November 25, 2023Companies are more successful when they have effective teams. The pandemic has triggered a wave of resignations and talent mobility dubbed the Great Resignation, causing disruption and instability in the workplace. As new employees join and assimilate into their new roles they are assigned to teams where they learn, work, and serve. In spite of the change and disruption in the workforce we need to stay focused on team effectiveness.
Few years back I attended a keynote speech by Patrick Lencioni, a pioneer in organizational health, where he presented his research on teamwork as described in his book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”. I remember listening in awe as he proceeded to describe the ailments I have seen in teams over the years. Patrick’s team effectiveness model is still one of my favorites today and one of the most respected in the industry.
Communication
In the last two decades I have managed many teams, at numerous organizations, and in various countries. Although, in most cases, the team goal appeared clear, there was little or no buy-in from mid-level managers and staff. I noticed that too often senior leadership failed to effectively communicate the purpose of the change and garner buy-in from various stakeholders.
My work leading teams and managing mega projects in the healthcare industry was a source of great joy in my life. But the joy was tempered with stress, uncertainty, and conflict. These massive digital transformation projects brought major change and disruption. There was often resistance to change, naysayers, doubters, as well as passive resistance in the form of mistrust, noncommitment, and lack of accountability. Most importantly, there was lack of attention to results, as Patrick described in his book.
Occasionally, I was lucky to have a high performing team, that worked together effectively, with high trust, transparency, and authenticity. Team members felt safe to share their thoughts, acknowledge their misunderstandings and shortcomings, gave nonjudgmental feedback, and supported each other.
Team effectiveness increases when goals are communicated with clarity, when personal status and ego are relinquished, and when the culture fosters trust, commitment, and attention to key results.
Adaptability and Agility
Recently, I came across General Stanley McChrystal’s book, Team of Teams, where he narrates his experience building a resilient, adaptive team based on trusting each other and information sharing. It is an outstanding book with deep insights and real-life scenarios on team effectiveness.
McChrystal’s turnaround strategy to winning the war in Iraq was centered on building adaptability, flexibility, and agility in his team. These words are not common in big, rigid, hierarchical, complex organizations, such as the military. However, to be adaptable and agile was key to his victory.
The concepts of working together collaboratively in a noncompetitive manner, in a highly structured environment, when the stakes are so high, may appear impossible to implement. How did he do it? And could his approach be leveraged in our civilian organizations? And what would it take to build team effectiveness and enable staff to work together in synergy and harmony?
Empowerment
Contemporary organizations must transform their management style from command-and control top-down structure to participatory, adaptive, and agile. A core concept in McChrystal’s approach is to build trust and transparency and foster an atmosphere of working together as one team, sharing information openly, and not holding back, empowering every team member to take the right action and not wait on approval form the leader.
Developing effective teams is not an easy task and it does not happen overnight. It takes time, leadership, persistence, and it needs commitment from senior executives in the organization. It is a journey and an area of potential exponential growth.
If you are interested in building a dream team, please contact us for detail. Contact
Laura Aziz | [email protected] | 847.920.8232
