External Supervision and Dysfunction.

A dysfunctional person can be a levels 3 [your client or subordinate], 5 [your peers] or 7 [your boss] or 1 [you]

As an external supervisor I help clients identify dysfunctional people in the organization that directly affect the client's work and provide the following understanding and advice to them:

• An understanding of the person and why they are dysfunctional.
• An understanding why the client reacts the way they do, when dealing with the dysfunctional person.
• Providing tools about how to handle the dysfunctional person.

Clues about the dysfunctional person comes from their behavior in how they treat others and the methods they use. The following diagram shows these:

In external supervision we are looking at situations where teamwork is breaking down due to weakened principles. All teams are built on relationship principles which are

• Trust & Respect [to all team members]
• Acceptance & Commitment [to the team goals]

The following nine dysfunctional behaviors affect the relationship principles of trust, respect, acceptance and commitment.

1. Team secrets/Trust:

The dysfunctional person who lacks trust can manipulate the team by using secrets, whereby they are the only person who knows the “whole story”. By destabilizing the team with lies and secrets, they maintain control and feel secure.

Outcome of 1.

The Dysfunctional person creates a fantasy, while the team members may be fearful or become paranoid.

2. Triangles/Respect

To maintain control the dysfunctional person uses triangles to get their needs meet.

Eg. Uses the “yes man” to conspire against the “scape-goat”

Uses the “hero” to promote himself with the boss.

Uses the “clown” to diffuse the questions from the “conscientious person”

3. Victim/Respect

To maintain status as competent the dysfunctional person blames the “Scape-goat”.

Outcome of 2 & 3.

The dysfunctional person develops pride in their ability to control the team, while the team members can feel anger or rage, for being disrespected.

4. Closeness-distance/ Acceptance.

The dysfunctional person uses closeness-distance to either destabilize a particular person or to form clicks against a particular person who they perceive is a threat to them.

5. Projection/Acceptance

The dysfunctional person projects their feelings on to another team member either because they can’t face the emotion themselves or they don’t want to be exposed.

Eg. The dysfunctional person accuses the “Scapegoat” of going behind the dysfunctional person’s back, because they lack trust in themselves.

In the team meeting the dysfunctional person blames the “lost person” for not committing to the team, because the dysfunctional person did not commit himself/herself.

6. Gender/Acceptance

The dysfunctional person discriminates against another team member based on their gender, because they are fearful of the abilities of the person or do not how to control them.

7. New-old/acceptance.

When the dysfunctional person has the team destabilized, yet balanced due to most members feeling some dysfunction, then new members are not easily accepted into the team, unless they can quickly accept the dysfunctional role allocated to them.

Outcome of 4,5,6 & 7

The dysfunctional person becomes greedy and wants more from the team, while the team members are critical and some feel rejected.

8. Special rules/Commitment:

The dysfunctional person provides benefits to some members in exchange for commitment to the dysfunctional person. Benefits may include, the best roles, promotion within the team, etc.

9. Cut-off/Commitment

The dysfunctional person will cut off some team members because they are not liked or they create problems for the dysfunctional person.

Outcome of 8 & 9.

The dysfunctional person becomes very self centered, while the team members feel anxiety or guilt, with some feeling shameful or having panic attacks.

Long term exposure within a dysfunctional team may cause anxiety and depression in some team members.