Groups, also known as coalition forces, compete with each other, such as HR, business, finance, production, marketing, etc.; Teams, made up of well-meaning professionals, capable of getting the job done better and faster, and giving a sense of value, unity and meaning to all who interact with them.
Context and reality
In companies that value people, building high performance teams is a significant investment of time, money and resources. Therefore, allowing them to fail or produce less than expected causes irreversible damage in all respects. Some teams achieve extraordinary results no matter how difficult the objectives and goals are, but others can become total failures and bankrupt an organisation in a short time.
As professionals, we spend at least a third of our lives at work, we live in teams, we think in teams, we depend on teams, and when we become leaders, we strive to build successful teams. Even if we struggle to lead, we know that teams are important ways of coming together to get the job done in the best way possible. Without teams, there are no benefits, no satisfactory results, and companies do not survive.
Precepts and concepts
Research conducted by Don Carew and Eunice Parisi-Carew over a 10-year period, and cited by Ken Blanchard in his book High-Level Leadership, reveals that teams fail for a number of reasons, including lack of a clear purpose and lack of training. According to the authors, it is important to be aware of these pitfalls in order to avoid them in the team you lead or are part of.
As this has everything to do with everyday business, we have taken the liberty of transcribing and commenting on the first ten reasons. We hope it will be useful in some way, after all, who doesn't lead, at least, is led.
Lack of solid guidelines
They define the main objective of the team and how the team will work together to achieve it: in short, what a team is for, what its purpose is, what it needs to do to achieve its objectives.
Inability to decide what work the team is responsible for in an interdependent and mutual way
In fact, lack of focus on the final result of the work and its relation to other areas.
Lack of mutual accountability: when results are not achieved, everyone is responsible; there is no point in blaming individual team members.
Lack of resources to do the job, including time
This refers to the creative and responsible use of resources, materials, equipment and people, and the organisation of time.
Lack of effective leadership and shared leadership
Guidance, delegation and sharing are key words for successful teams.
Lack of standards for creativity and excellence
Lack of stimulation of creative thinking, 'out of the box' as they say in the jargon.
Lack of planning
No company or team can survive without a minimum of planning and this is the task of the leaders.
Lack of support from management
Support is a leader's best motivational tool. Without support, there is no synergy but rather a waste of vital energy.
Inability to manage conflict
Companies are inevitable sources of conflict, so those who do not like conflict cannot lead teams. Knowing how to handle conflict is a sign of maturity.
Lack of training in teamwork techniques at all levels:
We were not trained to work in teams, we ended up learning the hard way; achieving excellence in teamwork requires leadership, determination and commitment from everyone.
Vision and spirit
In terms of leadership, the planning maxim applies: "If you don't know where you are going, anywhere will do. Never ignore the mission and vision of the organisation, even if a little pressure is sometimes necessary. Leadership is an art that has to be learned bit by bit, as it requires maturity, resignation and a willingness to deliver.
Finally, remember that teams are nothing more than a reflection of the leader's thoughts. So when leaders fail to guide, plan, delegate and assign responsibility, they should expect no other outcome than failure. The words of leadership expert Ken Blanchard are appropriate for teamwork: "None of us alone is as smart as all of us together, and people have a right to be involved in decisions that affect them."