|
 |
| Volume 12 Issue 7 Fall 2005 |
|
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: Begin by Building Trust
How many teams do you work with? Likely, there are some that are a central part of your work and others that occasionally need your skills. Stop for a minute and do an assessment of the value of teamwork to your organization. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being highest
- How important is that teamwork to your organization? ____
- How successful are your teams in fulfilling their mission? ____
- How successful are you at contributing your best to your teams? ____
If your score is between 25 and 30, your teams are functioning well. There's always room for improvement, and you should feel pleased with the success. If your score is between 18 and 25, your teams are operating at a moderately successful level. Sharpening their skills will make a marked difference. Any score below 18 lets you know that enhanced functioning will make a big difference.
Patrick Lencioni's book, The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, provides a useful breakdown of what can go wrong with a team and how to make it right. The five dysfunctions are: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. You can begin immediately taking proactive steps to enhance your teams and your own skills in each of these areas. Start at the beginning – build trust. We work with our clients to understand that trust comes from the inside out. It starts with you feeling trustworthy and with your willingness to participate openly and honestly on appropriate topics with your team. Can you do this now? If not what change will you take responsibility for to enhance trust in your team? You can be a good role model in your team and, hopefully this will be catching. This is one of many concrete strategies we use in working with teams to improve their functioning. Help support the team feeling like it is operating in a safe environment. To enhance your skills, check out the book, it's a quick read. And email us at mhughes@cgrowth.com and we'll send you a copy of Collaborative Growth's Best Practices for Dynamic Teamwork.
©2005, Collaborative Growth
|
 |
