Some Team Dynamics Considered

Let’s think of the Government! Listen here

The true meaning of “TEAM” can have a variety of meanings, but a summary definition for this purpose would include… A group of people with complementary skills required to complete a range of tasks or requirements. Similarly, all being accountable for the collective performance while working toward a shared goal. There would also be the hope that the team becomes more than just a collection of people allowing for a greater sum of the parts.

One of the highest profile teams that you will ever encounter is our own Government. A colossal budget and with responsibility for some 66m people. Not forgetting overseas business interests!

Aside from election results, a government can almost be measured on a very regular basis…Crime figures…Employment levels…Growth in the economy etc. So very visible both in terms of measures and also profile…Daily pictures and news items.

The following is written without party bias, purely observations. Sadly, the current Government appears to show little signs of cohesion or joined up thinking. We are facing a huge part of history in terms of Brexit, yet a regular feature of the news is the lack of unity…In house fighting…And no apparent agreement of what has to happen. In fact almost the reverse of the definition earlier in this article.

Where does this reflect most poorly? Is it in the Leadership of Theresa May? Is it a lack of support amongst her Senior Team? And who is rallying around trying to create a semblance of cohesiveness?
Usually teams become dysfunctional for a variety of reasons. I will offer three…

Leadership
Dysfunctional teams lack a strong leader. Teams need a strong leader to identify the team’s objective, keep the team focused, and drive the team in the right direction.
Team Members
Dysfunctional teams will sometimes have individuals more interested in individual ambition and less concerned with the team.
A defined Goal
A dysfunctional team often fails to have a sense of clarity or purpose with no clear end goal.

While we are purely outsiders looking in, you do question if these ring true at the current time? Within your own teams, you will only achieve your required outputs with the right fit to each of these three statements.