“Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.”
Are the following dysfunctions plaguing your team?
Dysfunction 1: Absence of Trust
His definition of trust is the ability of group members to show their weaknesses, to be vulnerable and open with one another. High levels of trust reduce the fear of conflict, the next dysfunction.
Dysfunction 2: Fear of Conflict
All meaningful relationships require productive conflict for them to grow. Dysfunctional teams tend to avoid conflict by wearing masks and attempting to be nice to each other-artificial harmony resulting in a group of “yes-men” instead of a high performance team. By addressing conflict in a positive manner, teams can break through the next dysfunction, lack of commitment.
Dysfunction 3: Lack of Commitment
Commitment requires clarity and buy-in. For people to buy into something, their opinions and thoughts must be heard and discussed. Commitment leads to high levels of accountability characteristic of high performance teams and minimizes the next dysfunction.
Dysfunction 4: Avoidance of Accountability
Mutual accountability requires clarity about what is expected and how progress is measured. There must also be clear standards about who needs to do what, by when. Mutual accountability leads to the cure for the next dysfunction, Inattention to Results.
Dysfunction 5: Inattention to Results
Members of a healthy, high performance team place team results ahead of their own interests. This requires the leader to keep the team focused on results by making them clear for all to see and reward the behaviors that contribute to those results.
Imagine…The positive impact on your bottom line by having a fully engaged team of top talent executing your strategy everyday. . . with the following five characteristics:
1. Consistently demonstrating high levels of trust for each another.
2. Effectively addressing conflict when discussing ideas.
3. Assuring commitment to decisions and plans of action.
4. Holding one another accountable for appropriate actions as planned.
5. Always focusing on the achievement of collective, mutually established results.