What are the roadblocks to collaboration? Three major pitfalls can quickly turn teams towards competition instead of collaboration.
The saying ‘three heads are better than one’ reminds us of the power of collective thinking. What happens if competition takes over as the main goal instead of collaboration on a team? Without collaboration, three problems may occur. First, as the adage goes, ‘the squeaky wheel gets the grease’. On competitive teams, people who yell the loudest often get what they want, even at the expense of the team, project, company, and/or customer. They drown out the opinions of others or bully them into agreement. Sometimes, it is whoever is on a higher level of power that ‘wins’ without considering the value in collaborating with other team members or even between departments.
Second, some people do not say anything. Why? Maybe so when the team project fails, they could say they knew it would not work all along. Or they are resistant to the idea and plan to sabotage the project. If they have no voice, then they have no ownership. If they have no ownership they have no responsibility or accountability. Then, some people are just not asked who could have valuable input but are a threat to others being in control or getting recognition. The best teams are those who are made up of diverse perspectives that can be shared openly and used effectively during the process. People from different job responsibilities and levels have a unique view of a situation. The most innovative solutions and products come from this diversity.
Finally, the fastest way to destroy morale is to give the illusion that team members have a voice in the decision when in fact, the decision was already made before the meeting started. Perhaps, a boss presented information at a staff meeting and then asked a question. If anyone answered, the entire group was held hostage with no breaks for over three hours! Everyone learned quickly not to answer any questions, thus allowing the illusion that everyone was in agreement. This is an extreme example, but I have seen it happen. A leader can be so in love with their own idea, that they will move ahead with the appearance that everyone on the team is on board.
Employees are not engaged if they are not included in the major decisions affecting them directly or indirectly. As Susan Scott would say in her book Fierce Conversations, “The conversation IS the relationship.”
