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Team Energy Grid
A cohesive team could be the single biggest dream of any leader, and rightly so. It has the power to drive growth and create millions in value for the team members, leaders and organisations. In contrast, a dysfunctional team can kill a company.
This is the first in a series of articles that explores the nine levels of team development. The path to high team performance requires expert guidance through these nine levels of development.
In this article, we consider stage two of team development – battling experts. Stage one is simply a collection of talented individuals; you might consider it pre-team. That’s why we’re starting with stage two and if you’re a new leader or an established leader with a new team, you might recognise this stage.
Do you have battling experts in your team?
At stage two of the team development journey, team members realise they are paid to deliver, but they operate from their silo. They see themselves as an individual within a team. They ‘report in’ to team meetings, share performance for their own area and jockey for position in the ‘storming’ phase of development.
You’ll see individuals battling for authority and trying to establish a pecking order within the team at this stage. The battle is rarely toxic; you’ll more commonly see polite mistrust. Passive aggressive behaviour through a lack of support for colleagues is evident and counter briefing is also very likely.
Tensions at level two can become weaponised. Team members can blame each other, and failure is pointed out, often by people trying to deflect attention away from themselves.
Leading a stage two team – are you making it worse?
A leader of a stage two team could inadvertently be making the team performance worse. If you’re playing individuals against each other – hoping to create some kind of competitiveness – you’ll only end up exacerbating the fight.
Leading stage two teams is usually tolerable, rarely enjoyable and always sub-optimal.
You may also find yourself the target of your team’s battles at this stage of team development. You might find you’re constantly being asked for ‘more clarity’ or face a subtle refusal to commit to the journey you want the team to take.
Stage two can be a frustrating place for an ambitious leader. Having to sort out conflict between team members can feel trivial and time-wasting.
The journey to stage three of team development
The good news is that moving from stage two to stage three of team development is one of the more straight-forward transitions in the journey. However, it can take time if the team is left to evolve on its own. On the other hand, if the team has a coach who understands what it takes for teams to develop, that process can be sped up … dramatically.
Getting your team humming
The benefits to high performance teams are well documented and significant. Complete has seen direct evidence of increased revenue and profitability, faster decision making and accelerated innovation.
If you suspect you might have a team of battling experts on your hands and you’re interested in speeding up your team’s journey towards high performance, get in touch.
