The Worst Team Dynamics

There are some A+ teams out there, and then there are some miserable failures. By that, I don’t mean groups with one or more dysfunctional individuals (although there are plenty of those). I’m more interested in the types of team failings that require everyone to be complicit. Can you think of a team where the individuals are smart, hardworking, and well-intended, yet the whole is less than the sum of the parts? That’s the kind of unhealthy team dynamic we’re talking about here.

What Goes Wrong on Teams?

Consider each scenario where the problem is less about a daft, dodgy, or derelict individual and more about a disastrous dynamic. Recognize any of these behaviors? Are you ready to put an end to them?

Working at Cross Purposes

You know you’re in this kind of team if the engine is revving, the tires are spinning, but you’re getting nowhere fast. You’re so invested in forward momentum that you’re too quick to spring into action before there’s a plan.  The result is that you miss necessary pieces, duplicate efforts, or invest in activities with little value.

If your team tends to shortchange planning in service of rapid action, try one of these:

Be the one who asks the questions to align everyone around the goals. “What are we trying to achieve?” “What would good look like?” “What are the non-negotiables here?”While in a meeting, track the activities each team member has committed to, then project the list on the screen and ask, “What’s missing?” “Where are there interdependencies?” or “Who needs to team up?”Request a pre-mortem to spend 30 minutes considering what might cause the project to derail and put steps in place to mitigate those risks.

Don’t just go along while your team races off in all directions. Instead, be the one who pulls out the map. For more on improving alignment on your team, click here.

Pretending You Don’t Know

Some teams are so reticent to have a challenging conversation that they carry on with superficial conversations, ignoring the more important underlying issues that threaten their success. You’re so concerned with appearances, so afraid of an uncomfortable conversation that you leave all the essential discussions for small groups who huddle in the meetings after the meeting. The result is that you carry issues, resentments, and risks without resolution.

If your team takes the passive-aggressive approach, pretending everything is fine, try one of these:

Encourage your teammates to be candid and model candor by saying, “For three months, we’ve been continuing as if this program is working. What information do we need to make a call on when it’s time to abandon it?”Redirect anyone who comes to you privately after the meeting by encouraging them to put the issue on the next agenda. Offer to raise it for them or role-play how they might broach the subject.Go straight to the heart of it by asking, “I feel like there’s a lot we’re not saying here. What are we pretending isn’t true?”

Don’t put up with passive-aggressive (or just plain passive) behavior if it means that you’re glossing over important concerns. Instead, be the one who gets the issues on the table. For more on dealing with passive-aggressive behavior, click here.

Racing to Harmony

Another common type of dysfunction is the team that abhors any kind of discord and responds to it with frantic attempts to smooth things over and restore harmony. You’re so wedded to the notion that a good team is a harmonious team that you forego diversity, dissent, and divergence and quickly coalesce around the good enough answer. The result is poor decisions, failed implementation, and damaged reputations.

If your team is loath to rock the boat, try one of these:

Invite someone to improve your thinking. “I’m coming at this with a biased head office perspective. I would really appreciate it if someone would help me anticipate the concerns of the field staff.”Throw out an alternate scenario that might challenge your existing plan. “I love that plan. I’m just wondering how we would have to modify it if interest rates go down again?”Provide positive feedback to someone who broaches a contentious topic or provides a challenging point of view. “When you disagreed with my assessment of the opportunity in Nevada, it got me thinking. I feel much better prepared to address any concerns now. Is there anything else you think I should consider?”

Don’t let your teams’ preference for harmony make you vulnerable to groupthink. Instead, be the one who adds some productive tension. For more on addressing conflict aversion, click here.

Ignoring the World Around You

Some teams operate as if they are in a glass bubble, protected from the world. Or, if not a glass bubble, maybe some kind of tableau where they can work away while nothing in the world around them changes. You’re so internally focused that you persist with plans despite evidence that they’re no longer valid. The result is failed execution, wasted resources, and eroding competitive advantage.

If your team fails to lift their eyes to the horizon, try one of these:

Share an article, video, or news clip highlighting a macro trend or an emerging issue contrary to the assumptions you’ve been basing your plans on.Ask questions of your customers, vendors, partners, and advisors and inject their perspectives into your team discussions.Highlight an assumption that forms the basis of one of your decisions and ask the team to provide alternate scenarios that would invalidate that assumption.

Don’t let your team get so internally focused that you spend your time solving problems that are no longer relevant. Instead, be the person who connects the team to the outside world. For more on understanding the external environment, click here.

Sometimes, groups of wonderful, talented, motivated people get together and achieve far less than they should. Some team dynamics just don’t pan out. And often, it’s because no one is willing to challenge what is a common human foible.

If your team is susceptible to one of these scenarios. Practice using these questions to call attention to the problem and point toward a more effective path.

Additional Resources

An Exercise to Expose Team Dysfunction in One Meeting

Top 10 Signs that Your Dysfunctional Team is Getting Better

Improve Your Team Dynamics

 

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