As a follow-up to my last blog post about absence of trust as a characteristic of team dysfunction, today we'll follow up two more:  fear of conflict and lack of commitment.  

Fear of Conflict.  Why does fear of conflict cause team dysfunction?  Because if your workplace is not "safe" for dialog about work situations, especially sticky ones, you are probably missing out on some of the best solutions.  Healthy discussion about the pros and cons of a problem bring out valuable perspectives that can help employees narrow in on the best approaches. 

Some of the symptoms of environments where fear of conflict prevail include:  1)  employees avoid discussion of topics that are crucial to team success, 2)  politics and personal attacks thrive, 3)  there is a lack of open forums where all team members express their thoughts/perspectives.

Overcome fear of conflict by creating an environment where new ideas and differing perspectives are encouraged.  Start by designating a few employees Patrick Lencioni calls, "miners of conflict".  These are stewards that encourage employees to share their thoughts and verbally encourage them as the discussion becomes uncomfortable.  The stewards also follow up with contributing team members after the dialog to remind them that the conflict they just engaged in is healthy for the team in the long run.     

Lack of Commitment.   Commitment is a team dysfunction for obvious reasons - if employees are not committed to your business goals and objectives, progress is stifled. 

Environments that exhibit symptoms of lack of commitment include:  1) employees aren't clear about team direction and priorities, 2) employees revisit discussions and decisions again and again, 3)  team members second-guess each other. 

Overcome a lack of commitment by honing in on clarity and buy-in.  Clarity exists when all parties understand the objectives of the project and their role in achieving the objective.   Buy-in exists when everyone is in agreement of the next step (this does NOT always mean agreement with the decision).   

One easy way to achieve both clarity and buy-in?  At the end of staff meetings, the team should review key decisions that were reached and agree who is doing what by when...and then the team needs to hold each member accountable.   

Sometimes merely "noticing" there are dysfunctions is the first step in eliminating them.  Hopefully by reviewing some of the symptoms of each, you can recognize which ones need work on in your environment!    Next time, we'll cover the last two team dysfunctions:  avoidance of accountability and inattention to results.

Of critical importance in reaching business objectives is making sure your people work well together.  If you haven't read Patrick Lencioni's, "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team", you might benefit from picking it up.  It is a fable (and quick read) about a CEO whose business is starting to fail mainly due to a critically dysfunctional team. 

Maybe you recognize that your own team has some struggles, but you're not really sure what is causing the turmoil.  Lencioni professes a kind-of-a Maslow's hierarchy of dysfunction as follows: 

His premise is that a lack of trust is the foundation (and cause) of many other dysfunctions.  Examples of behaviors where a lack of trust pervade include team members who:  1)  conceal their weakness or mistakes; 2) hesitate to ask for, or offer,  help; 3) jump to conclusions about the intentions or aptitudes of others without attempting to clarify them; 4) hold grudges; 5) avoid meetings and find ways to avoid spending time together.

How to overcome a lack of trust?  Certainly not overnight!  It requires shared experiences over time that include understanding and a building of credibility for team members.  One of the suggestions is...oh, no, dare I say it...team building exercises. 

Once the team buys into the vision of building trust, a simple exercise such as sharing personal history can work well.  In the next team gathering, go around the table and ask folks to share some information about themselves such as hometown, favorite hobbies, first job, worst job, etc.  This provides team members with the opportunity to relate to each other in another way and see each other as people with interesting backgrounds.  This encourages greater empathy and understanding, a few main steps in building trust and rapport. 

Next time we'll cover some of the ways to overcome the other dysfunctions of teams.  Stop back soon!

      

I can sometimes see why organizations treat the HR Department like it's a "cost center".   Typically, most HR departments operate as a transactional part of doing business (cost) rather than being a strategic partner or leader in making sure business goals are met (value added). 

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (you can read it here) highlights a few very real situations where companies tried to do without HR.  The most daunting story was of Outback, the restaurant chain, who, without an HR department, had to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit by forking up $19 million.  Another part of the settlement - hire an HR Executive!

Let's face it, HR is evolving and most of the transactional work like processing benefits and streamlining the recruiting process can be outsourced, saving a company money to devote to other more strategic initiatives.  This is where HR can really step up and play a key role in a organization - to understand where the company is heading and assist in the development of plans to get there.  After all, HR IS the function that helps manage the people who actually DO the work!   

One of the industry's leading change agents, John P. Kotter writes,  "You know your organization needs to change.  You may even know what the change needs to be:  a new strategy, a new IT system, an acquisition or reorganization.  But somehow, change comes too slowly or it feels like you're pushing a boulder up a hill, or the implementation of that great new idea has stalled - again."  Sound familiar?   Then you may need to create a sense of urgency. 

The success of any change initiative depends on the people who are leading it.  They need to feel like there is some immediacy to their actions.  Sometimes it is much easier to get started and much harder to keep the momentum going.  Here are a few ways to see change through to the end.

1.  Build a guiding team.  Pick leaders who have a vested interest in the change initiative.  Ask them to help identify critical issues and potential challenges that might hinder your progress.  Work with them to  help minimize the roadblocks and pave the way toward success.

2.  Communication.  Successful change projects have one thing in common - the leaders relentlessly communicate the visions and strategies to stakeholders and those impacted by the change.   Find various modes to communicate the same messages - email, meetings, town hall gatherings, company fun functions.

3.  Empowerment.  Change agents empower others who are committed to make an vision a reality.  You can't force change...and the more supportive feet on the ground, the better chances your initiative has for success.

4.  Short-term Wins.   Change takes time and there may be slip ups along the way.  The best way to keep employees focused is to celebrate short term wins.  At each step in the process, use celebration or recognition of reaching important milestones as a way to keep the momentum going. 

5.  Make change stick.   Find ways of institutionalizing the change into the company structure, systems and culture...make the change the "new" way.

Need some more thoughts on creating a sense of urgency for your next change initiative?  Check out Kotter's book, "A Sense of Urgency" here.