In my previous post, I discussed the five dysfunctions that exist within teams. The first step in becoming an effective team player is to recognize those five dysfunctions. The ultimate goal in becoming a true team player is developing the mindset to correctly utilize the knowledge.
So, how do you go about using the five dysfunctions the right way? In my opinion, it comes down to the following:
1. Correctly identifying the level of dysfunction within a team.
2. Knowing your limits.
In this post, I will go through an scenario based on a real-life experience.
The Scenario
This scenario is based on a real-life experience that I went through several years ago. I have changed the names and details to maintain confidentiality.
Dave was leading an incident investigation where two workers were inadvertently exposed to a hazardous chemical and required medical treatment. The investigation involved three team members (including Dave) and was quite extensive, with several rounds of interviews, evidence examination, procedures reviews, etc. There was a volume of information and the team had identified several gaps. Since the incident involved workplace safety, there was significant management pressure to get to the bottom line as soon as possible as the matter had to be reported to the government authorities. Note that in this case, Dave was not the formal supervisor but a senior team member who had been assigned as the investigation lead.
Dave was preparing the final investigation report. The team members split up the identified gaps between them. Each team member was assigned to complete a formal root cause analysis and develop recommendations for each gap. Dave held a team meeting last week where everyone was present and agreed to complete the deliverables by today. However by the end of day Sandy, one of the experienced team members, had not sent in her input.
Clearly, Dave was irritated. In three days, he was expected the deliver the report to management, who were anxiously waiting for it. “Doesn’t she get it how important this thing is?” Dave thought to himself.
Dave then thought about how to handle the situation. He decided to fire off a stern email to Sandy. The email went off something like this:
“Sandy,
We have to present the final version in three days. This is a high-profile incident and I expect a lot of tough questions from management. We have to finalize the report. Otherwise, it will look really bad upon us. I need your response by noon tomorrow at the latest.”
Is Dave A Team Player?
Now at this stage, you might be inclined to think that the dysfunction is clearly an avoidance of accountability. A deadline was that clearly communicated and agreed to has clearly been missed. And this is a high priority job. Dave certainly feels that way. To get things back on track, he sends off an email explaining the consequences of not getting the investigation completed on time (it will look really bad upon us). In short, Dave is trying to drive accountability by emphasizing the importance and deadline of the task at hand.
Is Dave an effective team player? On the surface, it certainly seems so. He clearly cares about results (producing a solid report) and is holding his co-worker accountable for a missed deadline.
Lets Dig A Little Bit Deeper
Now Dave was an experienced employee. He was intuitively aware that a simple email will not do the trick. He then proceeded to have a conversation with Sandy as to why she was late.
“I had some other work going on which took a little longer than I thought” said Sandy.
“But this report is very important. Everybody has their eyes on it” said Dave.
“I understand the importance. But to be frank, I don’t agree with the approach” said Sandy.
Sandy had reservations about how key pieces of information were ignored and was vitally important. She believed that the unclear procedures was a major gap. It was clear that Sandy had dragged her feet because she did not feel comfortable with a version of a report that she was not fully sold on.
“I really believe the unclear procedures is a big thing. We need to highlight that” said Sandy.
“We are not re-visiting that. At the last meeting, you agreed that the procedures are not an issue.” said Dave, cutting Sandy off.
“I don’t think I said that. I said that it might not be the biggest issue but I never said it should be left off the table.” said Sandy.
“Let’s not go there. I need you to respond to my email by noon tomorrow so that we can get this report done.” said Dave, abruptly ending the conversation.
Team Player Or Not?
With the above information, you can probably sense that the weather is not that sunny!
There is a difference of opinion and it is clear that Sandy wants to lean in a different direction. There was ambiguity is last week’s meeting. Dave could have circled back and tried to build consensus with Sandy. He could have tried to convince Sandy that not meeting the deadline would be more problematic than not having a report that is 100% accurate. Or, he could simply accommodate Sandy’s request if she could gather all the required information and complete her analysis before the management review. But Dave did not do that. He used his authority as the lead to dismiss Sandy’s concerns and force her to commit to the new deadline that he had set.
With this information at hand, the keyword here is ambiguity. It is clear that when the meeting ended last week, Sandy clearly was not committed to what was spelled out because her concerns were not fully addressed and a clear plan was not hashed out. The dysfunction here is a lack of commitment, which then spills over into an avoidance of accountability. Dave’s reaction to the missed deadline made matters worse – instead of trying to jointly explore solutions, he tried to force Sandy into compliance.
Going Back To The Model
In the context of the five dysfunctions model, it is critical to understand were exactly does the problem lie. As shown by the above scenario, looking only at surface-level symptoms often leads to misdiagnosis. As a result, a half-baked solution is the inevitable consequence.
In theory it sounds simple. But in real life it is difficult. It requires practice and persistence. The more you practice, the better you become at it. And that is what makes you an effective team player!
Beware Of The Danger Zone
As I stated earlier in my post, a seasoned team player knows his or her limits. What does that mean? Generally, the further you move down in the pyramid, the dysfunction becomes more intense. My experience has shown that whenever you identify the dysfunctions as a fear of conflict or absence of trust, it is a danger zone.
Why?
In my earlier posts, I mentioned about the four different types of bosses and how they affect a team. When team members do not trust one another or engage in veiled discussions, the usual suspect is the boss. The role of the boss is critical and shaping and maintaining the culture of a team (more on that later).
In your journey to become an effective team player, if you come across artificial harmony or a sense of invulnerability among your co-workers, do not attempt to try to find a solution on your own. You will stepping on the supervisor’s toes and can land in hot water. Remember what I said earlier – if you put up your hand to admit your mistake in a team where mistakes are regarded as performance issues, then it will be a disaster!
So what do you do if you find yourself in that situation? The best course of action is to involve your supervisor. Lay out all the facts and let the supervisor be the final arbiter in deciding how to move forward.
Needless to say, teams where the boss often ends up making the final call are far less effective than teams where team members themselves do the driving. But then again, it is not a perfect world.
Your truly,
Rizwan.