose that’s part of it,” agreed Kathryn. “But I’m not saying that there’s no place for ego on a team. The key is to make the collective ego greater than the individual ones.”
...
“And as harsh as that may sound, Ken always says that his job is to create the best team possible, not to shepherd the careers of individual athletes. And that’s how I look at my job.”
...
“So let me make this simple. Our job is to make the results that we need to achieve so clear to everyone in this room that no one would even consider doing something purely to enhance his or her individual status or ego. Because that would diminish our ability to achieve our collective goals. We would all lose.”
Something seemed to be catching on just slightly, so Kathryn pushed forward. “The key, of course, is to define our goals, our results, in a way that is simple enough to grasp easily, and specific enough to be actionable. Profit is not actionable enough. It needs to be more closely related to what we do on a daily basis. And to that end, let’s see if we can come up with something right now.”
6. How to apologize and double down
... Kathryn waited until no more comments came, and then responded. “First of all, I am sorry if my comment sounded flip. You’re right in that I haven’t worked in high tech, and so my reference point could be a little off.” She let the partial apology sink in before continuing and made sure not to begin her next sentence with the word but. “And I certainly don’t want to come across as condescending to you, because that doesn’t help us get where we need to go.”
Then double down on her point:
... “At the same time, I don’t want to downplay the very dangerous situation that we’re all in. We have big problems, and I’ve observed enough of this group to know that politics are alive and well here.” As graciously as she acknowledged the concerns of her people, Kathryn was certainly not backing down. “And frankly, I would rather overstate the problem than understate it. But only for the good of the team, not for my own satisfaction. I can assure you of that.”
7. What is politics?
"Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think."
8. Fear of conflict
“If we don’t trust one another, then we are not going to engage in open, constructive, ideological conflict. And we’ll just continue to preserve a sense of artificial harmony.”
9. Artificial harmony
Carlos weighed in. “But why is harmony a problem?”
“It’s the lack of conflict that’s a problem. Harmony itself is good, I suppose, if it comes as a result of working through issues constantly and cycling through conflict. But if harmony comes only as a result of people holding back their opinions and honest concerns, then it’s a bad thing. I’d trade that false kind of harmony any day for a team’s willingness to argue effectively about an issue and then walk away with no collateral damage.”
11. Lack of commitment
"The next dysfunction of a team is the lack of commitment and the failure to buy in to decisions. And the evidence of this one is ambiguity".
"... committing to a plan or a decision, and getting everyone to clearly buy in to it. That is why conflict is so important. When people don't unload their opinions and feel like they've been listened to, they won't really get on board".
But this is not a consensus thing. Consensus is horrible. I mean, if everyone really agrees on something and consensus comes about quickly and naturally, well that's terrific. But that isn't how it usually works and so consensus becomes an attempt to please everyone - which usually turns into displeasing everyone equally. Some teams get paralyzed by their need for complete agreement, and their inability to move beyond debate."
"Disagree and commit. You can argue about something and disagree, but still commit to as though everyone originally bought into the decision completely. Even if people are generally willing to commit, they aren't going to do so because they need to weigh in before they can really buy in"
Extras about the need to weigh in before buy in, from "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/create-buy-in-dont-skip-weigh-in-rebekah-kondrat/"
Asking "What are your thoughts on this?" may seem simple, but it holds significant power in effective leadership. Many leaders struggle to ask this question regularly because they believe leadership involves giving directives. While it's true that leadership involves guiding and directing, it's also about achieving goals through others. By asking for input instead of merely issuing orders, leaders can unlock a wealth of benefits for their teams and organizations.
Autonomy Enhances Intelligence
Employees today seek meaningful work where their unique talents and experiences make a positive impact. In a fast-moving job market, they want to stay in roles where they feel valued and influential. Allowing team members to weigh in on decisions gives them a sense of control over their work. This sense of autonomy is crucial for maintaining cognitive functions. As Professor of Neuroscience Amy Arnsten from Yale explains, "The loss of prefrontal function only occurs when we feel out of control. Even if we have the illusion that we are in control, our cognitive functions are preserved."
In essence, when people feel they have control over their work, their ability to focus, plan, and prioritize remains intact. Autonomy doesn't mean everyone gets to do whatever they want, but it does mean they have a voice in the process. Even if a decision goes in a different direction than what an individual suggested, the act of being heard is effective in gaining buy-in and preserving positive behaviors. This approach not only makes employees feel valued but also helps them become more engaged and productive.
12. Avoidance of accountability
"Once we achieve clarity and buy-in, it is then that we have to hold each other accountable for what we sign up to do, for high standards of performance and behavior."
However, most people hate to do' it, especially when it comes to a peer's behavior, because they want to avoid interpersonal discomfort."
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