L1: Dysfunctional Leadership Teams

Situation

Leadership teams are caught in destructive patterns of conflict, operating in departmental silos while struggling to align on strategic priorities. What starts as healthy debate deteriorates into personal conflicts that paralyze decision-making.

Symptoms

Behavioral Indicators:

• Meeting dynamics: Heated arguments, side conversations, members checking out mentally
• Decision paralysis: Critical decisions delayed for weeks due to inability to reach consensus
• Trust erosion: Leaders questioning each other's motives and competence publicly
• Territorial behavior: Departments protecting resources and information from each other
• Cascading toxicity: Middle management mirrors dysfunctional behavior patterns

Organizational Impact:

• Strategy execution stalls as priorities remain unclear
• Employee engagement drops due to mixed messages from leadership
• Customer experience suffers from internal misalignment
• Talent retention issues as high performers lose confidence in leadership

Challenge

Primary Goal: Transform a fragmented leadership group into a cohesive, high-performing team that can navigate complex decisions with speed and alignment.

Why it matters: Leadership dysfunction creates a ripple effect that can destroy company culture, derail strategic initiatives, and ultimately impact business performance. Research shows that dysfunctional leadership teams are more likely to miss strategic goals.

Key Questions to Answer:

• What personality clashes are driving conflicts?
• Which hidden values differences create friction?
• What leadership styles are incompatible under pressure?
• How do individual motivations misalign with team objectives?

Solution Approach

Deploy multi-dimensional leadership diagnostics that reveal the invisible drivers of team dysfunction:

Phase 1: Individual Assessment

• Personality risk profiling - Identify derailers that emerge under stress
• Values and motivations mapping - Uncover competing priorities and hidden agendas
• Leadership style analysis - Reveal how different approaches clash during decision-making

Phase 2: Team Dynamics Analysis

• Collective team climate measurement - Assess trust, psychological safety, and collaboration patterns
• Communication style conflicts - Map where misunderstandings consistently occur
• Decision-making preference gaps - Identify why consensus becomes impossible

Expected Outcomes

• Immediate (0-3 months): Improved meeting effectiveness, reduced open conflicts
• Medium-term (3-6 months): Faster decision-making, clearer role boundaries
• Long-term (6+ months): Sustained collaboration, improved business results

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