ABSTRACT
Just as individuals can be toxic protectors and buffers, so can teams. It is a little trickier for teams to identify how they have been protecting and buffering toxic people because of the mix of personalities within teams. Therefore, a more direct assessment method is needed to “peel the onion” of the enabling roles that teams can play. This chapter presents an assessment instrument and method that leaders may use to both assess and build better teams—one that catalyzes the importance of a facilitated discussion of the strengths and improvement areas for the team. The instrument itself does not directly cull out any toxic individual; rather, it identifies how the team members perceive the team performance and dynamics, including those related to toxic behaviors. The discussions in association with the data from this instrument will likely open up a way to address toxic behaviors directly and clearly.
