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If you played sports as a kid or were assigned to a lazy team for a group project in college, you know what it’s like to be on a team that doesn’t work well together. It’s tough to accomplish much, and the experience can be incredibly frustrating. Unfortunately, this problem often manifests itself in the workplace, and it’s a major pain point for leaders and their reports.

I once coached a team comprised of multiple acquisitions. Several different company cultures were coming together, and folks were jockeying for title and stature. Moreover, it was a remote work environment, so there weren’t many opportunities for the informal interactions that help to build relationships. 

No one trusted each other. They were a group of people that reported to the same leader, not a team.

I’m talking about Senior Vice Presidents who were afraid to speak up in meetings, paralyzed with the inability to make a decision, while living in constant fear of taking a day off work, lest they experience repercussions. Being a part of this team was making everyone miserable, and it also wreaked havoc on business results. The organization suffered from high employee turnover; for every one person they hired, three people were leaving. Yikes. 

This is a pretty severe example of an ineffective group, but dynamics like this aren’t uncommon. A recent study found that 81% of people say their team is not operating anywhere near its full potential, and 74% don’t agree that their team is accountable for shared goals. Is that your team? 

Look for the root cause

Diagnosing your team’s challenges is often more challenging than it sounds, because these issues can present in a wide variety of ways . Some of them are more obvious than others, like tension between individuals or groups or infighting (instead of debating). Many ineffective teams suffer from a lack of accountability, with no one stepping up or taking ownership. Others are indecisive, forever talking around a subject instead of making a call. 

Each team’s symptoms will look different. That’s why I think it’s often easier to look for the root cause instead. 

According to research by Drs. Ruth Wageman, Richard Hackman, and Erin Lehman, an effective team will meet these three criteria :

• Output expectations: The output of the team will meet or exceed the needs of the team’s clients.
• Unit capability: Over time, the team is becoming increasingly capable of performing as a cohesive unit. 
• Personal learning: Each individual’s personal learning and growth is fostered by their experiences on the team.

If your team is falling short on one or more of these criteria, it’s time to take a look at how your team is (or isn’t) functioning. 

The good news: team dysfunction doesn’t have to be a permanent state of being. In their research, Drs. Wageman, Hackman, and Lehman also identified six conditions that can help teams to become more successful over time. 

How effective is your team?

When you’re in the thick of it, it’s easy to lose perspective, even when you know what to look for. Like the proverbial frog in a pot of boiling water, we often aren’t aware of the creeping dysfunction on our teams until it’s become a serious problem. If you suspect that you and your people aren’t working together effectively, an outside perspective can help you see what’s really going on. Ask a trusted colleague, or bring your concerns to your coach, if you have one — and make sure it’s someone who will tell it like it is. 

I’ve also created a free assessment to help leaders like you gain clarity about their team’s dynamics and efficacy. It’s just one page, but your results may be eye-opening. Click here to take it now.  

Steve Jobs said, “Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of people.” You have big goals for the back half of the year, and addressing team ineffectiveness is crucial for achieving those goals. Awareness is the first step in improving the issue. With a clear view of what's going on, you can then move forward, achieving results you may have never thought possible. 

What kind of leader do you want to be? Let’s talk about it. 

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