The challenge we have at our school is bringing Academics, Admissions, Financial Aid and Career Services to work together as a cohesive unit. We seem to be very silo oriented with Admissions/Financial Aid, Education and Career Services all working separately even though we have one goal and that is enrolling, graduating and placing our students. In a career college, that is the main goal of any school. We did have one all managers meeting with all departments, but have never had one since.
I will suggest that we start holding monthly meetings of all stakeholders so we can come together as a team and eliminate any of the "rifts" that currently exist that prevent this team from building.
Christopher,
I couldn’t agree with you more. Conflict is very difficult for some people to deal with and there are cultural differences in the way that conflict is perceived. As a manager, it takes lots of time and one-on-one coaching to be able to detect how your team with respond.
Conflict avoiders can become passive-aggressive, which can wreak havoc in the group. Again, communication is the best way for the leader to keep a pulse on how the group is progressing. Once trust is established, allowing structured, healthy “debate†is warranted. Avoiding the word “conflict†and replacing it with words like “debate†is also a good idea.
Dr. Jamie Morley
Shanel,
you bring up some good points! One good strategy to minimize the negative impact of dominant members, while still encouraging their participation, is to establish meeting protocols. Determine the order of the meeting and set time limits for everybody to state their position, as well as time limits for discussion on each item. This lets everybody know what to expect. Consistency makes team members more comfortable.
I also agree that encouragement is essential. Too often, team leaders do not have the authority to give awards, bonuses, or monetary incentives, so praise is a great way to keep your team motivated. Many team members also appreciate being given additional assignments or responsibility. This doesn’t motivate everybody, so the leader should know their team before determining if a stretch assignment is a motivator.
Well done.
Dr. Jamie Morley
I would say the fear of conflict. I read this in a book by Patrick Lencioni and witnessed it first-hand. Conflict, when managed properly, can be healthy. Healthy conflict also helps prevent group-think. There must be a solid foundation of trust for teams to embrace healthy conflict -- getting to that level can be a challenge of team-building.
There are many challenges that can impede team progress. I have experienced lack of participation and communication to be two of the most common. Many times, you have strong team members that wish to dominate the project while you have those that wish to just sit and do as little as possible. It is important to get everyone involved with the project. I believe when this takes place, it is important to review the objectives and goals of the team. Recognition should also be given to those that are doing a good job and everyone should be held accountable for their portion of the project. The hope would be that be reviewing the goals, you would receive buy-in from all team members.
Douglass,
One of a manager’s primary responsibilities is to bring out the best in their team members by encouraging open dialog and respecting diversity. One way to drive consensus is to establish meeting norms so that everybody knows what to expect and understands that they will have the opportunity to have their opinions heard. Consistency makes team members more comfortable.
Dr. Jamie Morley
Katherine,
It is difficult to motivate a team that has members who are close to retirement or reassignment. Establishing meeting norms is a good strategy to keep your team in line while still encouraging their participation. Determine the order of the meeting and set time limits for everybody to state their position, as well as time limits for discussion on each item. This lets everybody know what to expect. Consistency makes team members more comfortable and reminds everybody that there is an immediate job that needs to get done.
Dr. Jamie Morley
A change in team leadership, uncontrolled rumor mills and organizational change viewed as a threat, the “I’m almost ready to retire so don’t bother me†mindset, and former experiences leading to negative or non-existent outcomes to name a few. Certainly, as mentioned in the course, group think also impedes team progress but there are as many impediments as there are members of any given team.
I note that other forum members have addressed the special challenges that come from being a new team leader and or forming a new team, and I reflected on my own experience about 18 months ago and the myriad land mines involved in working through the forming, storming, norming, and performing phases of team development. I attempted team building activities, direct intervention, created a motivating vision, and now have one team within a team and a second “group†(differentiated from team in this instance) who continue to remain passive and non-participative. Team development is a challenge when a substantial portion of the members want to retire, and the team leader must engage in formal performance management processes at that point.
A resistance to change and also a resistance to different opinions.
People get comfortable with their own way of thinking. Someone who offers a radically different approach can be intimidating and threatening. Making sure that people are open to change and new ideas is a challenge every team faces.
Alexadner,
You are exactly correct! One of a manager’s primary responsibilities is to bring out the best in their team members by encouraging open dialog and respecting diversity. One way to drive consensus is to establish meeting norms so that everybody knows what to expect and understands that they will have the opportunity to have their opinions heard. Consistency makes team members more comfortable.
Dr. Jamie Morley
There are many challenges in todays work place with team building. The primary challeng is that in todays workplace, there are so many diverse cultures in the workforce with different opinions and backgrounds, it becomes difficult to get any kind of consensus in the workplace. It is my job as a manager to bring my team together and find common ground in order to achieve a common goal. Everyones opinions should be valued and digested by the management team in order to pull out the items that can be implemented.
Nicole,
You make many good points! Getting people from different departments to come together for one purpose is an excellent way to design a team. It helps not only to solve an issue but also fosters understanding of the other departments. Cross-training is never a bad thing!
Ideally, the corporation can select individual goals that support the department goals, which in turn support the mission of the institution. Having this alignment means that everybody has a vested interest in doing their best and helping others to succeed as well.
Thanks,
Dr. Jamie Morley
One of the biggest issues I have run into is an idea of seperate teams. To me, any corporation should have teams, but the goals of those teams should all be a common ground, and that is a success for the company, employees, and those we service (students). People get so fixed on this idea that, "my department is different than your department, so just stick with what you know." This is such a dead-weight on forward progress. What I really liked in this course was the idea of getting away from groupthink, and bringing together experts and newbies (for lack of better term). "Individual" goals get in the way, and it breaks down communication and eventually organizations.
Robert,
It definitely hurts morale when team members see other not carrying their weight and yet there are no consequences. One way to ensure that your contributions are recognized is to complete a weekly or monthly status report. Even if your supervisor does not require a status report, submitting one will open his/her eyes about your impact. Over time, the capable team members will get the better assignments and the recognition that goes with it. Just be patient and be a good team player.
Dr. Jamie Morley
I think that the most common problem is that some us do our jobs and a lot of others do not. It does make it hard to follow the team leaders when there is no acttion taken on the ones that do not do there jobs. So it does impede the team progress.
Eileen,
Coaching educators can be challenging. Just like they say that "doctor's make the worst patients"; "teachers sometimes make the worst students." Usually educators understand the necessity for group process. Even when course objectives or textbooks are locked in stone, for example, faculty can work together to establish norms for handling students. Even if they don’t agree, they will tend to comply if they feel they at least had input.
Dr. Jamie Morley
So far the most significant challenge I have faced with my team is their varied backgrounds and education. They are all quite smart and think they know how to handle things (and they can). My challenge is to get them to handle it all the same way with the students (for the purpose of the students' learning) even though it can theoretically be handled a number of ways.
I think time and communication will handle this issue. Everyone is really trying.
Heather,
It is difficult to build camaraderie when there is disinterest and negativity. One suggestion is to set ground rules for the team so that they are easy to point to if you need to redirect a problem team member. Sometimes, giving the disruptive member a specific role that requires him or her to focus on one outcome is helpful. Often, approaching the person in private and expressing your concern about their behavior is enough to change their attitude and make them more of a team player.
Dr. Jamie Morley
It's my experience that negativity, lack of interest and an inability to recognize the importance of other team memeber's opinion that vary from your own are the biggest and most common challenges to progress of a team.
Larry,
There is always one problem person in every team it seems! A strong leader can mitigate many of the problems by doing as you suggest and addressing concerns head-on. Sometimes, concerns emanate because the leader did not ask for the team's opinion and get their buy-in. This is a step that some managers skip because it is quicker to give direction and opposed to finding consensus when possible. Taking the time on the front end saves significant heartburn on the back in.
Nice insights!
Dr. Jamie Morley
