Broken Teams Damage Your Business

by: Barbara Giamanco

A profitable business bottom line depends on effective teaming as much today as it ever did; yet, “effective teaming” may be destined to be no more than another irrelevant buzz phrase, because by and large teams are still dysfunctional and broken. If you’ve ever worked in a team – and I’ve yet to meet someone who hasn’t – I know you have at least one horror story to tell about a team that crashed and burned. Isn’t it ironic that with all that’s been written about the negative impact dysfunctional teams can have on business and with all the training available to help correct the problem, success is still elusive. It’s easy to ignore the damage that dysfunctional teams can do to a business, but the financial impact can be huge. Consider the wasted time in meetings debating the same issues again and again, as well as the constant squabbles and in-fighting over priorities that lead to inaction or worse, bad decisions that result in good money being thrown down the drain. A recent Microsoft study found that U.S. workers spent an average of 5.6 hours per week sitting in meetings and 69 percent reported that they were not productive. Business is about increasing revenue and profits, so the financial implications to the organization are significant. A $100,000 worker will cost their employer roughly $13,000 to sit through meetings that waste time and do nothing to further the organization’s business goals. Ask yourself if you can afford the $130,000 price tag for having a 10 person team waste hours week after week. Though some are jaded at the prospect that teams can work together successfully, I believe they can. Developing the cohesiveness that ensures success, though, requires that the root causes of team dysfunction are identified and cured. However, overcoming the issues that lead to dysfunction in the first place is a daunting task requiring openness, disciple and the courage to see it through. The reality is that many teams can’t or won’t summon the strength to tackle the challenge, but those willing to take it on will surely reap the rewards. There are scores of reasons why teams don’t work. Common ones touted are a lack of clarity about team member roles, a lack of focus on doing the right things at the right time in the teaming process, a lack of appreciation for the unique strengths of every team member, and a failure to reward and recognize the contributions made by each person. Mix in conflicting professional agendas, increasing diversity, lack of trust, a global business world where people are teamed together “virtually”, as well as a resistance to clarifying goals and roles up front, and it’s no wonder teams are stuck. For teams to perform at their peak, it all begins with trust, unfortunately a rare commodity these days. Trust is the first and most critical component of building a strong team. However, trust cannot be forged when team