THE EPIDEMIC OF TEAM DYSFUNCTION: Understanding the emotional roots

I found myself watching a wind chime on a balcony last week and noticed that when the wind picked up the chimes flew in every direction, chaotically and with no discernible sequence to it. (this is Dall-e’s version of it, not the actual balcony..!)

I couldn’t help comparing it to Newton’s Cradle, the executive toy one saw on desks years ago, with silver balls hanging from threads, in a row, so that when you pulled one back the energy transferred so that the opposing ball moved in the same way. All very ordered and predictable.

I reckon most teams today are more like the wind chimes and when external forces (workload, deadlines, staff attrition etc) affected the team, it does so in ways we often cannot easily predict.

Many if not most teams today are experiencing levels of excessive workload and high pressure with new team members or leaders, trying to do more with less, trying to cope with unreasonable demands, losing good people and any number of other challenges. It seems to be the way of the world right now.

Jennifer Moss in 2019 famously said that work-related burnout is an organisational issue, not a person issue. It is the result of systems and processes failing the team or individual, and not a failing on the part of the worker.

That is true. But it is more than that because, as long as the issue persists, the individual will react negatively to the circumstance. The negative reaction is an emotional response to their environment and the emotion is experienced long before the logical, executive thought-process responds.

Now, zoom out, and expand this emotional response to everyone in the team, who will be reacting to the same pressures but in varying levels of distress.

Throw in a dollop of stigma and shame that some team members are feeling because they feel like they aren’t keeping up, feel like they are letting the team down, feeling institutional betrayal by the business or leader, feel, like quitting and going elsewhere…

Now, let’s look at how in a high performing team the sum is greater than the parts.

The research is very clear on this. Engagement, Belonging and Mattering are all concepts that the best teams revel in. Psychological Safety, Psychosocial Wellbeing and Interpersonal Dynamics all play an important role in supporting sustainable performance.

Think of the best teams you know — they have a special vibe, don't they? It's like everyone feels they truly belong, their contributions matter, and they're all in it together.

This isn't just feel-good stuff; it's the bedrock of great performance. It's about feeling safe to speak your mind (that's 'psychological safety'), feeling safe and thriving at work instead of just surviving ('psychosocial wellbeing'), and the way they gel together (those 'interpersonal dynamics').

When these elements are in sync, work just flows better. And sustainable performance, that is a given.

I work with high performing teams, under high pressure and in fast-moving environments to get teams back to their best. It doesn’t come from systems and processes but from the emotional resonance of the team.

This is how the best get better, in every sense of that statement. If you want to know more, reach out and let’s have a chat. If you know someone who needs to hear this, please pass on the information, or introduce me and I’d be happy to connect with them.