Team progress is impeded when a group loses sight of it's overall goal or purpose. I have worked with groups in the past that got too caught up in their individual personal goals instead of focusing on the larger goals of the organization or it's constituents. Teams must be motivated to work for a collective versus personal good. Otherwise the group and the people it serves will suffer.
Jennifer,
Good point. It is up to the group leader to keep on track.
Ron Obstfeld
When a group cannot work together or the group is controlled and squeezed so tight no one will open up or make a comment or opinion.
albert,
What would you do in order to rectify this situation?
Ron Obstfeld
Ron,
I have been in a situation where the group was so controlled that no one spoke out at all. If they did they were verbally beaten down in front of everyone. Basically the group was just a formality as the manager already had her agenda and was not going to let anything step in her way.
But how to rectify the situation? It is extremely difficult when the leader is the guilty party. One might approach the manager in private to discuss the issue. When approaching a stituation like this, I think it is best to bring it from your perspective. "I feel as if you did not like or approve of my idea. Can you provide me feedback on what was wrong with it so I can improve it?" This does not put them on the offensive.
Now if it the problem is not with leader of the group but a member there are a number of options. The leader can lay ground rules for how we respond to others, allow each member to speak uninterrupted, and provide positive feedback to encourage further feedback. It may be necessary to meet with the negative individual in private to voice your concerns as well.
These are just a few options.
Sara
Sara,
Excellent options. Tanks so much for sharing.
Ron Obstfeld
There always seems to be one person on the team that trys to take over the meeting. They are the type that interupts people while they are speaking, talks over people or always has a negative response to everything offered.
Nikki,
What do you do to change this person's behavior?
Ron Obstfeld
Communication is number one for me. So many employees read or understand a process through their eyes. Many times I will go back to employees on a one on one and ask how they understand expectations.
Shelly,
Great technique. Good way to prevent missteps and help ensure success for all.
Ron Obstfeld
Definitely sense of urgency and use of critical thinking skills when problem solving. This becomes very frustrating when dealing with time sensitive issues and deadlines.
Wendy,
Seems like this might be a good opportunity to develop your team from lessons learned and to prepare for future projects.
Ron Obstfeld
I recenlty had a significant team issue with disagreement and outright refusal to work together. Initially I allowed this behavior, however, this was the wrong decision for the team. I brought everyone together, refocused on our team plan and goals and assigned collaborative projects to build team trust. It took several months but it worked out much better than I had anticipated.
I was scared to death to bring everyone together - concerned that it would actually get worse. But, I focused on our goal, our purpose, and the stenghts that each person brings to the team.
Kelly,
Sounds like you were able to bring the team together and hopefully get the desired results you wanted. Where you able to discover the root cause for the teams behavior at the beginning. How did you ensure this would not happen again?
Ron Obstfeld
One challenge is frequently the asynchronous nature of so much team work, even among team members that may work at the same location. Not everyone can attend every meeting, and not every absence is avoidable, so we frequently find ourselves chipping in our portion at different times. I think that's where extra-redundant communication becomes necessary - distributing not just agendas to all team members in advance including those who later do not attend a meeting, but also distributing follow-up memos and "here's where we're at right now" updates.
Robert,
Agreed. A good tool to use is a simple project plan with specific steps, status, responsibilities and next steps. This might do away with writing time consuming update memos.
Ron Obstfeld
In my experience, what has impeded team progress in the past is one or two individuals who are negative thinkers and don't seem to want to make any possitive changes. The phrase "a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link" applies when it comes to teams.
Anita,
What can you do to rectify a situation such as you described?
Ron Obstfeld
I can't see what you question is in response to. Can you forward the statement that instigated the question.
My question is ...what do you do with those team members that impede team progress?
