Team Dysfunction
Source of the team’s dysfunction
As the team continued to exist, it encountered various challenges that later lead to emergence of dysfunction of the team. There were various attributes that can be linked to the dysfunction of the team. One of the major sources of dysfunction in the team was the communication barriers that the team was going through. The lack of effective communication can be associated with the genesis of dysfunction of the team.
The leaders of the team had been encountering communication challenges as they were unable to effectively pass on information. Leaders, therefore, played a role in the dysfunction of the team. They had not been creative enough to come up with strategies that ensured that there were minimal communication barriers. It is advised that leaders of any group should put in place measures that seek to ensure communication effectiveness. Wilson J. (1991). This is since it is by communication that the team is able to liaise among the members.
Group members also had a role to play in having communication ineffectiveness as the source of dysfunction. The members of the group after realizing that there were certain mishaps did not act accordingly. They ought to have requested their leaders fro there to be special sessions so as to address the concerns. The group members did not, therefore, provide support to their leaders and hence no amicable solution was arrived at. As the team was being formed members were of the view that the leaders had gained experience in other teams. There was obviously a disconnect between the overall expertise and experience and the goals and objectives of the team.
Causes of dysfunction
There were various causes of dysfunction of the team. The causes of dysfunction in the team were similar to the general causes of dysfunction for any team. All the causes of dysfunction of the team were as a result of ineffective communication within the team. One of the causes was the loss of trust among the team members. Trust is deemed to be a very necessary element for any team to function as required. Moger (2000). Members of the team who received information about the team at later dates started losing trust in the leaders of the team. They were of the view that they were being discriminated against and it is for this reason that they did get timely information. In most teams, the next stage that occurs after loss of trust among the members is conflict. This was the case with our team as the members who had lost trust involved themselves with tussles with the leaders.
The next cause of dysfunction in the team was lack of commitment. The members of the team who had developed conflict with the leaders did not have the same levels of commitment as they had before. This meant that the team stared facing challenges as it tried to resolve the conflict that had arose. Another cause of dysfunction of the team was the minimal accountability that was among the group members. Members were involved in actions that would not benefit the group and no one would question them. This was a problem for the group as it resulted to another cause of dysfunction. Members of the group started working towards achieving their own objectives. This resulted to abandoning of the set group goals and objectives as everyone had their own ambitions. Dysfunction if left unchecked can be detrimental for the group. Senge (1990). It results to failure of achieving the set goals and objectives as there is no commitment from the members.
Overcoming the dysfunction
In order for the team to be able to overcome the dysfunction, it should adhere to certain measures. The measure that should be taken in order to prevail over the dysfunction is to address the source of the dysfunction. With regard to our group the source of dysfunction was the inefficiency in communication. The leaders together with the members of the group should come together and address the issue. Of concern should be resolving how communication inefficiency would be a thing of the past. There ought to be consensus on how to overcome communication barriers.
The set goals and objectives play a very vital role in influencing the commitment of the members to the group. Groups are required to have goals and objectives that reflect the ambitions of each and every member. Smith (2010). Our group should, therefore, review the set goals and objectives to ensure that they match the wishes of all the members. This would be important as it would enable the members to have a sense of self achievement while attaining the group goals. It would also increase the level of commitment among the group members. The group ought to seek support from external sources. This could come from the management of the college where the leaders of the group seek for support from the management.
In providing direction for the group, the leaders should ensure that they are not dictatorial and consider the views of the group members.
I would attribute the failure of our group to several reasons. The major reason of failure was the ineffective communication. This resulted to other negative consequences. This included; loss of trust among the group members which in turn led to conflict. Lacks of commitment from the group members accompanied with minimal accountability were also causes of failure. Working towards personal goals and foregoing the group objectives hurt the functioning of the group.
Reference:
Wilson J. (1991) Empowered teams: Creating self directed work groups that improve quality, productivity, and participation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Smith, G.E. (2010). Group development: A review of literature and a commentary on future research directions. Group facilitation. New York.
Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York.
Moger, S. (2000) ‘Creative leadership processes in project team development: An alternative to Tuckman’s stage model’.
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