The Challenge of Teambuilding
What common challenges would you say significantly impede team progress?
These are great examples of common personnel issues within a team. One of the biggest challenges to a team leader is getting the most out of the team members. Especially if he or she didn't have the opportunity to select the team.
Having a group member who is not the leader but is headstrong and "bossy". Where I work we are all leaders in our field, so it is very difficult to step back and let someone else lead.
I completely agree that Ron's suggestion would be a good way to keep things moving. I quickly feel annoyed with people who do this week after week. Following the meeting I do follow up with the individual letting them know they have a lot to contribute and everyone wants to hear their thoughts, so I encourage them to be more timely.
One the team is tightly controlled and directed by one individual.
Jamie,
If this is a known result....maybe you or the organization can help people with time management or better align company expectations.
Ron Obstfeld
In addition to this, many people loose their active listening skills when working in ambiguity. They become so closed-minded and unable to see the vision because they become "stuck" on questions that may or may not have answers. As a manager, and hopefully leader, and attempt to identify the areas of concern, note the objections, and ask the team to work past the stalemate by identifying various options and making decisions accordingly. For example, if my team is stuck on a decision because of unknown impact on the budget, we will identify a team member to research the budget impact, and then discuss all available options.
One of the most common challenges I have experienced in a group situation is poor time management and feelings of being overwhelmed. My organization is big on "Stretch" assignments and many people sign up for these stretch assignments and wind up losing momentum due to an already overtaxed work schedule.
My question is ...what do you do with those team members that impede team progress?
I can't see what you question is in response to. Can you forward the statement that instigated the question.
Anita,
What can you do to rectify a situation such as you described?
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.
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
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.
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
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.
Wendy,
Seems like this might be a good opportunity to develop your team from lessons learned and to prepare for future projects.
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.
Shelly,
Great technique. Good way to prevent missteps and help ensure success for all.
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.
