Five Dysfunctions of a Team - #4 Avoidance of Accountability
Have you read "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team?"
I've been writing a short series in my weekly email, summarizing and reflecting on the book, and the feedback has been positive, so I’m sharing my cliff-note articles here.
I invite you to email me your comments or questions, as I'd love to hear about your experiences working on either a healthy or unhealthy team.
#4 Dysfunction - Avoidance of Accountability
In a team, the best form of accountability is when the team members remind one another, “We all need to do what we all agreed to do.”
Avoidance of Accountability flows out of lack of commitment because when people are held accountable to something they aren’t committed to, they’ll hit eject.
Go back and read part three about the importance of weigh-in and buy-in if you want to understand the commitment dysfunction.
Avoidance of Accountability is evidenced by:
1) A pattern of excuses for failing to fulfill commitments.
2) Random firings of seemingly healthy team members. In extreme situations, this is paired with a leader’s unexpected attacks on fired persons’ character - now that they are no longer in a position to defend themselves.
3) Siloed communications and spun narratives. Pay attention to half-truths, exaggerations used to self-promote, and isolated channels of communication, even amongst leaders on a team (i.e. the circle within a circle).
Sometimes, a leader fails at providing accountability to their team out of fear or insecurity.
To this, Lencioni says, “Firing someone is often the last act of cowardice, not accountability.”
A healthy team is one where the members hold one another accountable, when feedback isn’t shared or received as personal attack, and where the conflict and conversations are motivated by a desire to get the best out of and the best for the team.
When there is an Avoidance of Accountability, a team will quickly be characterized by Dysfunction #5: Inattention to Results.
“Firing someone is often the last act of
cowardice, not accountability.”
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