Do You Work in a Dysfunctional Team?

5 defects causing stress in the workplace.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

Do you like your job? But you are stressed and under pressure all the time?

It does not have to be because of you. Your company culture can trigger stress and negatively impact your work life.

It does not matter if you have friendly relationships on the surface. If the foundation is missing, teamwork and transparent communication will never work.

Trust is the foundation.

Here are five team dysfunctions that cause stress. They prevent your team from being successful and productive together.

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1. Lack of trust

Trust makes you feel safe. You believe that someone is good and honest and will not harm you or that something is safe and reliable.

People who work at companies with a trustworthy culture experience 74% less stress.

Yet, many teams suffer from a lack of trust. Members are under pressure as they can’t rely on anyone. They feel no one is supporting them or watching their backs. In such an environment, people are likely to:

• Not support each other as everyone has enough on their plate

• Hide their lack of knowledge and not ask questions

• Hesitate to present their ideas and suggestions

• Micromanage or rather work solo

• Be constantly in a survival mode

• Compete with each other

• Be afraid to speak openly

• Not admit their mistakes

• Not listen to each other

• Fear challenging others

• Dread innovations

The lack of trust makes staff less engaged and negative. They don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Managers lose them completely by giving empty promises.

One classic example is capacity management. The entire team is in trouble. There are too many tasks and projects to handle for the size of the team. The workforce and skills are missing. So, the manager promises to hire someone new. Yay! But for months nothing happens. You no longer believe your manager cares.

It is difficult to build trust but very easy to lose it.

2. Fear of conflict

If you don’t trust other team members, you hesitate to share your ideas and take initiative. You don’t want to be laughed at. So, instead of a productive discussion, you always get a passive agreement. Many think: “They decided, I have to follow.”

“Unfortunately, conflict is considered taboo in many situations, especially at work.” - Patrick Lencioni

Team members do not want to cause trouble or hurt anyone. So, they keep silent. Even when they disagree and would have a better idea. They bear the frustration.

You may find yourself spending more energy on avoiding conflict than if you speak transparently about what bothers you.

Conflicts are common in families, in relationships, and at work. Conflicts bring new ideas and resolve issues. I don’t talk about mean-spirited conflicts. These should not be supported.

But it is healthy to argue about different ideas and solutions. They can lead to innovations and new processes.

3. Lack of commitment

Team members are likely to commit when they know a purpose. Too many leaders underestimate the importance of clarity of goals.

As a result, members run on autopilot without any direction.

When you present your vision, you may find that not everyone agrees with you. That is OK. As long as you listen to their concerns. People want to be heard. Show them you care about their opinion. But decide on the next steps.

Delaying decisions for too long demonstrates a fear of failure and a lack of confidence in the proposed solutions.

Lack of commitment dissolves motivation and influences the perception of failure.

If you are afraid of making mistakes, others will fear failure too. Don’t keep the status quo. Learn from your mistakes.

4. Avoidance of accountability

Have you heard this saying?

When everyone is responsible, no one is accountable.

The essence of this team defect is to avoid difficult conversations.

Are your team members willing to discuss quality and performance? If something is not delivered on time, can you ask about it without making the other person defensive? Are underperformers tolerated?

Healthy teams are fine with ‘peer pressure’. They provide constructive feedback. Support each other, and they constantly improve their performance by working together. You learn from your mistakes.

Dysfunctional teams tiptoe around. Members are frustrated by others. There are different quality standards. Plus they feel leaders tolerate them. Equal and fair treatment is missing.

So, better to be silent than to put yourself in the spotlight. It sucks a great deal!

5. Inattention to results

I used to work in a team completely cut from the rest. We were in a silo. It was super annoying. It reminded me why it is so crucial to pay attention to results.

You don’t work alone. You have a team. What about common goals?

Too many people care about themselves. “I brought a new client. I have the best financial results. I saved the most money.” Well, thanks.

Yet, when team members focus on themselves without supporting team/company goals, you are stuck. When you don't grow, you don't surpass competitors, and you lose talent.

Without a bigger picture, employees lose a purpose and are likely to drift apart.

It is stressful to work in a team that does not care.

It is fascinating how many teams do not focus on common results. I hope you don’t work in one of them.

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If you are currently in a dysfunctional team…

It is a bummer! But there is a way out of it.

You do not have to accept neverending stress and lack of psychological safety. Start building a trustworthy environment. I have a workshop ready for your team to begin.

See you next week!