Patrick Lencioni, author of the aptly named Death by Meeting, wrote the thought-provoking "Overcoming The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide"
He states: "The true measure of a team is that it accomplishes the results that it sets out to achieve. To do that on a consistent, ongoing basis, a team must overcome the five dysfunctions listed here by embodying the behaviors described for each one."
The five dysfunctions
- Absence of trust - members are not comfortable showing to others their weaknesses, mistakes, fears and certain behaviours
- Fear of conflict - members are afraid to engage in passionate, robust dialogue around issues and decisions that are key to the organisation's success
- Lack of commitment - teams that engage in unfiltered discussions and even conflict are able to achieve genuine buy-in around important decisions, even when various members of the team initially disagree
- Avoidance of accountability - teams that commit to decisions and standards of performance do not hesitate to hold one another accountable for adhering to those decisions and standards
- Inattention to results - teams that trust one another, engage in healthy conflict, commit to decisions, and hold one another accountable are very likely to set aside their individual needs and agendas and focus almost exclusively on what is best for the team. They do not give in to the temptation to place their departments, career aspirations, or ego-driven status ahead of the collective results that define team success
Make a serious effort to eliminate these dysfunctions in all meetings. You cannot become great as a team or a company if you are unable to conduct a great meeting.
Rate your meetings
Ask the team to rate, at the close of a series of meetings, the effectiveness of each meeting on a 10-point scale on the basis of clear decisions, assigned responsibilities and due dates. It takes some real introspection before teams shake off their finely-honed expertise at holding bad meetings.
Note, active participation and discussions do not necessarily add up to effective meetings.
The acid test
At the next meeting, are the participants able to report solid progress on each of their objectives/agenda items?
Dysfunctions and the Balanced Scorecard
You cannot smoothly implement your Strategic Plan and your Balanced Scorecard if your meetings and team are weakened by dysfunctions.
Meetings and workshops often lead to a need for major change. Also visit this important topic managing change.
For details about Patrick Lencioni's must-read, recommended publication, please go to worth reading.
Last modified: 24-06-2009