Incivility: Absence of Trust

Incivility Drives Team Dysfunctions

The Basic Tenets Of The CREW Approach:

1. People are highly tuned to indicators of respect.
2. Reciprocity is Powerful
   1. Respect prompts respect from others.
   2. Disrespect prompts disrespect from others.
3. Day-to-day contacts among colleagues are the infrastructure of teamwork.
4. Improving the quality of day-to-day contacts among colleagues supports health and productivity.

Patrick Lencioni. In his bestselling book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, lists:

1. Absence of Trust
2. Fear of Conflict
3. Lack of Commitment
4. Avoidance of Accountability
5. Inattention to Detail

Poor collegiality underlies all five dysfunctions. This post concentrates on the first dysfunction: Absence of Trust.

Lacking trust, a team cannot function. People share their expertise, information, and energy when they trust others to accept their contribution appropriately. Without trust, you hold back.

1. You fear humiliation when others mock or reject your contributions.
2. You fear losing recognition for their contribution as others take credit for your efforts.
3. You fear others will undermine your core values by distorting your contribution.

Trust rests upon experience. The day-to-day contact among colleagues is their most credible and emotionally powerful experience about one another. It will determine their level of trust.

Action Points

How to promote a culture of civility:

1. Put respect into mission statements.
2. Articulate that value into policies.
3. Translate those policies into accountable, monitored processes.

Sometimes the planning process is not enough. Then a CREW process can turn things around.