Herding Cats: Team Dynamics or Perception?
The Challenge
As a leader it can sometimes feel like you’re herding cats – no one seems to be working together, and everyone appears to be pursuing their own agendas, topics or even objectives.
This can feel completely alien to a leader who is used to regular team meetings, energetic huddles where everyone contributes passionately, and the assurance that if something went wrong, the team will have your back.
But let’s look more closely at what’s really happening. On the surface it might appear to be a dysfunctional team, and sometimes it is. However, research suggests that as many as half of all teams in organisations can consist of people who don’t actually work together day to day. In these cases, the issue may be one of team perception, rather than team dynamics.
In other words, is the challenge that they are cats, in which case they can’t be herded, or that they should be herdable, but currently aren’t. The latter describes a dysfunctional inter-dependent team, but the former reflects a functional extra-dependent team. The challenge for any leader is understanding which type of team they are leading.
Taking Action
Understanding the nature of the team is the first action to take. By using our Team Dependency Diagnostic, you can easily identify which type of team you have. If it is a dysfunctional inter-dependent team you will need to address each member’s individual agenda and objectives and help them find a common goal. If they are a functional extra-dependent team, then you’ll need to acknowledge that conventional ways of leading the team are less effective. You’ll need to try something different.
Firstly, understand that extra-dependent teams share a common practice – indeed they are all cats, acting like cats, and doing cat things. They act individually, but they all do similar things. Secondly, use precious team time to learn together – maybe addressing common problems associated with their practice, sharing hints and tips about how to do their work. Lastly, take time to meet each member individually and regularly, to monitor performance and progress. Using coaching skills during these conversations is vital because, as the leader, you are unlikely to witness what the person actually does first hand. Coaching provides support and challenge without having to see the work the person does.
How We Help with Herding Cats
Our Team Dependency Diagnostic (lite) and Team Dependency Diagnostic (full) have both been designed to help leaders identify their team’s type. At Organisational Coaching Hub we are world leaders in appreciating the differences between inter-dependent and extra-dependent teams – as well as combinations of the two. This issue affects a huge proportion of teams and makes teams and leadership more complex.
The diagnosis takes just 10 minutes to complete and will provide you with an immediate high-level score and report on your team. The Team Dependency Diagnostic might just be the one thing you do today that could help reduce the complexity in your team.
Challenges
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