Ron Obstfeld

Michael, I would also say that leadership is a key ingredient. The leader can identify different communication styles - share with the group and discuss what is the best communication strategy to ensure effective communication among the team members. Ron Obstfeld

David, What are the actions you take to overcome these challenges? Ron Obstfeld

Michael, How do you build the atmosphere of trust and engagement? Ron Obstfeld

David, You might consider the weekly meetings a status updates rather than performance reviews. This might be less intimating. the final review should be an after action review of the teams accomplishments and results. Ron Obstfeld

James, Good answer. As a leader, you should also have established status updates to ensure the teams direction and dynamics keep on track. Ron Obstfeld

Miriam, Equally important is to choose the right team members for the job as well as providing leadership and direction. Ron Obstfeld

katina, If team members do not know their parts it is critical that the leader clarify. Understanding your role is critical for full participation and achieving positive results. Ron Obstfeld

Danielle, Employers usually provide such guidelines to ensure consistency and predictable outcomes. The structure is usually very sound. If you experience problems that impede decision making you should discuss with your immediate boss. If possible, offer enhancements or improvements to the current process. Any structure should be flexible enough to accommodate positive process improvements. Ron Obstfeld

Leeann, Excellent points. For me modeling is the extremely important. Another approach is explaining the ground rules at the very beginning. This is an opportunity to explain how the team will work and why the ground rules are important. This approach often help avoid distracting behavior and save time. Ron Obstfeld

Paul, This might not just be a team problem. You may need to consider counseling for professional development for the team members you described.This type of behavior is destructive to a team, project and/or department/ Ron Obstfeld