About a month ago I asked the question on several LinkedIn Groups “What is so difficult about teamwork?” I received well over 200 responses. My intention was to rank each of them and then figure out ways we can create better teamwork.
Today we will discuss obstacle number Eight – “Poor Communication.”
- Lack of a competent leader (27)
- Lack of goals and goal alignment (26)
- Individuals focused on themselves and not the team (21)
- Lack of understanding of team members (20)
- Lack of clarity on team roles, and/or the purpose and vision of the team (15)
- Lack of focus on team rewards and appreciation (12)
- Lack of spending time together as a team (9)
- Poor communication (8)
- Lack of trust (7)
- Lack of accountability (6)
Poor communication on teams can occur for a lot of reasons and range from convoluted messages, lack of full participation by team members, leaders withholding information, lack of cascading key information and using the wrong vehicle for communication (e-mail as opposed the phone or face to face).
When communication on teams is poor the consequence will almost inevitably be lack of optimal execution. How can teams be expected to perform at a most favorable level if they aren’t aware or clear on the tasks, outcomes and expectations? How can teams be most effective if team members aren’t fully engaged and invested in the process, whatever it may be?
Mike Rogers
http://www.secondg.net Join our Teamwork Group on Linkedin http://www.linkedin.com/e/vgh/2232816/
