The best answer is “address it.” Whereas, most organizations choose to ignore it. When teams ignore it they are essentially saying “I hope this team functions exactly the same 12 months from now as it does today.” That is a dangerous thought because when the dysfunctions are not addressed the dysfunction deepens. This leads to even lower morale, higher politics, and increased turf wars. This is not an environment that anyone ( executive, manager, or laborer) looks forward to. However, when we choose to “address it” not only does the team improve, but business results are positively impacted.

We have found the best way to address the dysfunction on a team is through an offsite. The behaviors on a team that cause the dysfunction are not solved in a 60 minute meeting. It takes time, focused conversations, and the removal of distractions.

We work directly with organizations who are determined to make their teams more cohesive and their organizations more effective. Unlike many organizational consulting firms, we strive to integrate discussions of team effectiveness with core business issues, helping companies avoid politics and confusion, make higher quality decisions and retain top employees.

Our work with executives and their teams usually begins with a one or two-day offsite, where we identify and address potential team dysfunction and internal confusion about priorities by applying methodologies found in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive and other works by Patrick Lencioni. Following our initial work with teams, we also provide clients with follow-up tools and customized guidelines to ensure that progress continues.