If organizational success hinges on its leaders, and leaders' success depends on their team(s), why do so many teams remain dysfunctional?
Behnam Tabrizi's HBR article revealed that among 95 teams across 25 leading corporations, approximately 75% were dysfunctional. These teams failed on at least 3 of 5 criteria: 1. Meeting planned budgets, 2. Staying on schedule, 3. Adhering to specifications or guidelines, 4. Meeting customer/client expectations, and/or 5. Maintaining alignment with corporate goals.
Add to this the fact that 86% of employees and executives cite ineffective collaboration or communication as reasons for workplace failures, and 97% believe lack of team alignment impacts task or project outcomes.
One explanation may be that many organizations still believe they can develop great leaders without developing great teams. In reality, leaders are only as strong as the teams they lead. Leadership programs that don't help develop and skills and understanding of how to create and sustain highly effective teams limit the capability of the organization to achieve its broader goals and objectives.
Improving team effectiveness can be achieved by helping leaders:
Clarify team purpose and goals aligned with corporate objectives
Identify the right talent mix to achieve those goals
Ensure productive norms
Create an environment that fosters constructive disagreement and debate
Taking such steps can improve individual, team, and organizational-level outcomes. If your organization isn't achieving the kinds of consistent results you'd like, consider helping your leaders develop better teams.
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