Teamfiction as an Efficiency Killer in Companies: An In-depth Look

What It’s About

Teamwork is often seen as the key to success. Companies invest heavily in team-building, collaboration tools, and leadership programmes to promote effective cooperation. However, despite these efforts, many teams are a fiction rather than a reality.

What is Teamfiction?

The term describes the discrepancy between the claimed existence of teams in companies and the actual organisational reality where genuine teamwork, according to the definition of a team, often does not occur. “Teamfiction” refers to a kind of illusory world where teams nominally exist, but the way they work does not meet the fundamental criteria of real teamwork.

Teamfiction is Measurable

By relating the basic requirements for optimal collaboration to employee satisfaction with these parameters, the Teamwork Quality Score (TQS) can be derived. This makes the quality of staff collaboration measurable. The following criteria apply:

TQS > 80%: Team

Collaboration is characterised by shared goals, largely autonomous task completion, mutual complementarity and support, and self-management to solve problems and develop self-initiated measures to improve work outcomes. A real team, therefore, exists.

TQS > 60% to <= 80%: Community

This is a mix of the characteristics of a group and a team, but key aspects are still missing in the collaboration to achieve complete synergy, which characterises the productivity and efficiency of a team.

TQS > 40% to <= 60%: Group

Collaboration falling into this range is characterised by low synergy of individual activities: people work together, but only within the given framework. Initiative or helping with problems is rare. Interaction is often marked by unresolved conflicts. While each employee strives to complete their tasks well, there is no sustainable commitment to continuous improvement.

TQS 0 to <= 40%: Purpose Association

Here, work performance is characterised by “working to rule” and “lone wolf behaviour.”

The most common form of collaboration in companies is the group.

Causes of Teamfiction

Lack of Clarity in Goals and Expectations: If goals and expectations are not clearly communicated or understood, it leads to disorientation and inefficient efforts. Each team member has different ideas of what success means, resulting in a distorted perception of efficiency.

Ineffective Leadership: Leaders play a crucial role in shaping team dynamics. Weak leadership, characterised by indecisiveness, unclear communication, or inability to motivate the team, always results in Teamfiction.

Lack of Accountability: Without a clear system of accountability, tasks are incompletely performed or do not meet standards, with no one held responsible. This fosters a culture where mediocrity is tolerated and even unconsciously encouraged.

Avoidance of Conflict: Conflicts are inevitable in teams and, if handled constructively, can lead to better solutions and innovation. Teams that avoid or suppress conflicts tend to fall into a fiction of harmony, concealing deep-seated problems and dissatisfaction.

Effects of Teamfiction

Reduced Productivity and Efficiency: Teams suffering from Teamfiction often spend more time dealing with internal problems than engaging in productive work. This extends project times, increases costs, and results in missed opportunities.

Demotivation and Burnout: Employees working in an environment of Teamfiction become increasingly frustrated and demotivated. They feel misunderstood or overlooked and may develop symptoms of burnout in extreme cases.

Loss of Quality: The quality of work often suffers from inefficient processes, lack of coordination, and unclear accountability. Mistakes become more frequent, and the final products or services may not meet expected standards.

High Turnover: Talented employees are often the first to leave an environment of Teamfiction. They seek workplaces where their skills are recognised and effectively utilised, and where real teamwork is possible.

Conclusion

Teamfiction is a serious barrier to efficiency and success in companies. It arises when teams are ineffectively led, goals are unclear, conflicts are avoided, and there is a lack of transparency and accountability. The effects range from reduced efficiency and quality to employee dissatisfaction and increased turnover. To overcome Teamfiction, companies must invest in clear communication, strong leadership, effective conflict management, and systems of accountability. By taking these steps, they can create an environment that promotes genuine teamwork and lays the foundation for long-term success and team satisfaction. It is a continuous task that requires attention, commitment, and the willingness to rethink and improve existing structures and processes.