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MODULE 2 > Forming Teams2.8d How to Address Some Team ProblemsThe entire team can have problems. How do you deal with these problems?
Here are some suggestions: FLOUNDERING While getting to know each other and setting the ground rules, the team
may appear to be floundering and less productive. This is a normal stage
of team development. Drawing up a complete list of all tasks to be accomplished
and using a time management system can help to organize the team. Asking
questions such as, "What do we need in order to move forward?"
or "Let’s see if we can all come to an agreement about what
we’re going to accomplish". To regain focus ask: Are we all
discussing the same issues? To check progress, ask: where are we, what’s
our objective and how do we accomplish our objective? To seek closure
ask: is there agreement about this and what’s the next action? Getting caught up in chatting about things that are not central to task
efficiency is a common team problem. Some socializing is beneficial, but
if chatting dominates the team’s activities it can deter the team’s
progress. Bringing the team back to focus on the task can be accomplished
by saying, "Can we go back to where we were a few minutes ago and
see what we are trying to do?" MAKING A DECISION TOO QUICKLY This is where your knowledge of thinking styles will help you decide
who is the most pragmatic and who is the most synergetic. Being more action
oriented can sometimes lead to making decisions too quickly. Pragmatic
people tend to pressure people to make decisions as quickly as they do
and want to move along the decision-making process. Pragmatists tend to
ignore the fact that others may need more time to come to a decision.
Pacing the team is essential to good management. Facilitate the decision
making process by asking
NOT MAKING A DECISION Consensus is not the only way to make a decision. Each team member has
to be open to each other’s point of view about each issue. Therefore
different systems need to be in place so that the team can make decisions
with and without consensus. Some decisions can be made by finding common
ground. QUICK SYNOPSIS OF DECISION-MAKING PROCEDURE Multivoting:
Point Voting:
Point voting is usually used for less important decisions, while multivoting
is adopted for more important decisions. Deciding upon which technical
procedure to adopt can be done after research has been done by team members
and you are all assured that there is more than one way to approach the
problem technically, then multivoting can be used to make a decision. Conflicts from within the group and outside the group can erupt, impeding
the team’s progress. The conflict must be directly confronted and
handled to improve the team’s efficiency. Discussion of the problem,
using effective listening techniques and conflict negotiation can be utilized
to support team efficiency and resolve conflicts. Excluding people is a common problem in teams. Two of you may live in
the same dormitory and the other may live far away. You have more of an
opportunity to speak together. Your skills may be more evenly matched
than the third team member’s may. Be aware of your behavior with
all of your team members and remember that a balanced relationship with
all three members is essential for team efficiency. Do not assume that
the more discussions you have with one member than the other will enhance
your team’s performance. TEAM MEMBER IS NOT DOING THEIR SHARE OF THE WORK One team member may be uncooperative, not keeping commitments or completing assignments or coming to meetings. First talk directly with the team member and explain what effect their behavior is having on the team. If this is not fruitful and the behavior continues within three days you should ask for a meeting with the team coordinator to rectify the problem with you. (Sloan School of Management, 1997 Project Team) |
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