TEAM PROBLEMS AND PARTICIPATION MANAGING THE OBSTACLES

FIXING TEAMWORK PROBLEMS People Who Seem Difficult  Individual problems are team problems  Something allows or encourages individuals to become problems  Teams must avoid attribution and labeling  The team must care about the individual

FIXING TEAMWORK PROBLEMS (CONT’D.) Questions to Ask  What does the person do? Isolate behaviors…  Interrupt, bully, etc.  Why does the behavior continue?  Team allows it? Fear, etc.?  How can we change it?  Does the team want to change things?

FIXING … (CONT’D.) Dominating Distracting Nonparticipating Irresponsible Reprehensible System vs. Personality Difficulties

MEMBERS WHO ARE NEW OR DIFFERENT Understanding Newness  Identity groups  Intragroup communication  Socialization Developing an Intragroup Ethic  Respect others’ religions, views, values, etc.  Adapt to others’ experiences and expectations

NEW OR DIFFERENT (CONT’D.) Orienting Members  Assign responsibility  Welcome and connect …  Design activities … social …  Help with understanding group norms and characteristics  Don’t assume members’ self-perceptions  Teach newbies about substantive issues

PROCESSES THAT NEED PROCESSING Social Loafing  Use self-evaluation  Implement tasks and processes of real value  Build the team into a cohesive whole  Assess who the team really is  Take a long-term view  Focus on team successes  Play together  Renew and reinforce your team vision

HELPING LEADERS HELP THE TEAM Bolstering the Leader  Reasons for inadequacy  Poor qualifications  Political or personal connections  Circumstances  Frustrations or defensiveness

HELPING LEADERS … (CONT’D.) Strategies for Improving Leaders’ Effectiveness  Seek feedback from the task vs. from the leader  Affirm the value of the team’s job  Create cohesiveness thru standards, traditions …  Provide feedback to the leader  Team members’ involvement  Open upwards communications  Delegate among selves  Develop group norms  Make outside connections

HELPING LEADERS … (CONT’D.) Easing Leaders’ Transitions  Power shifts and transitions  Smoothing transitions  Keep rumors in perspective  Reinforce the team’s self-perception and how it works  Close the old era gracefully  Open the new era affirmatively

WORKING WITHIN THE SYSTEM If problems exist within the organization:  Be innovative, creative, and rely on the team  Chart the hierarchy and ID critical connections  Develop a strategy for establishing cooperation  Seek external or related systems for needed support or cooperation  Use team members’ personal resources to make connections and gain cooperation