Seven common causes of team breakdowns

To be a corporate lawyer is to belong to teams – product development, lobbying, large-scale litigation, acquisitions, strategic planning, IP review, and many others. 

What commonly trips up teams?  Here are seven ways teams stumble, according to Interaction Associates:

1. Not knowing what the team is supposed to accomplish

2. Having unclear roles among the members

3. Juggling too many ideas or issues simultaneously

4. Lacking a clear process for managing the team’s discussions

5. Paying more attention to disagreements than to what the members agree on

6. Members not saying what’s really on their minds

7. Forgetting previous agreements on topics and procedure

In short, law department members of effective teams know their purpose and individual roles, they follow constructive procedures to get there, and they have the right skills and level of trust.