A Mini Case Study
Background
The project is a highly visible project that will impact multiple departments within the organization. It has been in progress for about 2 months and going along fairly well as far as staying on schedule and within budget. The stakeholders seem pleased with progress so far. However, you have been working hard to manage one particular project team member who has an incredibly negative attitude about the project and the company overall. You have been letting the situation go for the last 2 months – you really don’t want to have to deal with the individual and no one on the team seems concerned. You also know this particular team member is having a difficult time at home (some family issues) and you are trying to be sensitive to that.
The Current Situation
Just recently you have heard from 3 other team members that they are tired of dealing with the negative attitude. They have ignored it for as long as they can. Additionally, 2 key stakeholders have approached you and said that they have heard from a few team members that there are problems on the team. While all has been going well; they are worried about the potential impact on the project if problems continue.
You have decided it is time to take action. You have reached out to the team member with the negative attitude. You let him know that while you understand the personal situation, you are concerned about his attitude on the project and specifically its impact on the other team members, the overall project and the perception that the team and stakeholders will have of him as not a team player and difficult to work with.
His response – “That’s the way it is; deal with it.”
And the question to you…
- What will you do in this situation?
- Could the project manager have avoided getting to this point?
Please provide your ideas in the COMMENTS field below.
We’ll update you on how it was handled by the project manager in a future post.
Hi – we’ll have that posted by Tuesday, May 7.
Hello !
A idea when we will hear how the PM responded ? 😉
Thanks !
“You’re fired. That’s the way it is. Deal with it.”
@Jim : thanks for your tip to start the dialogue with an open question !
Agreed Jim! The more we let these situations go on, the worse they become! They don’t just go away on their own and become more difficult to deal with!
Best to deal with these situations directly and not let them fester as the manager did in this example.
One person with a lousy attitude can cripple a team. Studies show clearly that a severely disengaged employee, like like the one in this example, is likely producing only 50% of his potential. He can also cost other team members up to 40% reduction in productivity and creativity- and that’s before we factor in stress and the possibility of other team members leaving.
Very few people like to be confrontational, especially when personal problems are the issue. We could all be there at any given time, and we’d certainly appreciate compassion.
Be the Sensei. Instead of attempting to change a behavior by confrontation- justified as that might be; ask a question.
“It’s come to my attention that you’re experiencing some problems outside the job. Do you think this is affecting your performance on this team?”
This shifts the responsibility to where it belongs- on the offending party.
His response points you in the right direction for action.
Acknowledgement- “I know I haven’t been myself. I apologize…”
In this case you may try to be accommodating if possible. Or- if you take action to remove this person, it’s not only for the good of the team but also to allow him to focus on the personal issues before returning to this or another project.
If the response is negative or confrontational, as it is in this example- cut him loose. He’s already made up his mind not to be a participating member of the team.
We all experience personal problems and most of us appreciate understanding when we’re in that condition- but on the job…the job still comes first.
In this case, the manager did not act early and is obviously not comfortable directly confronting the issue or the person.
It’s your responsibility as a leader to act with courage. This means doing what is necessary even when it’s not comfortable. If this is an issue for this manager, some work on personal development is essential…not optional, to be effective in this role.
The slow response of this manager has already impacted 5 other people in this example and likely more.
Courage & compassion go hand in hand for the leader.
The courage to act swiftly and directly…
The compassion to approach the issue with a question- the sign of an open mind and heart.
Gina- thanks for the thought provoking exercise!
Best Thoughts,
Jim
OK let’s see 🙂
Thank you for these interesting case studies; these force us to think about what we would do; and then you provide possible answers; this makes your posts very interactive…
Cut him loose. And yes, in this example, the manager could have avoided a lot of trouble by acting earlier and more directly.
One person with a lousy attitude is expensive- studies show up to a 50% reduction in productivity and creativity. Additionally, this person can poison the rest of the team affecting others as much as 40%, more if the situation becomes intolerable. You already indicate that 5 people on this hypothetical (I assume) team are directly and negatively impacted.
While it’s important to be supportive of co-workers who are experiencing personal issues, after all- that can be any of us at any time, the priority on the job is…the job.
What if this manager had addressed the problem more directly- not in confrontational manner, but directly. This requires courage…
“It’s come to my attention that you’re experiencing some difficulties at home. Do you think this is affecting your performance here?”
Asking the question shifts the responsibility squarely to where it belongs, with the offending party. The answer indicates the next course of action.
“No- I’m good.” Obviously this person is not aware of the damage he’s doing to the team. Now you can provide direct examples to refute that position.
“I know- I’m doing the best I can.” In this case, you may find a compassionate resolution which may still include removing this person from the team, but now you’re doing it to provide some relief and time to focus on personal issues.
Ultimately, the clue is in your set-up: “…you really don’t want to have to deal with the individual…”
Well, for a leader- that’s your job. If courage is an issue- yours as the manager, then that issue must be addressed before you can lead effectively.
Very few people actually thrive on confrontation. Address the situation early, and frame the problem in the form of a question. That produces a much more equitable and compassionate resolution.
Now I’m assuming in this case that once the approach was made, the offender was confronted with the details of the situation. His response was, “That’s the way it is, deal with it.”
Well, at that point, dealing with it means showing him the door.
Hope this adds to the discussion!
Thanks for the tough provoking topic, Gina!
Jim
Hello and thanks for your response. I agree – ignoring such a situation does not make it go away; often it just gets worse as you noted (small issue becomes a much larger one!). Though if we are uncomfortable with conflict, even thinking about handling such a situation makes us nervous.
Stay tuned…how the project manager responded will be shared early next week! 🙂
Hello !
– question 2 is easier : the answer is YES; letting the issue becoming worse over 2 months without doing anything is not a solution (dreaming that a problem would disappear by itself…); the 2 groups inputs should have triggered the PM to address the problem; btw, having addressed it when reported by the team members would have avoid to have it reported by 2 key stakeholders. In summary, not addressing a problem asap make a small problem to turn into a big issue.
– Question 1 : have a one-on-one conversation with the person : open communication to try to understand the root cause of his behaviour, being factual by giving constructive examples of his behaviour and showing what the consequences are on the morale of the team and the success of the project; about the future : try to find (both) a solution : : give him more support, change his role in the team, etc… But of course find out ‘if’ the person still feels as a team member involved in the project; if not, find out how to retire him from the project, and see if another resource with the right skills is available.
Let’s see your update 🙂