Empowerment Leadership Model for Small Groups, Teams, & Families
Course 5, Lesson 14
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Developing Teams in Such a Way That Dysfunctional,
Non-Productive Behavior Is Minimized or Eliminated
Copyright 2001 Dick Wulf
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Every team has two kinds of dysfunctional, non-productive behavior. The type we most easily think of is unproductive individual behavior. But, more important for successful team leaders to know is that the team itself can also be dysfunctional. Dysfunctional, non-productive individuals are not as debilitating as a non-functioning or under-functioning team. You want to lead a top-functioning team.
The skilled team leader keeps in mind first and foremost what a successful team must be able to do. If he or she helps the team do its responsibilities, the team, not you, will first and foremost keep in mind what individual team members need to do.
Another way to say this is that the team leader becomes an expert at identifying dysfunctional, non-productive behavior of the team. Since he or she is leading the team and the team is dealing with its own members, the primary focus has to be in identifying team behavior that does not lead to the accomplishment of the team’s purpose and goals.
Certainly as team leader you will see a lot of individual dysfunctional and non-productive behavior. But, you need to see such behavior as something the team itself must deal with. In other words, you notice individual behavior, but you do not act on it. You leave that for the team. Instead, you do what is necessary for the team to become able to deal with it.
These are the reasons that the team must deal with dysfunctional, non-productive behavior of individuals.
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(A) You will not always be around to help. It is more likely that only team members will be around when help is needed.
(B) The team members, working together, should be able to come up with better solutions than you, once they have experience and confidence in dealing with their own problems. |
The keys to helping teams eliminate both team and individual non-productive, dysfunctional behavior are (1) the team purpose and (2) the team handling its own problems (its own and its members’ off-target behavior).
The team purpose defines what is helpful and what is dysfunctional. Most members have not thought through what kinds of individual behavior is dysfunctional with regard to their team’s purpose. They automatically think of the simple problems like not showing up to meetings on time. In thinking of a few such obvious harmful behaviors, they assume that they have identified them all. In fact, they have thought of no more than ten percent of the possible individual behaviors that could hold the team back. If, as team leader, you list the things your team’s members do that you consider bad for productivity or morale, you will notice many behaviors that do not automatically come to mind.
The team purpose also helps identify helpful and unhelpful actions of the team as a whole. The specific tasks of a healthy team which were covered in Course 2 must be analyzed to identify functional or dysfunctional team behaviors.
The team being given the task to deal with its own problems motivates the team to solve problems so that they do not keep coming up. This ownership of their own problems also reduces many problems that often arise. Under this empowerment model the team leader is primarily a helper and secondarily an authority figure. He or she is someone who helps the team resolve its own difficulties so that it reaches its purpose in the most enjoyable and effective way possible.
Therefore, it is most crucial that you as a team leader do not solve the majority of the team’s problems. If you do, team members will resent that you are not letting them participate as well as feel that you are imposing solutions out of power and authority, even though you just mean to be of help.
The team purpose defines what is helpful and what is dysfunctional. Most members have not thought through what kinds of individual behavior is dysfunctional with regard to their team’s purpose. They automatically think of the simple problems like not showing up to meetings on time. In thinking of a few such obvious harmful behaviors, they assume that they have identified them all. In fact, they have thought of no more than ten percent of the possible individual behaviors that could hold the team back. If, as team leader, you list the things your team’s members do that you consider bad for productivity or morale, you will notice many behaviors that do not automatically come to mind.
The team purpose also helps identify helpful and unhelpful actions of the team as a whole. The specific tasks of a healthy team which were covered in Course 2 must be analyzed to identify functional or dysfunctional team behaviors.
The team being given the task to deal with its own problems motivates the team to solve problems so that they do not keep coming up. This ownership of their own problems also reduces many problems that often arise. Under this empowerment model the team leader is primarily a helper and secondarily an authority figure. He or she is someone who helps the team resolve its own difficulties so that it reaches its purpose in the most enjoyable and effective way possible.
Therefore, it is most crucial that you as a team leader do not solve the majority of the team’s problems. If you do, team members will resent that you are not letting them participate as well as feel that you are imposing solutions out of power and authority, even though you just mean to be of help.
Just for Your Review
from an Earlier Course
I THE TASKS OF A SUCCESSFUL TEAM OR SMALL GROUP
A: Starting off correctly
B: Getting started working on the team’s purpose
C: Keeping on (persevering) working on the team’s purpose
D: Possibly redefining the team’s purpose
E: Ending the team experience, if applicable
II THE TASK OF STARTING: COMING TOGETHER AS A TEAM OR SMALL GROUP
(overcoming the tendency to merely be a collection of loosely-connected people)
A. SUBTASKS
1. Establish a Clear Contract (Agreement) with the Team Leader and with One Another.
2. Define Goals That Lead to Accomplishment of the Purpose.
a. The team discusses how it will get to its purpose. What goals will be set? How will the team work toward those
goals? Etc.
3. Define in General Terms What Activities Are Appropriate for the Team in Light of its Purpose (as well as what
activities are not appropriate).
a. What will the team as a whole need to do? What will be the action steps to accomplish established goals?
b. What will individual members need to do to pursue the purpose of the team?
c. What kinds of team behaviors will be detrimental to the team’s purpose?
d. What kinds of individual behaviors will be detrimental to the team’s purpose?
III THE TASK OF GETTING STARTED WORKING ON THE TEAM PURPOSE
A. SUBTASKS
1. Learn the strengths and weaknesses of team members as related to the team purpose and goals.
2. Have a sufficiently wide range of activities and/or responsibilities to meet the needs of all members.
3. Significantly tap the strengths of all members for maximum accomplishment of the team’s purpose.
4. Finalize and implement the action plan.
a. Decide how to make decisions.
b. Learn to carry out decisions that have been made.
5. Help team members behave in line with the team purpose and goals.
IV THE TASK OF KEEPING ON WORKING ON THE TEAM PURPOSE (PERSEVERANCE)
A. SUBTASKS
1. Identify and overcome barriers to the accomplishment of the team purpose, including interrelationship
problems, knowledge and resource insufficiencies, team process barriers, etc.
2. Control dysfunctional behavior of team members and the team as a whole.
3. Provide emotional help to team members and the team as a whole as necessary to accomplish the team purpose.
4. Provide mutual aid to team members and the team as a whole as necessary to accomplish the team
purpose.
5. Assist the members of the team to get outside help as necessary to accomplish the team purpose.
6. Identify and utilize all available resources that are necessary for the best accomplishment of the team purpose.
7. Minimize the negative influence of outside systems.
8. Continually evaluate the performance of the team and its members in light of accomplishment of the team
purpose.
A: Starting off correctly
B: Getting started working on the team’s purpose
C: Keeping on (persevering) working on the team’s purpose
D: Possibly redefining the team’s purpose
E: Ending the team experience, if applicable
II THE TASK OF STARTING: COMING TOGETHER AS A TEAM OR SMALL GROUP
(overcoming the tendency to merely be a collection of loosely-connected people)
A. SUBTASKS
1. Establish a Clear Contract (Agreement) with the Team Leader and with One Another.
2. Define Goals That Lead to Accomplishment of the Purpose.
a. The team discusses how it will get to its purpose. What goals will be set? How will the team work toward those
goals? Etc.
3. Define in General Terms What Activities Are Appropriate for the Team in Light of its Purpose (as well as what
activities are not appropriate).
a. What will the team as a whole need to do? What will be the action steps to accomplish established goals?
b. What will individual members need to do to pursue the purpose of the team?
c. What kinds of team behaviors will be detrimental to the team’s purpose?
d. What kinds of individual behaviors will be detrimental to the team’s purpose?
III THE TASK OF GETTING STARTED WORKING ON THE TEAM PURPOSE
A. SUBTASKS
1. Learn the strengths and weaknesses of team members as related to the team purpose and goals.
2. Have a sufficiently wide range of activities and/or responsibilities to meet the needs of all members.
3. Significantly tap the strengths of all members for maximum accomplishment of the team’s purpose.
4. Finalize and implement the action plan.
a. Decide how to make decisions.
b. Learn to carry out decisions that have been made.
5. Help team members behave in line with the team purpose and goals.
IV THE TASK OF KEEPING ON WORKING ON THE TEAM PURPOSE (PERSEVERANCE)
A. SUBTASKS
1. Identify and overcome barriers to the accomplishment of the team purpose, including interrelationship
problems, knowledge and resource insufficiencies, team process barriers, etc.
2. Control dysfunctional behavior of team members and the team as a whole.
3. Provide emotional help to team members and the team as a whole as necessary to accomplish the team purpose.
4. Provide mutual aid to team members and the team as a whole as necessary to accomplish the team
purpose.
5. Assist the members of the team to get outside help as necessary to accomplish the team purpose.
6. Identify and utilize all available resources that are necessary for the best accomplishment of the team purpose.
7. Minimize the negative influence of outside systems.
8. Continually evaluate the performance of the team and its members in light of accomplishment of the team
purpose.
Next: Developing Teams in Such a Way That Dependency Is Minimized or
Eliminated and Independent Competency Established
click here
Copyright 2012 Dick Wulf, Colorado, USA