Transforming a Dysfunctional Collection of Individuals Into a Functional Team
Any executive coach who addresses the issue of dysfunctional teams and workplace bullying will agree that competition is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, healthy competition is a great motivator; on the other hand it can digress into unhealthy and unproductive conflict. And, when conflict escalates as a result of abrasive intimidating or even bullying behavior, or stonewalling and gossip/back-stabbing, then any benefit that might have been gained by competition is lost.

However, many managers are loath to confront negative behavior for fear of creating more problems and delaying projects. This conflict avoidance is common but unhelpful. Soon the conflict is overriding productivity and failure is inevitable.

Here is a solution that indirectly addresses the conflict by putting the emphasis on the structure of the team by clarifying goals and holding everyone accountable.

This simple SIX-step process that can be used to expose and eliminate structural problems, and return a dysfunctional team to a healthy stasis:

Step 1: CLARIFY GOALS AND STRATEGIC ACTIONS

• Develop concrete, measurable, and achievable goals
 
Step 2: UNCOVER THE PROBLEMS

• False assumptions about the project and the team
• Lack of commitment or belief in the project
• Real reasons persons are not following through
• If meetings are ‘safe’ so that everyone can contribute

Step 3: STRUCTURE AN INTERVENTION

• Clear the air. Have a facilitator provide a safe environment where people can reveal their hostilities and share their feelings

Step 4: RESET THE TEAM

• Remove any and all members who have shown that they cannot work within a team structure.  This will demonstrate commitment to a safe and trusting environment where all team members are free to speak openly
• Assign duties based on strengths of each member rather than who volunteers to do any specific task
• Appoint a team leader, give them the responsibility of holding members accountable, and empower them to make any changes necessary to achieve the collective goals
• Assign tasks with deliverables, dates, and consequences
 
Step 5: HOLD EVERYONE ACCOUNTABILITY

• Schedule regular meetings in which 100% team participation is mandatory
• Review goals and assignments at each meeting
Have each member provide a progress report – No exceptions.
• Challenge the team to commit to the goals and to each other by holding one another accountable
• Hold each member accountable but avoid public humiliation or intimidation as more abrasiveness will not inspire commitment or accountability
• Assign next tasks

Step 6: REPEAT step 5
Final words on leading teams without bullying or abrasive behaviors:

It’s nice to think that everyone will have the same vested interests in a team’s success but internal competition, conflicting assumptions and unclear clear goals can lead to abrasive or bullying type behaviors, conflict and failure.

When leaders expect top performance from everyone but have uncooperative or even antagonistic employees, the simplest first step is to clarify the structure of assignments and responsibilities. That is what this tool is designed to do for leaders.

The bottom line is, team leaders must be prepared for dysfunctional teams and conflicts but help is near.