Dysfunctional Behaviour: Why Teams Fail. It’s impact and mitigation.
Bitter truth: At times, teams encounter situations where a team member’s performance decreases, or they fail to respond. It’s a common experience that many of us have faced, including myself.
Why is this happening, and is there something we can do to avoid this?
Through my experience working with diverse professionals such as Developers, QA, Designers, Marketers, etc., I have come to the realization that building personal connections with team members is key. By getting to know them on a personal level, the probability of encountering such issues decreases, and addressing them becomes more comfortable.
What is Dysfunctional Behaviour?
Dysfunctional behaviors, in simple term is is actions or attitudes that can have a negative impact on team dynamics and project outcomes.
Aggression, passive-aggressiveness, resistance to change, lack of cooperation, and poor communication are all examples of dysfunctional behaviors. This is especially problematic in project management, where teams must collaborate to achieve a common goal. Examples of Dysfunctional Behaviors include:
- Refusing to take responsibility for one’s own actions
- Blaming others for mistakes or failures
- Disrupting meetings or other team activities
- Ignoring or dismissing others’ ideas or opinions
- Refusing to share information or resources
- Engaging in conflicts or arguments with team members
- Being overly critical or negative toward others
- Resisting changes to project plans or processes
- Focusing on personal interests instead of the team’s goals
So how do Dysfunctional Behaviors impact and what can you do to mitigate this?
Dysfunctional behaviors can have a significant impact on project management in various ways. Such as:
- Low team morale and engagement,
- Reduced productivity and efficiency,
- Poor communication and collaboration,
- Increased stress and tension among team members,
- Increased project cost,
- Delays in project timelines,
Overall this negatively impact on the quality of project outcomes.
Strategies for Addressing Dysfunctional Behaviors
There are proactive and reactive strategies that can be used to address dysfunctional behaviors in project management.
- Proactive strategies include setting clear expectations and standards of behavior, providing regular training on effective communication and collaboration, and encouraging team members to build positive relationships with each other. If you’re making someone work too much at the beginning, it is sure that it will demotivate him, we need to address this in the initial phase. It is normal that someone might not communicate that they are having a problem but in the long run, the whole team needs to suffer.
- Reactive strategies include addressing dysfunctional behaviors as soon as they arise, providing constructive feedback to team members, and using disciplinary measures when necessary. It is important to address dysfunctional behaviors early on to prevent them from escalating and causing further damage to team dynamics and project outcomes. Confrontation is the name of the game, if someone is acting weird we need to ask them immediately. Also, view the seven-step feedback model to learn how to address issues like this.
Common Dysfunctional Behaviors in Project Management
Some dysfunctional behaviors are more common in project management than others. Common examples include:
- Team members are micromanaged.
- Avoiding conflict or failing to deal with problems.
- Failure to communicate critical information.
- Failure to establish clear expectations or goals.
- Individual goals are prioritized over team goals.
- Failure to provide feedback or acknowledgment.
- Ignoring diversity or failing to value team members’ differences.
Some mind games I play with teams.
At times when the team is working on a tight deadline and if there is stress, I go and tell them that I had chat with clients and they loved the product. I share this type of news in Team meetings like Retro or Daily Scrum.
Some questions I get:
Q. What if team members are blaming each other?
Confront saying that we have an issue and we need to solve this.
Q. What if the PM is dysfunctional?
Yes, at times Project Managers also try to overdo stuff and that puts the development team under pressure, in situations like this it is advised to speak against this. Observe their behavior and talk with them and ask if there is something that you can help with. If you’re not comfortable talking with the PM, talk with a higher authority.
Watching someone commit crime, is also a crime.
Impact on Project Outcomes
Dysfunctional behaviors can have a large impact on project outcomes. Dysfunctional behaviors, for example, can result in project delays, cost overruns, quality issues, and even project failure. Dysfunctional behaviors can also harm the team’s and organization’s reputation, as well as lower morale and motivation among team members. To avoid these negative consequences, it is critical to address dysfunctional behaviors early on.
In conclusion, dysfunctional behaviors can have a significant impact on project management. It is important for project managers to be aware of the signs of dysfunctional behaviors and to take proactive and reactive measures to prevent and address them. By promoting positive team dynamics and addressing dysfunctional behaviors early on, project managers can help ensure the success of their projects and the satisfaction of their team members.
If you made it till this very end, I have a request: Stop using the word People Management, instead use People Leadership. This will solve half of your problem.
