I am chief executive and have management team of six people. I am disappointed to say that the team behaves dysfunctionally. I have tried everything I can think of but haven’t been able to achieve positive change. What can I do?
This is very topical question for me as I recently went to the American Society of Training and Development Conference in San Diego where Patrick Lencioni, the author of the bestselling book The Five Dysfunctions of Team, was keynote speaker.
His research has identified five key factors that create dysfunctional team. They are 1) Absence of trust, 2) Fear of conflict, 3) Lack of commitment, 4) Avoidance of accountability, and 5) Inattention to results. You will have to read his book to get the full picture but listening to him made me realise how important the first dysfunction is – trust.
Lencioni gave an example from his own experience of how critical this is. He had worked as member of management team few years ago. He advised that there was senior manager in the team who usually insisted that her view was the only view. In meetings when she spoke no one responded and there was no discussion. He observed that this was learned behaviour by the rest of the team as they felt there was no point in making comments or offering views as she just insisted on hers. From his perspective the team had become dysfunctional as it didn’t have trust in this particular manager.
A few months later she left the company. He said that the change in the team was immediate and enormous. Almost to the point where it felt like the team had been totally recreated with new people. The level of sharing of ideas and discussion and effective decision-making improved exponentially, and this was just due to the change of one person.
Listening to Lencioni made me reflect on management teams I have observed and I realised how fundamental the issue of trust is in team. So, having identified this as major starting point for improving dysfunctional team, the next question is how?
The role modelling of the leader of the team is very important. The leader needs to show visibly that they trust each member. This is visible in how much is delegated and also in the way the leader communicates with each person. Secondly, practical team-building exercises work well, especially when they are conducted in different environment to the normal work situation – in the outdoors, for example. So I recommend you look at the trust factor in your own management team as it is very likely it will be low. Look at your own role modelling as leader of the group, and then consider taking them away for few days on an experiential team-building programme. I think you will find building trust in the team will pay dividends.
I have just moved to new company as general manager. The company has become quite run down over the past few years and my role is to turn it around and rebuild it. Do you have some thoughts on key points to aim for in the first few months of this role?
First make sure that you totally understand, in simple terms, the company’s reason for being and then that everyone in the organisation understands this. This may sound straightforward but I am often amazed at the number of organisations I come across that are unclear of what they are actually in business for. This can happen particularly with nationwide organisations with different regions having different views. If you can make sure this happens it will help you and your management understand where to focus effort. It will also enable everyone in the organisation to do the same.
Second, review your cost structure to ensure you have control of all your main costs and that you are spending your money on the right things. If your costs are too high then you need to become surgeon and cut them to sustainable level. Thirdly, as Jim Collins says in his book Good to Great, make sure you have the right people on the bus. Work through your people carefully and assess whether they have the right skills, experience, and attitude for the organisation in the future. If they don’t then you need to work out whether you can move them into more suitable role or develop them effectively for their present one. If the answer is no then they must be replaced with person with better fit.
The fourth point to consider is encouraging sense of ownership of the company with everyone in the organisation. This can be achieved by ensuring people understand their roles and then are allowed and supported to take full accountability for their actions and results. This requires you to hold your breath at times and stand back to let people move into the right space. You can also help this along by providing regular feedback on how the business is going and how each team or division is contributing. This creates bigger picture and empowers people to make decisions on what to do.
The fifth, and final point is take time to ensure that you and your managers fully understand your customers and their needs. In the long term your company will only be in existence if it is relevant to its customers.
Kevin Gaunt, FNZIM, FAIM, is CEO of NZIM Auckland and has been senior executive with, and consultant to, some of New Zealand’s largest companies.
