Signs Of Stagnation

Introduction

One of the real dangers for a team that achieves some success is the tendency to lose interest once the problem has been solved, the product has been launched, the system is up and running or performance consistently meets expectations. The challenge for a mature team is to maintain interest and enthusiasm when the mission shifts to implementation, maintenance or evaluation. Be on the alert for potential stagnation.

It may be time to refresh your team when you see certain indicators of team stagnation.

Instructions: Look at the following checklist. Then indicate the extent to which you see these signs according to the following scale:

1. Not at all
2. To a little extent
3. To some extent
4. To a great extent
5. To a very great extent.

_____ 1. Members are absent from meetings.

_____ 2. Members come late and/or leave early.

_____ 3. Members send substitutes to the meeting.

_____ 4. There is a lot of chronic complaining.

_____ 5. Action items are not completed.

_____ 6. People drop out/space out during meetings.

_____ 7. Irrelevant conversations are common.

_____ 8. Side conversations are the norm.

_____ 9. Members criticize the team to outsiders.

_____ 10. Members question previous decisions.

Process:

1. Ask each member to complete the assessment.
2. Prepare a summary of the results.
3. If your team score is over 30, facilitate a discussion that probes for reasons behind the signs.
4. Develop a change strategy that includes changing the team mission or membership, or both.

------

Reprinted from Glenn Parker, Team Depot: A Warehouse of Over 585 Tools to Reassess, Rejuvenate, Rehabilitate Your Team. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2002.