Why Teams Fail

There are many reasons that teams may fail. In this post I will discuss with you some of the reasons why teams fail, how you can tell when a team is failing, and how to fix it.

1. Confused Goals:
Symptoms - People are unsure of what they are suppose to do.
Solutions - Clarify the team purpose and expected outcomes, make sure everyone is on the same page.

2. Mismatched Needs:
Symptoms - People with private agendas working at cross-purposes.
Solutions - Get hidden agendas on the table by asking what people personally want from the team.

3. Unresolved Roles:
Symptoms - Team members are uncertain about what their jobs are
Solutions - Inform team members what is expected of them, have roles dedicated to each member.

4. Senseless Procedures:
Symptoms - The team is at the mercy of an employee handbook that is not efficient, effective or realistic.
Solutions - Throw away the book and develop procedures that make sense.

5. Bad Leadership:
Symptoms - Leader is tentative, inconsistent, or foolish.
Solutions - Leaders must learn to serve the team and keep its vision alive or give up the role to someone more qualified.

6. Antiteam Culture:
Symptoms - The organization is not committed to the idea of teams.
Solutions - Don't force people onto a team, either team up or don't team at all.

7. Poor Feedback:
Symptoms - Performance is not being measured; team members are groping in the dark.
Solutions - Create a system of free flow of useful information from all team members

**Information found from  Guffey, M. E., Rhodes, K.,& Rogin, P. (2011). Business Communication process and product (6th ed.). Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.