Regularly, we start from the assumption that Teams are formed in a way that they will be harmonious throughout their tenure, but often this is not the case. Teams can start well with an air of civility, but tensions can lie below the surface. It is critical that these tensions or hidden stresses are surfaced at the start. If not, these will be left to fester and will ultimately cause dysfunctionality in the team, thus reducing their effectiveness.

In this short article, I will attempt to go deeper, into some of the human interactions. In the famous “Cultural Iceberg Model” developed by Edward T Hall in 1976, we see elements of visible culture, such as behaviours and attitudes, above the waterline and those of invisible culture such as values and beliefs below the water line.  Those values and beliefs will to an extent drive our behaviours and attitudes, but it is possible to behave appropriately while being misaligned with the other team members in terms of beliefs and values. This is where hostility can arise.  These unseen beliefs and values can drive mistrust, anxiety, envy, low levels of trust and authenticity, all things that can drive passive aggression with a team.

This is where effective team coaching can be extremely value adding. Team coaching is not about facilitation or owning the coaching process but providing the correct balance between support and challenge. It is this process that will surface any potential hostilities in a safe and protected way. Openness and honesty among the team members is critical to success.

Many teams start functioning well with good intent, but it is only when a few cracks appear that it is clearer that there are deeper more fundamental issues that sit below the waterline.