A lack of commitment doesn’t work long term

Just like a footballer who lets her team down by not showing up for matches, people who lack commitment at work can have a negative impact on their team’s morale and performance.

In my previous two blogs this month I wrote about absence of trust and fear of conflict, the first two of Patrick Lencioni’s ‘5 Dysfunctions of a Team’.

This week my focus is on the third dysfunction: a lack of commitment resulting from ambiguity.

As Lencioni writes, “people aren’t going to hold themselves accountable if they haven’t clearly bought into the same plan”.

A lack of commitment ultimately leads to a decline in performance among team members.

When a team has a high level of trust and engages in healthy conflict, they will commit to team goals and objectives.

Even if they don’t agree fully with the aims and objectives, team members that have had their voice heard and that trust their colleagues will commit to doing their share of the work.

On the other hand, dysfunctional teams that don’t commit experience ambiguity about goals and direction. They fail to make decisions and as a result don’t move forward.

Lack of commitment leads to paralysis by analysis. Full potential isn’t reached as confidence is low and team members fear failure.

Below are ten tips that you can put in place today to improve commitment in your work team.

10 Tips for Building Commitment in Your Work Team

#1: Ensure team members feel valued

As The Balance point out, when team members feel that their work is making a valuable contribution to the organisation they will be more likely to commit.

Even better is when the work they do is also of value to their career development plan. Ensure you show appreciation to your team for the work they do.

#2: Volunteer involvement works best

If team members feel forced into working on a project, you can be sure to find a lack of commitment.

They will speak dispassionately, debate endlessly and you will typically sense some conflict in the air.

By allowing team members to choose their own work teams, they are far more likely to give their best work and to commit to team projects.

#3: Build clarity around roles and responsibilities

Have a discussion around each team member’s roles and responsibilities. Where do their natural talents and strengths lie? What are they passionate about?

As much as possible, aim to align roles and responsibilities around everybody’s strengths and interests.

#4: Foster a sense of trust

As a leader, follow through on what you said you would do and hold yourself accountable.

For more great tips on how to build trust, click here.

#5: Stretch your team

In order to avoid commitment problems, make sure your team members are challenged enough and that they aren’t bored.

Employees who are excited about projects they are working on at work will be committed to their team and to the company.

#6: Give people permission to fail

Employees who are afraid to fail are unlikely to create anything innovative or to produce truly outstanding work.

Let them know that it’s ok to fail and encourage team members to speak up if they spot any potential issues.

#7: What’s the worst that could happen?

Another effective way to manage lack of commitment in team members is to explore all the worst-case scenarios of any new projects or initiatives.

By doing so, teams can develop strategies for overcoming any possible setbacks and improve confidence in their ability to deal with them. This in turn removes any fear of commitment.

#8: Encourage creativity and novel ideas

Often one of the reasons for a lack of commitment is that people are bored and tired of doing things in the same way.

To counteract this, give your team members some space to try things differently. Let them be creative and bring their own ideas to projects.

If work projects have traditionally been done in the same, dull way, this change can have a big impact on commitment.

#9: Give praise where praise is due

Why is it that we so often don’t praise people for doing good work? We recognise the negative and when people don’t do what we’d like them to, but when they do a great job it’s often overlooked.

Praise leads to confidence and renewed energy, and can give team members the final push they need when faced with a difficult task.

#10: Promote group identity

The desire to belong is a fundamental part of being human. One way to improve commitment is to make the work team feel special.

Encourage team members to bond and share a sense of belonging on the team.

Final thoughts…

Making the effort to build commitment in your work team is worth any time it might take.

Teams that are committed are more productive, hold each other accountable, plan for failure and leave meetings with clearly defined objectives and steps.

Which of the above suggestions are you going to implement in your team today?