Raiders of lost synergy
Some reflections on teamwork.
Almost all of us have seen it and a few of us have felt it: when teamwork is present there is something in the atmosphere, intangible but very pleasant, like the smell of freshly baked bread or wet soil. This condition contradicts or surpasses basic mathematics because, for a moment, you can see that the sum of the parts is greater than the whole when something is achieved that could not have been achieved by isolated individual efforts, synergy is being created*1.
What is it that brings a group of people to this mental and physical state in which the best of each individual emerges and, by collaborating and co-creating a super-organism where individualities are not integrated, but empowered? One that is more than the isolated self and that, by embracing and integrating, surpasses and magnifies us. It sounds almost mystical, doesn't it? Not for nothing has it been the Holy Grail of organizations for several decades.
To explain it today I want to comment on one of the classic theories of the formation of high-performance teams, the stages they go through and some of the factors that favor the emergence of this precious ethereal metal that is synergy.
Surely at some point in our educational stage we heard the teacher saying, "form teams" and we thought, "not again!". The word team is so good and useful that it has been abused on multiple occasions in which we think that it is enough to put a group of people, give them a goal (often unclear) and let them interact to become a team. If it were that simple, we would be full of them everywhere and yet, whether in sports or in business, the opposite is most common.
Let's see if by understanding how the stages a team goes through in its formation and the challenges it faces, we can better understand where we are. In the 1970's Bruce W. Tuckman*2 defined five stages in the life of high-performance teams:
1. Formation. This is the moment when the group gathers and begins to try to answer the question: What is this team for? It is very common to resort to the same strategies we employ in unfamiliar social situations: the tone is political in the approaches, conversation goes to safe places or superficial topics.
It is a time when anxiety tends to grow in the group as each person wonders: how do I fit here?
2. Storming. If the team manages to define its main objective, it advances to a chaotic stage that reminds me of a group of teenagers defining where they will sit on the bus for a ride: competition arises, the atmosphere becomes very emotional, people act with resistance or apathy and lack of participation.
The key question to answer is what is my role in this team?
3. Norming (Calmness). If the individual roles can be located and authority is balanced in a satisfactory way for the members, calm comes.
It is a moment of relief for the members, even though it is not yet the final goal. The purpose of the team has been established and the goals are well understood by all members. This phase is also known as the "normative stage" because the team's rules are clear and respected, the members are committed, they support each other, and the sense of belonging and cohesion begin to develop.
The key question at this stage is: What are we doing here?
4. Performance. We now have a team that has lived through the conflict, has found accommodation and useful roles for all its members and has high motivation, which is based on deep trust in the abilities of the other members and empathy. Not only that, egos have given way to the we so that individual needs are deferred in favor of team needs.
This is very much like the classic Nash equilibrium*3: the alternative that is best for the individual is chosen at the same time as it is best for the team. Very high level and consistent results are delivered. Interdependence and self-management are demonstrated.
Synergy is present while answering a key question: How far do we trust each other?
5. Adjourning (Farewell). All human creation tends to pass, to end. Likewise, teams have a useful life: either because they have fulfilled the mission for which they were created or because individuals change their interests. There comes a time when the orientation of priorities changes and the team as such, ends.
It is a time of sadness and loss for the members as the group finally disbands. It is also a time to recognize the successes achieved as a team and individual efforts.
The key question at this stage is: What did we learn?
The following graph shows the phases, in summary:
As you can see from this brief summary of the phases, the individual and the team must be answering key questions that lead them to the next stage along the way. But what happens if the team doesn't work, if it doesn't find the answers? Well, then it becomes a dysfunctional team.
Lencioni*4 summarizes these team’s dysfunctions in five:
a) Lack of trust. This is a key ingredient in all stages because if the members do not trust each other they will not take any risks or ask for help. When there is no trust, the level of well-being in the team is very low, it becomes very difficult to communicate and performance pays the price.
b) Fear of conflict: How many times do people think that because there are no fights everything is fine? In teams (and in interpersonal relationships in general) conflict is the engine of change and improvement. When peace comes from the avoidance of confrontation, it is artificial and becomes an obstacle to innovation and development.
c) Lack of commitment. This is a dysfunction where it is simulated that there is interest in belonging, but deadlines are not respected, agreed decisions are not followed, the expectations of colleagues are defrauded, it falls into a state that compromises the achievement of the entire project.
d) Lack of responsibility. I imagine a field where the ball is left standing in no man's land, because no member of the group goes for it. The team seems to say: "that's not my job, let someone else do it". Either because of unclear roles or lack of supervision, no one takes the baton and it falls to the ground until the problem explodes.
e) Unattended results. Team members are more focused on their personal goals rather than on the project, so common results are lost sight of. Not focusing on results during the team process implies that the group has no compass; it does not know if it is moving toward the goal.
Reading the dysfunctions of the team can lead us to conclude that trust, assertive conflict management, generating and following up on commitments and focusing on results is indispensable for a team to function.
In 2015, Google's internal People Operations team*5 found 5 dynamics that make a team successful:
1. Psychological safety.
2. Interdependence.
3. Structure and clarity.
4. Meaning of the work.
5. Impact of the project.
These elements underline how essential it is to trust and to feel that the work I do and that we do has meaning for the organization and for the individual.
Now, what can I do if my team is suffering from one or more of the above mentioned dysfunctions or lacks any of the elements of successful teams? Well, your realization is the beginning of the solution.
Many times the team activates one of its members to ask these questions. If you are the one, perhaps it's time to open the discussion on the key questions of Tuckman's stages, both individually and as a team: Does it make sense to be together? What are we building? Do we trust each other? If you are this person, start by posing the questions to yourself, with courage and assertiveness so that you can then share them and compare the vision of others in the team.
If you are there, it's time to pause along the way and reflect. This is always the first step in growth, to see where we are, what we have achieved, what we are missing and then take charge of your own decisions.
Teams are not a goal, but a dynamic process. Fortunately, they are not made of things, but of capable and complete people who can become aware, talk about their problems and look for ways to solve them. If you are in a team that works and gives results with synergy, congratulations! Enjoy it and learn. If not, don't be satisfied, this is perhaps your opportunity to be an agent of change and to make the lives of others better.
Francisco Monterrubio
October 20, 2021
If you want we can continue talking. Write me at fmonterrubio@icloud.com
*1 https://dle.rae.es/sinergia
*2 Tuckman, B. W. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63(6), 384–399. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0022100
*3 Puedes ver un video muy interesante sobre el equilibrio de Nash en: https://youtu.be/HmnnVR8wVhw
*4 LENCIONI, Patrick. “Las cinco disfunciones de un equipo: un inteligente modelo para formar un equipo cohesionado y eficaz.” Barcelona: Empresa Activa, 2003.
*5 The five keys to a successful Google team https://rework.withgoogle.com/blog/five-keys-to-a-successful-google-team/