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Lack of Trust
Anyone who has been part of a good team environment knows how intangible, delicate and invaluable a commodity Team Spirit is.Teams who have it become greater than the sum of their parts. They all work for each other.
Unfortunately, the opposite is true. Teams without it quickly turn into a rabble, performing to a lower standard than is acceptable. The Team becomes dysfunctional.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni is a business fable, but elucidates very clearly how this works. The first dysfunction is lack of trust. When team-mates trust each other, they can overcome the other forms of dysfunction:-
-fear of conflict
-lack of commitment
-avoidance of accountability
-inattention to results.
Without trust, the Team environment dies.All of this is quoted from an article written by Andrew Strauss, former cricket captain of England. He was referring to England’s poor performance in the Ashes last year and, perhaps to one individual in particular.
Does any of it seem familiar to you?With dysfunction comes a poor safety performance. In many jobs, trusting your colleagues is absolutely vital. In the same way, trusting your leaders is also vital, which is why I say, ad nauseam, that Safety is what the Boss wants.
How do you build trust?I suggest that the Safety Professional is uniquely placed to help the Boss to start this process and the clues are in the Five Dysfunctions. Start withinattention to results–the Accident and Incident reports of recent loss, together with Inspection reports of potential loss.
These are the things that are damaging your business right now. The causes of accidental loss, properly investigated, identified and corrected set you on the road to recovery.
This brings us toAccountability.When the Loss reports identify the Causes-Immediate and Basic- the Boss of that department or shift needs to accept that it is his job to put it right, calling for such assistance and advice as may be necessary from the rest of the Team.
This, in turn, calls for attention to a commitment to solve problems, including the need to face up to any source of conflict that may arise. Facing up, not blaming others or shirking responsibility, because Facing up is what leaders do. Stick at this and Trust will build and with it the lasting satisfaction of knowing that you have done your duty. And we need never lose the Ashes ever again.