Knowing when your team is dysfunctional is usually quite easy: a team is unproductive, there is conflict and internal politics get the better of everyone. But how do you know that the hard work that you’ve put in to change things, is actually paying off? Here are 7 signs that show that you are making progress and that you have a recovering team on your hands.

1)    There is a clear communal goal

Everyone understands what is expected of them, and if someone is not contributing to that goal or become counterproductive, it is being communicated constructively within the team and rectified. There is no confusion about the process necessary to complete the task and everyone understands how their part in the bigger picture influences the entire team and project as a whole.

2)    Mutual respect

Everyone listens and everyone gets a chance to state their case, without fear of being ridiculed. There are more opinions being voiced – even opposing ones – but constructive criticism is welcomed because the team has become a safe environment through confidence and trust.

3)    Initiative

Because everyone is in their natural role and excel in it, they have the confidence to take initiative and come up with alternative solutions without being prompted. This creates an incredibly dynamic team because new ideas and methods have the chance to be implemented, instead of the common solution that gets decided on in order to subdue everyone.

4)    Less time talking, more time doing

Meeting times are shortened and become much more productive, without arguments flying between opposing personalities. Everyone is keen to get on with the task assigned to them and prefers to not waste time just talking about it. There is also a lot less time running to the boss with “he said, she said” stories, which in turn creates more time for the leader to spend time on managing the organization instead of the team.

5)    Honesty

When someone is struggling with a task or with changing an old habit or behavior, they voice it because there is trust within the group. There are no victims, sitting in the corner, sulking about their own work load compared with those of others. They say when they need help and insist on getting it to benefit to the team as a whole.

6)    Free flow of information

No-one hoards the information, causing bottle necks, confusion and delays. A lot more questions are being asked and relevant answers are being supplied. If something goes wrong, it is voiced without fear and the impact communicated clearly.

7)    Acceptance of Team Accountability

There is no finger-pointing and blame shifting: when there is a problem, everyone jumps in to find a solution and assist. The problem is seen as a hurdle for the entire team, not something that the individual needs to resolve while everyone waits on the sidelines to get on with their own task.

An organization is greatly dependent on the performance of their teams, and therefor to have healthy, productive and above all happy team members are essential to the success of a business. We can help you turn your dysfunctional teams into profitable teams. Click here to book a free 30min consultation.

Ann