Is Your Team a Committee in Disguise? – Diagnose the Problem and Get Your Teamwork On Track

If you consider the teamwork and teams that you have been on, it is likely you could easily assess which were high performing and which were dysfunctional. As with anything involving human relationships, there are a multitude of dysfunctions in teamwork is possible.

However, there is one distinction I have consistently used to help turn dysfunctional teams around. And when used as the foundation for forming a new team, it can get you on a fast track to high performance. So let’s get started on learning how to make your teamwork a dream work by learning the basics. 

Teamwork? That distinction is the difference between a TEAM and a COMMITTEE.

First of all, the belief that people know what these terms mean often causes leaders to shortchange the process of setting clear, appropriate and shared expectations of the participants and the goals of any group assembled.

Unfortunately, because so many have experienced “death by committee” — those painful experiences of meeting over time with a group that produces little and drains your time and energy — some have started replacing the label “committee” with “team” when forming new groups.

As you can imagine, that does little to change the dysfunctional dynamics. In fact, it often makes things worse, because expectations have been raised without changing the approach or practices applied. Hence, it’s important to remember that teamwork and collaboration can create a more positive work environment and boost job satisfaction.

If you find yourself on a dysfunctional team or just want to get a new team off to a great start, ask yourself the following 3 questions to make your teamwork, a dream work!

You may discover that your team is nothing more than a committee in disguise. If so, now you’ll know exactly how to correct course you can now make your teamwork and dream work!

1.  What have the members committed to making the teamwork?

If you are being invited or assigned to a committee, chances are you are there to represent some constituency group(s). While you may want to be on the committee and participate fully, your primary commitment is to the people and interests you represent rather than the committee itself.

Your primary responsibilities are likely to provide input and to be a conduit of communication back to those you represent. While the committee may have a goal, the committee leaders do not typically require you to personally own achieving that goal. You simply are there to do your part.

Teamwork, on the other hand, especially high-performance teamwork, requires a different kind and level of commitment. It requires that every individual is committed to the same shared goal. The team goal becomes as important as the commitments you have to any other group(s) you represent.

As an individual team member, you commit to owning the result and doing whatever it takes, including more than “your part” when that is necessary to deliver on the shared goal. High-performance teams are distinctive, in that the individual team members have an “all-in” commitment.

Committee members represent people, groups, and interests outside of the group. They are committed to participating vs. promising a result. Team members, on the other hand, are committed to the shared goal of the team, and promise to be accountable for the end result being delivered and often implemented. In addition, collaboration among team members encourages creativity and innovation by facilitating the exchange of ideas.

Committee members participate and represent; team members promise and deliver on a shared goal.

 

2.  What level of participation in teamwork was requested and required from the members to succeed?

Being assigned to or volunteering to participate on a committee vs. choosing to be a fully contributing team member call for very different behaviors.

The former only requires that you show up and do your part. The latter demands you take whatever action is required in service of the shared goal.

When on a committee, it can be easy to get away with not doing what you said you would or doing it poorly. It can be very frustrating to the few who do the work, but unfortunately, the level of agreement and commitment necessary to hold someone accountable is often too weak.

When you choose to be part of a team, however, you can expect to be held accountable. Accordingly, teamwork among team members can aid in distributing the workload, resulting in more efficient task completion.

Just because you may be assigned to a team doesn’t mean you still can’t choose how you will participate.

Grudging compliance as an individual may be tolerated and get you by on a committee, but it will likely undermine your credibility and the effectiveness of a team. Also, putting the interests of the group(s) you represent outside of the team ahead of the shared goal of the team will get in the way as well.

If you can’t honestly find a way to do the right thing for the team then you may not belong on the team. Hidden agendas have no place on a team.

Volunteering isn’t necessarily choosing to fully participate either. People volunteer for lots of reasons. Sometimes there is a genuine commitment to contribute and/or represent others, while other times the reason is more self-serving or politically motivated.

In the end, though, it doesn’t matter why you volunteered. If a team is counting on you for a level of commitment and participation beyond what you are willing or able to give, then you have by default chosen not to be a team member, whether you show up or not. Thus, as the saying goes, “Teamwork commitment makes the dream work”.

If you are on a team, you owe it to your team members to authentically choose to be a fully participating member of that team — or take yourself out.

 

3.  How do the members relate to teamwork decisions?

Building consensus is the most common way for committees to make decisions. This essentially means the members vote and the majority rules. The “building” part is about getting enough people to agree with you so the vote swings your way.

While it seems fair, this common decision-making practice has unintended consequences. The people who are not in the majority are disenfranchised. If you are one of the ones who voted the other way, when someone asks “Why did your committee decide that?” your response will likely be something akin to, “I didn’t — they did.”

Have you ever tried to implement a committee decision that was based on a close vote? It can be a lot like swimming against the tide!

Consensus may work for some committees, but it rarely works for a team. Team members must not only own the shared goal; they must own the decisions made in service of that goal. I often ask team members to explicitly commit to following through on the decisions of the team as though they made the decisions themselves.

Teams members must commit to aligning, not voting, or they risk the success of the team. That includes situations in which the team member makes the decision on behalf of the team.

If you find you can’t get behind the prevailing decision, continue the dialogue until you get whatever you need to be addressed to choose to get behind the decision, even if it is not the decision you would have made if it were up to you. Consequently, teamwork can lead to better problem-solving skills as multiple minds come together to tackle a problem.

Committee members vote. Team members choose to align.

 

Consider one of the dysfunctional teams and teamwork you either have been on or are a part of now.

Is your team a committee in disguise?  If so, can you apply this distinction to diagnose the problem and get your teamwork on track?