Why do teams underperform?

One of the issues facing business leaders – especially in these uncertain times – is what causes teams to underperform and what they can do to tackle the problem.

There are some things within your business that are, by and large, entirely reliable and which you can depend on to run at a level that is at least acceptable, if not better: utilities, network infrastructure and telephony, to give three easy examples, all run as you expect them to most of the time.

Teams, on the other hand, are more erratic. Some of the reasons for that are obvious – for a start, teams are comprised of human components and, as we all know humans are prone to having an off day now and then.

But your teams differ from the other constants in your business for one other significant reason: unlike the power, heat, light, and computers that are essential for your business to operate efficiently, you have quite a lot of control over how they perform.

Humans, like all animals, respond to the dynamics of whatever environment they happen to be in.

In his theoretical paper Geometry for the Selfish Herd, W.D. Hamilton explains that herd behaviour is not a centralised notion but rather the coalescence of many individual selfish decisions.

What does that mean in practice? According to Hamilton, a herd of gazelles will appear to respond to the appearance of a predatory threat as a single entity, taking flight almost as one. In fact, this isn’t the case.

The flight behaviour we see in prey – whether on the African savannah or in our back gardens – is actually a mass event of individual action, usually triggered as a chain reaction, in which each member of the herd acts independently and selfishly to preserve its safety.

The direction of travel is often the same and the initial trigger is usually the first member of the herd to spot the danger and bolt. But the result is a mass event in unison.

So, what relevance does this have in the modern workplace? Simply that the positive and negative responses of an individual in a team may often be mimicked by the rest of the ‘herd’.

In short, and if you subscribe to Hamilton’s herd theory, whilst it’s possible to manage team-wide objectives and targets, it isn’t possible to manage teams themselves as single entities.

And if you or your management team are the external stimulus for a team that otherwise works independently, then the uncomfortable truth is that part of the reason for under-performance is probably staring back at you from the mirror.

What, then, are the causes of under-performance?

Problem 1: Lack of communication and ineffective leadership

Poor communication is very often at the heart of poor performance by a team. We often find that where a team isn’t meeting either its objectives or its potential, it’s often because they don’t understand what they are being asked to do or why they are being asked to do it.

At the very best this can lead to delays in project delivery and deadlines being missed. At worst it can result in loss of revenue through contractual penalties or orders or contracts being cancelled.

What causes the problem: As a leader or manager, you’ve had time to learn and understand the purpose of every function in your business. By the time you come to explain it to your teams, it’s old news and you’ve already taken as read some of the processes and steps that are needed. The chances are communication hasn’t been as clear as it could be.

What you can do: Plan your communication carefully. If appropriate, approach it as you might with someone who has no understanding at all of what they are about to be told. Set out the requirements and the expected outcomes in simple and easy-to-understand terms.

Problem 2: Lack of engagement

When employees or teams feel disengaged it is often because they feel undervalued by the business. Value is not just about salary – it’s also about respect, acknowledgement, and public recognition.

What causes the problem: Sometimes, in the whirlwind of day to day life, it’s easy for us to take colleagues for granted. They’re paid to do a job and when they do it, that’s as it should be.

But that can mean things that aren’t taken for granted get overlooked: going the extra mile to get something done, staying longer to finish something, offering to take on part of a colleague’s burden to help out can all go unrecognised.

What you can do: Observe your teams closely and acknowledge extracurricular or unexpected work or behaviour. Sometimes, public recognition among the team as a whole is an appropriate way of acknowledging contributions, but sometimes a quiet word or email of thanks does the job equally well.

Problem 3: Lack of motivation

This shouldn’t be confused with lack of engagement. The factors that drive disengagement may also impact on motivation, but motivation may also be affected by events or experiences outside the working environment.

Health and wellbeing – mentally and physically – can have a severe impact on motivation. Stress, depression, and anxiety at home almost always arrive at the office as well.

What causes the problem: Some managers know their teams very well, others not so much. You may be unaware of pressures at home or health issues that a colleague is experiencing – and it’s likely they won’t make you aware of their situation because they fear being pigeonholed or judged.

What you can do: Keep a close eye on your team members and make the time to get to know them better. This doesn’t mean – and shouldn’t mean – you have to be part of their life outside the office but understanding who they are on a more personal level will make it more likely you will notice when something’s not quite right.

And if there is something wrong, make sure they know that you are there to support them confidentially in a safe and non-judgmental way.

Problem 4: Lack of training and/or poor job fit

Another common factor in underperforming teams is lack of training, which can mean objectives and deadlines are missed or work is completed at a lower than expected quality.

Poor job fit usually results either from poor recruitment processes, or through natural movement within an organisation resulting in someone being placed into a role for which they are not properly qualified.

What causes the problem: It’s surprising how many businesses do not develop and maintain training and development plans. Even when they do it is not uncommon for training and development to be ignored in annual appraisals.

Poor appraisal and personal development processes are also largely responsible for people being moved into positions for which they are not suited, which ultimately sets them up to fail.

What you can do: Ensure you have an effective and robust personal development process supported by an effective training and development plan – and then make sure your team members share responsibility for shaping their contribution to the organisation rather than being the subject of a process that just ‘happens to them’.

Problem 5: Lack of individualisation

This is possibly the biggest contributor of all to poor team performance. If you consider your team to be a single entity, moving and behaving with one thought and deed, then it’s likely you’re asking for trouble.

What causes the problem: Because teams share visions and objectives, managers often see them as ‘equal’ – not just hierarchically, but also emotionally.

What you can do: Just as a car needs different parts doing different jobs to make it work efficiently and effectively, so does a team. And, just as a car needs certain parts to be used and cared for in different ways, so a team needs its human parts to be treated according to their individual needs.

Equality and/or proportionality is important in areas like remuneration, but when you think more like W.D. Hamilton and see your team as a herd of individuals each with different needs, the better you will be able to support it.

If you’d like to find out more about how Constantia Consulting can help your HR team or business plan for an uncertain future, please get in touch for an informal chat.