Throughout my career, I have found that the single most frequent cause of a project or group’s failure occurs when the individual’s involved fail to communicate. While the seemingly obvious problem is easily visible, the transitions required to correct the situation are less pronounced and can be difficult to implement when one is not focusing on the process. The path toward correction of the communication problem has a dysfunctional, collaborative, and anticipatory phase. Discerning which phase a group is in can be simple once one understands the specific symptoms or attributes of the phases.

Groups that work in a dysfunctional phase will not find success or will be merely able to get by. The observable symptoms might include inconsistent understanding of the team’s objectives, lack of adequate planning, unstated or understated expectations, ineffective or inconsistent communications methods, and loss of employee motivation, morale, or even increased turnover. The phase will inspire some individuals to create informal communication channels, aka “The Rumor Mill