How you’re sabotaging team alignment, let me count the ways. I get it, no manager or leader intentionally sets out to destroy the alignment of the teams that they’ve built, but it’s what we don’t know that can hurt us. You may not realize these ultra-common ways that leaders are tearing down exactly the thing they’ve worked so hard to build.

1. Mistaking Harmony for Productivity

You’ve got this team that works well together, they never make a peep about dissonance within the group, and overall everyone is happy. This type of team will very often get put on autopilot. Why rock the boat, right? Wrong. There’s more to team alignment than not hating each other’s guts—a lot more. Is this team showing innovation, improvement, engagement, motivation…? Instead of assuming all is well, take a stroll through your performance management data and get objective insights.

2. Seeing About 60 of the 360

Workers, execs and managers alike are fed up with traditional performance reviews for a number of reasons. 40% of employees dislike performance reviews because they are one-sided. Let team members participate in peer reviews for a relevant, inside look.

3. Bread and Teams are Best Fresh

Teams that have been together for a while tend to go a little stale; they start to rest on their laurels, and creativity needs a little dusting off. Mix it up every once in a while. Pull someone off, put someone on. Do this thoughtfully and transparently of course, but hit refresh every once in a while. Add a deviation!

“In our research, we’ve looked carefully at both teams that produced something original and those that were merely average, where nothing really sparkled. It turned out that the teams with deviants outperformedteams without them. In many cases, deviant thinking is a source of great innovation.” – J. Richard Hackman, Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology

4. When You’re the Only Tool…

No leader likes to look like a tool, but that’s what happens when you don’t give your team the right communication tools. Set them up for success with workplace communication tools with a social element like Yammer or Hall. A solid project management hub would be ideal as well, like Asana.

5. Failing to Facilitate

58% of employees spend at least one hour per day looking for the necessary information to simply do their job. What do you think that is doing to team alignment? Creating roadblocks, slowing down productivity and increasing frustration—that’s what. Don’t just set teams on an island to “figure it out”, be a facilitator.

6. Mistaking Culture for Clones

A post on this blog that we’re particularly proud of, “Stop Killing Diversity in the Name of the Company Culture”, was hopefully an eye-opener for a lot of employers who really thought they were doing this whole culture thing right. This quote from Moz Co-Founder, Rand Fishkin sums it up quite nicely:

“Cohesion isn’t about finding lots of people who are the same, but about making sure there’s no one on the team that detracts from others and that many get more enjoyment and progress from the diverse perspectives their co-workers bring.”

7. Ignoring Team Alignment All Together

More often than not, teams are thrown together based on availability of talent, rather than crafted to work optimally. If human capital is truly your most valued business asset, how does that make any sense? Start using team alignment tools like psychometric testing to assemble teams optimally.

8. The Wrong Person is in Charge

Team dynamics can be a tricky thing, especially if the wrong honcho is at the head of it all. OfficeTeam research revealed that 76% of employees polled said they have no interest in having their manager’s position. In addition, 65% believe they couldn’t do a better job than their boss. Before blindly pinning the tail on the leader, take just a moment and ask if that’s what they want.

Are you feeling guilty for being the team alignment serial killer now? Don’t sweat it; this is all fixable. Watch out for these orange cones, and get real team alignment tools to help you on the way.

Bio: Ryan Mead, CEO/Partner

Vitru is an online application that provides tools to evaluate and build better teams. Powered by science yet practical and easy to use for a variety of teams. From students and nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies Vitru works!

Great organizations, regardless of size or mission, understand that powerful team chemistry is impossible to force; but when it happens, it’s magic.

Vitru allows team leaders to create and assess teams virtually and in doing so helps quantify what makes an outstanding team outstanding.

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