The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team – #4 Avoidance of Accountability

“The secret of discipline is motivation. When a man is sufficiently motivated, discipline will take care of itself.” ~Sir Alexander Paterson

We’ve been blogging about how “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni has become the world’s definitive source of practical information about building teams. The fourth dysfunction he discusses is the Avoidance of Accountability, specifically peer to peer accountability. This issue arises from the desire to NOT let down your peers, which is VERY strong in the workplace.

In the model from the book, the avoidance of accountability is a byproduct of the underlying dysfunctions of the team. Without stable commitments, even after healthy conflicts are addressed, we tend to not hold people accountable. We have a hard time holding people accountable when we know they were never really committed. Or, quite possibly, maybe we are the ones lacking commitment.

In the context of teamwork, accountability refers specifically to the willingness of team members to call their peers on performance or behaviors that might come off as hurtful.

A team that avoids accountability:

1. Creates resentment among team members who have different standards of performance
2. Encourages mediocrity
3. Misses deadlines and key deliverables
4. Places an undue burden on the team leader as the sole source of discipline

A team that holds one another accountable:

1. Ensures that poor performers feel pressure to improve
2. Identifies potential problems quickly by questioning one another’s approach without hesitation
3. Establishes respect among team members who are held to the same high standards
4. Avoids excessive bureaucracy around performance management and corrective action

Suggestions for overcoming avoidance of accountability:

1. Team rewards
2. Explicitly communicate goals and standards of behavior
3. Regular discussion of performance versus goals and standards

“The ultimate dysfunction of a team is the tendency of members to care about something other than the collective goals of the group.” ~Patrick Lencioni

Holding each other accountable doesn’t have to be aggressive, but it does have to be honest and frequent. The make or break of this depends solely on your team leaders’ willingness to hold all members of the firm to their goals and dreams, often in spite of themselves. Without committing to a clear plan of action, even the most focused and driven people often hesitate to call their peers on actions and behaviors that seem counterproductive to the team – and that’s the birthplace for resentment and frustration.

Team leaders must give every team member (yes, attorneys too) a clear understanding of what is expected of them, what the team standards are, what needs to get done, by whom and when. This should be communicated weekly at your team meetings, and summed up and distributed in writing. Once this environment has been created, it is ultimately up to the team leader to consistently remind everyone of the group goals. Imagine a team that holds one another accountable and people not only expect that but depend on it, weekly. Such a team is on its way to escaping a world of dysfunction and mediocrity.

Molly L. Hall, Co-Founder, Lawyers with Purpose, LLC, and author of Don’t Be a Yes Chick: How to Stop Babysitting Your Boss, Transform Your Job and Work with a Dream Team Without Losing Your Sanity or Your Spirit in the Process.