Errors and mistakes in the workplace
One of the biggest challenges in teams is errors, mistakes and slips. We all make them however; they are not always obvious, they are often subtle and complex. Teams that are not working in psychologically safe spaces are more prone to errors which have a direct negative cost and impact upon the business. How does that work in practice?
Imagine I am a CEO at a fictitious company A. I think it’s a good idea to begin a merger with another company, I start talks with key members of the organisation that I wish to buy and the board agrees with my merger plans and authorises talks to proceed.
What is going on that might cause errors and mistakes further down the line.
The team agree because they have seen my previous successes - Confirmation bias
Members are leaning back and not saying anything because they have left the responsibility to me therefore, they feel that they don’t have to do anything - Social loafing
Team members don’t like to challenge for fear of not being able to manage the possible response - Fear of conflict
Fear of having and sharing their own their view in the group in case they are wrong - Fear of vulnerability or perfectionism
Feel that the decision isn’t imminent therefore why rock the boat at this stage - Kicking the can down the road
Haven’t kept up with the latest communication so wasn’t even aware of the embryonic stage of the project. - Out of the loop consciously or unconsciously
Team members who did question but were then shut down quite quickly. - Space is not psychologically safe to discuss critical issues
They approve of the merger yet haven’t challenged the details. - Overly trusting the messenger without challenge
Abundance of funding is available therefore financing isn’t a challenge and blinds decision making. This is a big one, abundance of money often emotionally blinds decision making.
They have a social and personal relationship with me and are unlikely to want to put that at threat. - Personal relationships have a big impact upon how they will or won’t support a decision or a project.
The list could continue on…
How can team coaching help? As a group the team will have a way of working that is rarely objectively challenged and over time becomes less resilient to change and challenges; more importantly less resilient to negative change, crisis and trauma. Imagine that the merger went ahead then a pandemic hit how would the team react? Blame, panic, scapegoating, sabotage, withdrawal, or with more team resilience, solutioning, creating, sharing, communicating and problem solving.
Interested in exploring team coaching for your organisation?
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