Many business owners and entrepreneurs believe that high-functioning teams hold the key to breakthrough thinking, superior customer service, and high-quality products. But, all too often, leaders and managers fail to support teams so that they can deliver on their promises. For instance, many leaders ask for teamwork, but only reward and evaluate individual performance; focus on the group at the expense of individual members; or leave team members to sort out their differences, leading to the formation of unhealthy cliques.
The three major pitfalls that severely limit a team's potential to be productive and effective.
The first pitfall encountered is that leaders and companies promote an entirely "there is no "I" in teams" ideology. In essence, those who endorse this approach expect individuals to sacrifice their own interests and goals for the good of a team. Considering human nature, is this being realistic?
A constant "we over me" mind-set is neither realistic nor optimal in companies today. Employees now often have to balance charters from multiple teams, receive evaluations and rewards based on different metrics.
The second pitfall is that many companies create teams in name only. They bring members together with tremendous, albeit fleeting, excitement and hope that, through some great magic, value adding synergies will materialise. Developing and maintain positive team dynamics requires constant work from individuals and the leader.
The third pitfall is the tendency to overlook the relationships between smaller subsets of members - we refer to these as sub-teams - once an overall team is up and running.
So, what's the solution?
You must be aware of and be able to focus on all three dimensions of a team - at the right time and in the right situation in order to maximise team effectiveness.
The idea of leadership coming only from one individual is not always an accurate reflection of how team leadership really works, especially in today's environment. Shared leadership on a team exists when leadership behaviours emerge from various team members at different points along a team's life cycle.
Reference: Bradley L. Kirkman: ‘3D Team Leadership: A New Approach for Complex Teams’
