How to overcome dysfunctional behaviors and unleash your team’s potential?

Why do teams often resort to dysfunctional behaviors under stress?

The answer lies in the fundamental human need for belonging and security. When teams are under pressure, these primal needs can become distorted. Instead of focusing on the shared goal, they may turn inward, seeking comfort in familiar patterns, even if those patterns are harmful.

One such pattern is the scapegoat. When a team member is labeled as 'difficult,' it's often a symptom of a deeper problem. The team may avoid a difficult conversation or struggle to define its purpose. By projecting their discomfort onto one individual, they create a false sense of unity and avoid addressing the real issues.

Effective leadership isn't about controlling others or avoiding conflict. It's about inspiring people to be their best selves. When empowered to speak openly and honestly, teams can create a safe space for growth and innovation.

Another common pitfall is the 'sole savior' syndrome. When a team becomes overly reliant on one person, it creates a dependency culture that stifles individual development. It's like a child who never learns to walk because their parents always carry them.

Great teams are not built on individual brilliance but on collective intelligence. When everyone feels empowered to contribute, the team can achieve far more than any single person could.

To overcome these dysfunctional behaviors, teams must focus on their shared purpose. They must trust each other, communicate openly, and support one another. By doing so, they can create a culture of belonging, security, and high performance.

Fight Mode vs. Flight Mode

When teams encounter pressures, they may resort to Fight or Flight modes of default behaviors

In Fight mode, the team might become fixated on a common enemy, whether another team or department, head office, or competitor. Instead of working to solve its own problems, the team blames this external force and expends energy fighting the wrong battles.

Fight mode often stems from a need for a shared purpose or goal. When teams are unclear about their "why," they may become fixated on external threats or scapegoats, distracting them from their true mission and wasting valuable energy.

Whereas in Flight mode, teams are avoidant – withdrawing to ward off anxiety. Important decisions or tasks might be deferred or ignored, especially if the team suffers from inconsistent or volatile leadership.

Flight mode often arises from fear and uncertainty. When teams feel overwhelmed or insecure, they may retreat and avoid taking action, hindering progress and eroding morale.

To overcome these dysfunctional behaviors, teams need to:

• Reinforce their shared purpose: Remind team members of the "why" behind their work and how their contributions contribute to the larger mission.
• Build trust and psychological safety: Create an environment where team members can share their concerns and ideas without fear of judgment or punishment.
• Focus on solutions: Encourage a problem-solving mindset and empower team members to find creative solutions to challenges.

Addressing dysfunctional behaviour

Addressing dysfunctional behavior requires a comprehensive and systemic approach. The reasons for dysfunction may be deeply ingrained in the team's culture and dynamics. Simply addressing symptoms through training or interventions may provide temporary relief, but it's unlikely to lead to lasting change.

To truly address the root causes, teams must adopt new processes, behaviors, and ways of thinking. This requires more than just surface-level interventions. It involves examining the team as a complex system and identifying the underlying patterns and dynamics contributing to dysfunction.

There is no quick fix. Addressing cultural problems is challenging and requires deep explorations into the team's dynamics. A tool that can uncover underlying issues and provide practical solutions is essential.

A common language that allows teams to assess their health, identify problems, and discuss solutions is crucial for driving sustainable behavior change. By adopting a systemic approach and using appropriate tools, teams can effectively address dysfunctional behavior and create a more productive and harmonious work environment.

Optimize team performance with Teamwork Big Five

When dealing with complex team problems, the approach matters.

As Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management defines it, "A team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to information, resources, knowledge, and skills and who seek to combine their efforts to achieve a common goal."

Psychometric tests approach team problems by focusing on the individual personalities involved.

The problem is that each person's self-awareness limits this. And often, the building blocks of individual personality types don't stack up to a 'bigger picture' the team can recognize and work with.

The result? Often, disillusionment and inaction.

The Teamwork Big Five is different.

Professor Eduardo Salas created the Teamwork Big Five model to build a unified model that integrates all known essential elements of team efficiency and provides a comprehensive framework as a standard model for the team development industry.

He divided the themes into Teamwork Core Components and Enabling Factors. The Teamwork Core Components can answer the question, "What is teamwork, really?".

You can understand teams as self-managing intelligent units: they are held together by Shared Goals and Team Spirit; they organize their work into tasks and roles via Coordination; they monitor their results and their external environment, and constantly adjust themselves via Attention to Results and Adaptability. The strength of this model is conveying a dynamic organism-like team concept by highlighting these core team processes

Leaders can see at a glance at the leading indicators about their team's performances and ask the right questions

1. Do we have motivating goals that team members support?
2. How effectively are we creating work plans and roles to enable smooth and efficient work?
3. What is the team members' enthusiasm for working together and supporting one another?
4. What outcomes and feedback are we focusing on?
5. How well do we adapt to the internal and external environments?
6. How well is our level of psychological safety and mutual trust?
7. How clearly do we exchange ideas and information?
8. What is our team's level of enthusiasm for the job?

The Teamwork Big Five Questionnaire is grounded in science and validated by rigorous research.

This questionnaire provides clear, actionable insights to help you build exceptional teams. It's a powerful diagnostic tool that reveals your team's true strengths and weaknesses. It's based on the cutting-edge research of Professor Eduardo Salas, a pioneer in team effectiveness.

With the Teamwork Big Five Questionnaire, you'll gain an in-depth understanding of your team's dynamics. You'll discover hidden strengths and address weaknesses before they become problems. You'll learn how to foster collaboration, improve communication, and build a high-performance culture.

Whether you're leading a small startup or a large organization, the Teamwork Big Five Questionnaire is an essential tool for building world-class teams. It's comprehensive, accurate, and insightful.

A Holistic Approach

Addressing team dysfunctions requires a strategic, holistic approach that engages and empowers the team.

Rather than resorting to unhelpful coping mechanisms or allowing pack mentality to prevail, the Teamwork Big Five Questionnaire helps teams to do the critical and often challenging work of recognizing and addressing discomfort, celebrating cognitive diversity, and unlocking the team's full potential.

#psychologicalsafety  #teamdynamics #teameffectiveness #teamculture

My name is c.j., and I'm a Sales Leadership Team Coach. I also help management and internal project teams leverage one another's strengths to create team synergy.

What are your experiences with dysfunctional team behaviors? Share your stories in the comments below!