Dysfunction #1: Absence of Trust

What is the “Absence of Trust”? “In the context of building a team, trust is the confidence among team members that their peers’ intentions are good, and that there is no reason to be protective or careful around the group. In essence, teammates must get comfortable being vulnerable with one another.” (Lencioni, 2002)

Members of teams with an absence of trust…. Conceal their weaknesses and mistakes from one another Hesitate to ask for help or provide constructive feedback Jump to conclusions about the intentions and aptitudes of others without attempting to clarify them Fail to recognize and tap into one another’s skills and experiences Waste time and energy managing their behaviors for effect Hold grudges Dread meetings and find reasons to avoid spending time together Members of trusting teams… Admit weaknesses and mistakes Ask for help Accept questions and input about their areas of responsibility Give one another the benefit of the doubt before arriving at a negative conclusion Take risks in offering feedback and assistance Appreciate and tap into one another’s skills and experiences Focus time and energy on important issues, not politics Offer and accept apologies without hesitation Look forward to meetings and other opportunities to work as a group

Suggestions for Overcoming Dysfunction 1 Building vulnerability-based trust takes time. It requires shared experiences that allow the team to get to know one another on a personal level, understand the unique attributes of their team members, and to have the chance to show follow-through and credibility. The following pages list a few ideas the book suggests for developing this trust:

Personal Histories Exercise This exercise is nothing more than going around the room and having members of the team answer questions about themselves. The questions do not need to be overly personal or sensitive, just opportunities for people to reveal something about themselves that others might not know such as: number of siblings, favorite hobbies, hometown, challenges of childhood. By sharing simple experiences and attributes, other members of the team have the opportunity to relate to one another on a more personal level. This encourages more empathy and understanding, and discourages unfair and inaccurate assumptions.

Team Effectiveness Exercise In this exercise team members will identify a single important contribution that they believe each of their teammates brings to the team. They also must admit one area in which each of their teammates needs improvement upon. Everyone gives their responses for their team members one at a time beginning with the team leader. This is an exercise that obviously requires some degree of trust in order to be useful but can provide both constructive and positive information to the team. Personality and Behavioral Preference Profiles These tools give practical and scientifically valid descriptions of an individual’s behaviors, and help explain why people think, act and speak the way they do. Having a team take personality inventories breaks down barriers by allowing people to better understand and empathize with each other. There are a number of tools available to use although the book suggests the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

360-Degree Feedback Similar to a Team Effectiveness Exercise, 360 Degree Feedback provides employees performance feedback from their supervisor as well as from peers. It is a tool that helps an individual understand their effectiveness in their role as employee, coworker and staff member as viewed by others. Experiential Team Exercises These are rigorous and creative outdoor activities which require support and cooperation in order to build trust, such as ropes courses. Although the author feels that the benefits from these activities do not always translate into the working world, they can be valuable for enhancing teamwork as long as they are combined with more fundamental and relevant processes.

The Role of the Leader The first and most important thing that a leader must do to encourage building trust within their team is to demonstrate vulnerability. They must be willing to lose face in front of the team so that others will be willing to take risks themselves. Second, leaders must create an environment that allows for vulnerability and not punish it. The subtle jabs others can take when someone admits weakness or failure must not be permitted. Finally, all acts of vulnerability must be sincere. A leader who falsely acts out vulnerability in order to manipulate the emotions of their team will backfire resulting in loss of trust.

Connection to Dysfunction 2 How does all of this relate to Dysfunction 2, the fear of conflict? When a team has built trust, conflict is possible. Without the fear of punishment for saying something that could be construed as destructive or critical, people are able to open up and be honest. The trust that a team develops allows for them to engage in passionate and emotional debate.