Dysfunctional Teams

Have you ever been part of a team and despite your good intentions of making sure that everyone is productive and on the same page things still don't work out?
As a Long Term Occasional Teacher, I have had the opportunity to work with various teams in different schools. Some of the teams I have been a part of or witnessed few would deem "functional" while most, on the other hand, are considered "dysfunctional".

Over the years, I have tried making sense of what it is that makes some teams work and others crumble. Recently, I came across Patrick Lencioni's work on the 5 dysfunctions of a team. According to Lencioni, all teams are potentially dysfunctional. Why? Because they are made up of imperfect human beings and unfortunately, many of us travel at the beat of our drums!

Lencioni states that there are 5 types of dysfunctions of a team:

1. Absence of Trust: If we do not trust our team members, then we dot believe in their good intentions and cannot feel safe and comfortable to reveal our own areas of weakness. Absence of trust can also occur when team members are being competitive with one another and taking care of their own interests first.

2. Fear of Conflict: Because we cannot trust each other, we do not feel comfortable debating about key issues. We need to remember that the right type of conflict is productive and even necessary in order to continue growing.

3. Lack of Commitment: There is no goal, vision and an overall lack of direction. Everyone's opinions need to be heard and decisions need to be made based on the best solution.

4. Avoidance of Accountability: Teams do not commit to a plan of action and do not hold their members accountable. It is important to demonstrate high expectations and respect for one another in terms of performance.

5. Inattention to Results: Team members lose sight of the collective goals when individuals aren't being held accountable.

I like Lencioni's framework because it gives teams a chance to rebuild and strengthen. Once you determine which dysfunctions are present within your own team, steps and measures can be taken to counter them.

In my opinion, the first 2 dysfunctions are the most common. Trust is something that takes a while to build and with today's job turnover trends when we gain trust with one team, a new member sets their foot in the door while another leaves.  I also find that because everyone is so polite in Canada fear of conflict is another dysfunction that is so common as we have not yet developed the trust to speak freely with our team members without fearing misinterpretation or judgment.

In my own classroom, some of the ways I tackle team dysfunction is by creating a safe environment. I use the TRIBES program to set up an inclusive, collaborative, welcoming classroom space giving my students lots of opportunities to build trust with each other. We partake in community building activities, community circles and follow the 4 Tribe agreements : Mutual Respect, Attentive Listening, Right to Pass and Appreciations/ No Put Downs to help achieve our vision of a safe, inclusive community.


How do you try and tackle team dysfunction?

References:

Lencioni, P. (2013). Conquer team dysfunction. The table group.

T. (2013). Patrick Lencioni - The 5 dysfunctions of a team. Retrieved June 26, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inftqUOLFaM

Tribes Learning Community - A New Way of Learning and Being Together. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2016, from http://tribes.com/

Management vs Leadership

Currently, in my EDUC5205G course, I am learning about the differences between being a manager and being a leader. Previously, I had considered both to be one in the same. Now that I have read articles and watched the videos assigned, I can say that they really are nothing alike!

According to The Wall Street Journal, a manager’s job is "to plan, organize and coordinate" while a leader’s job is "to inspire and motivate".  As an intermediate teacher, I wonder what my own role is in the classroom. Am I a leader or am I a manager?  Originally, I thought I would end up being more of a manager. Using the Educational Business Articles' website, I decided to use their criteria of differentiating managers and leaders and apply it to my teaching context to see how I performed. Here are my results:

How I am most like a manager:

Planning: I plan units and daily lessons

Organizing: I organize the class at the beginning of the year and throughout in terms of seating arrangements, materials, and decor.

Controlling: I control the class in terms of behaviour

Coordinating: I coordinate projects the students will be completing and whom will be working together

Resource Use: I ensure students are using the classroom resources effectively and that they are picking the right tools for the right task

Time Management: I schedule due dates and make sure students are meeting their deadlines. I also make sure I am coordinating my day according to the time allotted.

Decision Making: I make many decisions throughout the day in terms of what I deem is appropriate in multiple circumstances (behaviour, scheduling, organization)

Problem-solving: A big chunk of what I do is trying to solve and control social problems that may appear amongst classmates

How I am most like a leader:

Vision: I have big ideas, learning goals and objectives that I consider before any planning is accomplished. I also envision how I would like my classroom to operate

Motivation: I ensure I motivate the students to succeed

Inspiration: I try to inspire students to be the best versions of themselves by modeling, using pep-talks and keeping them engaged

Persuasion: I try and persuade students to do the right thing

Team-Work: I encourage students to work together and try to show them that more heads are better than one.

Building Relationships: A big part of being a teacher is building relationships with your students. This is the only way they will trust you, listen to you and care.

Listening: I listen to students and try to help whenever/wherever I can

Counseling: I feel like a counselor when we encounter social issues together in class or in one-on-one settings

Coaching: I facilitate students' learning and give them freedom to learn and grow

Teaching: I model and show students the right way

Mentoring: I impart my wisdom and help students out in different ways

These results were surprising to me as I had originally thought that most of what teachers did included managerial tasks. I guess it comes so naturally that I don't even notice that a lot of what I do includes being a leader. 

After analyzing the results using the criteria listed above, it is clear that there is a nice balance in a teacher's role. A good teacher needs to be both a leader and a manager. We need to remember that one of our most important roles is to be a great leader for our future generations.  If we don't teach them to be great leaders, who will?

Check out the following article that further shows how teachers are great leaders:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-chang/9-reasons-great-teachers-_b_4236859.html

References:

Chang, D. (2013, November 8). 9 Reasons Great Teachers Make Great Leaders. Retrieved May 27, 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-chang/9-reasons-great-teachers-_b_4236859.html

 Leadership versus Management: What is the difference? (2016). Retrieved May 27, 2016, from http://www.educational-business-articles.com/leadership-versus-management/

What is the Difference Between Management and Leadership? (n.d.). Retrieved May 27, 2016, from http://guides.wsj.com/management/developing-a-leadership-style/what-is-the-difference-between-management-and-leadership/