Is Your Team Dysfunctional?

Is your call center team dysfuctional? Read Mike Weaver’s article on the subject and decide for yourself.

This week, one of teams in an organization I work with was labeled ‘dysfunctional.’ Since then the team has asked the question, ‘Is that true? Are we dysfunctional?’ There has been a visceral, defensive reaction to the assessment. ‘We’re not dysfunctional! We’re just fine. We put the fun in dysfunctional!’ They realize they are not perfect, but their defensiveness may cause them to live in denial and never honestly face the problems between them.

1. Do you trust one another? – Without trust, the team will fail to perform and achieve desired results. Can your car’s engine run without oil? Absolutely not. Likewise, your team cannot run without trust. It is the most vital, characteristic that needs protected and examined at all times. Three key aspects to trust are: credibility, reliability, and transparency. Each person on the team needs to examine how he or she is doing in building and maintaining trust with others.

2 Does everyone have a voice? On every team there is a one person who speaks first and speak most. Those who speak the most generally have the most influence. Problem: without everyone’s input and contrary opinions, the team will polarize toward one point of view over another. Polarization leads to poor decisions. Neutralize decision making by allowing a diversity of opinions in every decision that needs made.

3 Are we too dependent on one or more people? Unity isn’t achieved by one or two people doing the work and setting the course at every turn. Healthy teams function on a level that if one person steps away, the team will adapt to the loss. Unhealthy teams fear that if this person or that person leaves, the team’s life will end.

4 Are we a bunch of individuals that looks like a team? The pace of business will pull team members apart. Drift happens. Without intentional choices to regularly meet as a team, you will all do your own thing and never accomplish the overall task/mission that was given to you. Find time weekly, if not daily, to convene as a team to refresh the relationships and shared commitment to the task.

5 How do you handle conflict? – Recently, a leader of a non-profit told me, "I’ve told folks that we’re not having conflict any more in our organization." Are you kidding me? He’s sitting on a time bomb. Conflict happens. Get two or more people together, and you’re bound to have conflict. The problem is that some people are afraid of conflict because they don’t know how to do it well. It’s not how often you fight, it’s how you fight that matters. Learn how to handle conflict constructively, otherwise the unresolved frustrations and resentments will eat your team up from the inside out.

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