The Third Dysfunction: Lack of Commitment

Happy New Year!  I know its been a while since I’ve posted, and I wanted to acknowlege that this is my first communication to you this year!  Wishing you a happy, healthy & prosperous 2009!

 

In this blog, I continue to comment on Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, which book outlines a model of teamwork for organizations, and discusses five typical ‘dysfunctions’ of a team which need to be addressed and solved in order for a team to successfully work its magic.  The first dysfunction was Absence of Trust and the second dysfunction was Fear of Conflict, which I discussed in my previous post, Can your ‘Bad Boss’ Really Kill You? The Second Dysfunction of a Team.

 

The Third Dysfunction – Lack of Commitment – is the failure of team members to buy into a decision, i.e. committing to a plan or a decision, and failing to get everyone on the team to clearly buy into it.  The evidence of the existence of this dysfunction is ambiguity.

 

Lencioni feels it is important to have discussions or debate (often passionate!) and therefore, possibly conflict when an idea or plan is tabled.  When team members don’t speak up, express their opinions, or ask their questions, they don’t feel like they’ve been heard, and they won’t really come on board with the decision, although they may feign agreement in meetings.

 

I wonder how this might show up in your personal relationships?!

 

Lencioni is clear that its not about consensus.  “…most reasonable people don’t have to get their way in a discussion. They just need to be heard, and to know that their input was considered and responded to.”

 

If the previous dysfunction, Fear of Conflict, is not addressed and handled, it will be virtually impossible for a team to get past Lack of Commitment.  If team members are afraid to air their views, they will rarely buy in and commit to decisions.  Members of a truly cohesive team will trust one another, engage in unfiltered conflict (healthy debate) around ideas, and commit to decisions and plans of action that are good for the team or organization as a whole.

 

For the team assessment (mentioned in my first post about the book), score your team - on a scale of 1 to 3 (1=Rarely, 2=Sometimes, 3=Usually) – on the following statements relating to the dysfunction of Lack of Commitment:

 

1.  Team members know what their peers are working on and how they contribute to the collective good of the team.

2.  Team members leave meetings confident that their peers are completely committed to the decisions that were agreed on, even if there was initial disagreement.

3.  Team members end discussions with clear and specific resolutions and calls to action.

 

What’s your total score?  The scoring system is described in my previous post regarding Absence of Trust.

 

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If you are curious about what Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching can do for you and your business partnership or team, feel free to send me an email at trilogy@pathcom.com to request a complimentary sample session.

Warmly,
Jennifer

Can your ‘Bad Boss’ Really Kill You? The Second Dysfunction of a Team

An article in our national paper today (The Globe and Mail, November 25, 2008) entitled “Are bad bosses killing you?” states that, in addition to being annoying, bad bosses “may also boost the chance of heart attacks.” According to the article, a Swedish study of male workers published in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine journal (released November 24, 2008), found that having an incompetent manager may increase the risk of developing heart disease by 50 percent. And there’s more: The study found that the risk of heart-disease grows the longer a worker stays with the same company.

Just what makes a ‘bad boss’? We all have our own version, I’m sure – there are bosses who are inconsiderate, who bully, who show no acknowledgement of, or appreciation for, the time and energy that we put into our jobs, or who can’t or won’t clearly define how our efforts contribute to the team or to the company as a whole.  The end result is stress for the employee, which can lead to a whole range of ailments, including heart disease. In this economy, if employees don’t feel supported by an HR team, they may feel stuck and unable to make the choice to leave their job.

I’m even more strongly struck by the model in Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, which clearly sets out strategies for a ‘good boss’. The book outlines a model of teamwork for organizations, and discusses five typical ‘dysfunctions’ of a team which need to be addressed and solved in order for a team to successfully work its magic.

The first dysfunction was Absence of Trust, which I touched on in my previous post The Power of “Team” in Business – The First Dysfunction. The second dysfunction is Fear of Conflict. Interestingly, this exact issue came up in a discussion I had over lunch just yesterday with a colleague. Something had happened in a meeting and the manager, who is clearly uncomfortable with conflict, was unable to address the issue right away. This resulted in ongoing upset for her direct report. Teams that lack trust are unwilling to engage in unfiltered and passionate (and healthy!) debates of ideas and instead, resort to veiled discussions and guarded comments, creating an air of artificial harmony.

 

How does your team handle conflict or disagreement among the members?
What structure, information and support is in place to help your team members or employees deal with conflict and the resulting stress?

For the team assessment (first mentioned in my previous post), score your team - on a scale of 1 to 3 (1=Rarely, 2=Sometimes, 3=Usually) – on the following statements relating to the dysfunction of Fear of Conflict:

1. Team members are passionate and unguarded in their discussion of issues.

2. Team meetings are compelling, and not boring.

3. During team meetings, the most important – and difficult – issues are put on the table to be resolved.

What’s your total score?

The scoring system works like this:
A score of 8 or 9 is a probable indication that the dysfunction is not a problem for your team.
A score of 6 or 7 indicates that the dysfunction could be a problem.
A score of 3 to 5 is probably an indication that the dysfunction needs to be addressed.

Even if your team’s score is a 9, its important to remember that every team needs constant work; without it, even the best teams may deviate toward dysfunction.

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If you are curious about what Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching can do for you and your business partnership or team, feel free to send me an email at trilogy@pathcom.com to request a complimentary sample session.

Warmly,
Jennifer

The Power of “Team” in Business – The First Dysfunction

As I begin to position my coaching practice more into the business world, I am considering what message I really want to get across to the teams that I work with.

How many companies really embrace the notion of teamwork over individual performance? I believe that a team of individuals who work well together can outperform the effort of the collective group of individuals - that is, the synergy of teamwork creates even better results than the collection of individuals possibly could.

I’m currently reading The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, which outlines a model of teamwork for organizations.  Business teams would be well served to take a look at how they function (as a team) in the following areas:

• Do the team members trust each other?
• How does the team handle conflict or disagreement among the members?
• Has the team created goals for the team as a whole, and how committed is each member to common team goals?
• How accountable is each team member to achieving the common team goals?
• How much attention does the team pay to the overall results of the team as a whole?

I thought I’d look at each ‘dysfunction’ in a separate post; the first is Absence of Trust.  The book provides a simple team assessment - on a scale of 1 to 3 (1=Rarely, 2=Sometimes, 3=Usually), how would you score your team on the following statements?

1. Team members quickly and genuinely apologize to one another when they say or do something inappropriate or possibly damaging to the team.

2. Team members openly admit their weaknesses and mistakes.

3. Team members know about one another’s personal lives and are comfortable discussing them.

What’s your total score?

I’ll come back to discuss each of the dysfunctions further, and let you know what the scoring system says about your scores.  Gives you something to think about in the meantime!

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If you are curious about what Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching can do for you and your business partnership or team, feel free to send me an email at trilogy@pathcom.com to request a complimentary sample session.

Warmly,
Jennifer