High trust companies see a 50 per cent increase in productivity, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer. However, one in three employees don’t trust the organization they work for. Where is the disconnect? It could be that a lack of trust is embedded in company culture and has developed over a long period of time.
One of the ways a culture of mistrust forms is when leaders and their teams fall into a pattern of dysfunction. They don’t pay attention to results; have a fear of conflict; have little to no commitment to goals, each other, nor the company, and as a result, avoid accountability, which leads to underwhelming results. This behaviour creates an environment that fosters poor performance, employee disengagement, high absenteeism, and low morale.
However, there is a way to overcome these issues.
Patrick Lencioni, business management consultant and author, found there are five behaviours that a cohesive team possesses:
- Trust – this is the foundation in any relationship and required for cohesion. The absence of trust in teams can be found when there is no open debate or discussion during meetings and interactions, and when employees show discomfort in speaking freely or being vulnerable with others.
- Conflict – without trust, it is difficult for teams to have hard conversations. This causes false agreement which stifles productivity and healthy conflict.
- Commitment – a lack of buy in prevents teams to make decisions they will stick to. And if they’re unwilling to share opinions, it’s unlikely they will commit to goals. It is critical for employees to weigh in so that they are able to buy in.
- Accountability – when teams avoid personal discomfort, it prevents them from holding one another accountable for their performance. Although leaders set the pace, having the leader as the only source of accountability is inefficient. Accountability requires clearly defined expectations, roles, and responsibilities. It is difficult to be accountable when we are unclear about what we are to achieve. Too often this key step is overlooked, and employees struggle to meet their leaders’ expectations. All members need to create and benefit in the success of their performance.
- Results – teams that don’t support one another are unclear on goals, tend to toss around blame and only focus on themselves. Status and ego can get in the way. Honing in on results only happens when teams support each other, have healthy debate, and hold each other accountable.
Make time for Healthy Conversation
Typically, leaders move in a fast-paced environment. They may want to avoid deep discussion, or disagreements, and just want to make the almighty “executive” decision to move things along. They can become focused on their own interests rather than the interests of the team; therefore, it’s easy to overlook input from others. And when team members are not given the opportunity to weigh in, there is often a lack of buy-in.
The team doesn’t need to agree on every course of action they make (consensus can often take more time than we have), but people need to understand WHY a decision was made. Leaders need to allow time for healthy conversations and debate, before the decision can be made. If team members are unable to share opinions, they will be unlikely to commit to a decision.
Here are a few tips to help you gain input from your team:
- Communicate Clearly – what is expected in this discussion on commitment? what is expected once a decision has been made?
- Clarify roles and responsibilities – once team members know what they are to achieve they are more likely to commit to it.
- Set achievable goals and objectives to reach success – what will be realistic for the team to achieve in a timely manner?
- Encourage participation – listen to the feedback and ideas of each team member; create a sense of ownership and accomplishment.
- Recognize and reward – team members who contribute and reach their milestones can be recognized through verbal or small rewards. Get input from the team on how they want to be recognized.
- Provide support – be available for your team with resources, training, emotional support, and assistance with prioritizing, or resetting goals so that they can do their job well.
- Foster a positive team culture – that fosters collaboration, communication, and trust. This helps build a stronger bond and increases commitment to the project.
- Engage in healthy debate – encourage the team to question choices and decisions in a meaningful way – always striving to improve the team.
- Be willing to be vulnerable – this is the greatest way to build trust in the team.
Our eBook offers more details as well as an assessment suggestion to help you build strong functioning teams. Contact our team and let’s discuss ways to improve your business.
Patrick Lencioni’s Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team
