How Inaccessible Workplaces Can Destroy Team Collaboration

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team authored by Patrick Lencioni explores common pitfalls that teams face when trying to work in an effective, collaborative manner. The five dysfunctions identified by Lencioni are:

1)   Absence of trust

2)   Fear of conflict

3)   Lack of commitment

4)   Avoidance of accountability, and

5)   Inattention to results.

How can these five dysfunctions show up in the context of accessibility?

Inaccessibility exists when disabled employees are unable to equally access the resources they need to perform their job effectively due to their disability. These missing resources can be tangible, such as equipment or software, as well as non-physical resources, including communications, process modifications, and support services.

The Five Dysfunctions

Rather than reviewing the "five dysfunctions" in the order presented by Lencioni, I'm going to start with the most important dysfunction that influences the behavior of the other five: fear of conflict.

Fear of Conflict

Fear of conflict drives employees with disabilities not to disclose their disabilities or disability-related needs. Less than 40 % of employees disclose their disability to their managers, with even lower rates of disclosure to teams, HR, and clients. The employees who do not disclose their disabilities are 60 % less happy, have double the anxiety levels, and experience 400% higher isolation levels. None of these factors are conducive to operating a cohesive team.  With a dominant work culture of “fitting in,” people with disabilities choose not to disclose because they fear teasing, harassment, and rejection, or are concerned that their work relationships will deteriorate as a result of their disclosure. 

Many disabled employees confidentially talk to their managers, followed by the managers offering nothing. This can be because the managers don't know enough about the legal obligation to provide reasonable accommodations/ adjustments in many countries, or they don't care enough to want to put in the effort to help the employee. Whatever the reason, a manager that doesn't enter into the interactive process when an employee discloses a disability or medical condition is doing their entire team a disservice.

Employees with disabilities who do not disclose feel forced to leave their authentic selves at home every day. 

They live in fear of being “caught,” and having their disability "publicly outed." When disabled team members are afraid of conflict, they may avoid difficult conversations or withhold their opinions. This can lead to a lack of constructive feedback and open dialogue, which can stifle creativity and prevent the team from reaching its full potential.

Avoiding Accountability

The next most important dysfunction from the perspective of disabled employees is avoiding accountability.

Who is responsible at a company for accessibility? 

EVERYONE IS!!! 

Everyone in the entire organization has a role to play with respect to accessibility. This includes small actions like making sure recycling bins and coffee can be reached from wheelchairs to larger activities like procuring accessible products, running accessible meetings and events, and making sure disability is accounted for in talent acquisition, retention, and even emergency planning.  Pointing fingers or assuming another person or group is going to take care of that "pesky disability inclusion problem" is the classic definition of avoiding accountability.

Absence of Trust

Lack of accessibility creates an absence of trust for disabled employees. Trust is the foundation of any effective team. If disabled team members do not trust that they will have equal access to the resources they need, this will impair their ability to share ideas and collaborate. See this article for a detailed exploration on the different ways employers lose the trust of their disabled employees, and what that lack of trust does to an organization.

Lack of Commitment

Inaccessibility is also a sign of a lack of commitment, regardless of what promises have been made by leadership. When disabled team members do not have the resources they need to perform their jobs effectively, they can easily become overwhelmed and demotivated, which can generate the appearance of laziness or disinterest, as well as a sense of apathy and disengagement among other team members.

Inattention to Results

Finally, the lack of accessibility can lead to inattention to results. When disabled team members do not have the resources they need, it can be difficult to focus on team goals and results. Disabled team members, especially those who do not disclose, spend a significant amount of emotional energy on hiding their disabilities. Their focus on team results becomes lessened as a result. The lack of focus and direction causes them to lose sight of the bigger picture, which can, in turn, create a sense of frustration and disillusionment among all team members.

Conclusion

Lack of accessibility can trigger each of the five dysfunctions of a team.  When a team experiences any of these dysfunctions, it can have a negative impact on the team's performance, productivity, and morale. When a team experiences all five of these dysfunctions, it can be a catastrophe. To overcome these dysfunctions, teams need to cultivate trust, encourage healthy conflict, establish clear goals and commitments, hold each other accountable, and focus on achieving results. Every team member needs to be encouraged to ask for accommodations if they need them, and not penalized or burdened with unnecessary costs, paperwork, and hoops to jump through when these requests occur.

Effective leadership, communication, and collaboration, as well as a willingness to learn and grow as a team, is key to eliminating team dysfunctions. Team members, but especially leadership, must work together to ensure that all team members have easy access to the resources they need to perform their jobs effectively.