Read Part 1 of the mini case study.
The team does not seem to understand, nor value, teamwork or the benefit of being on a team. Likely, team building did not take place early on in the initiative. It is just as likely that the team did not spend time collaborating on how they will work together.
What should be done at this point to resolve the situation?
The team leader needs to discuss with each individual team member their concerns in a one-on-one situation. Face-to-face is ideal, but via a virtual meeting if face-to-face is not possible for these meetings. The team leader needs to understand the team member’s commitment to teamwork and their past experiences working on teams.
Once one-on-one meetings are accomplished, an off-site meeting (face-to-face) should occur with the team. This all day session should include team building activities as well as ensuring the team understands why they have been brought together – what is the objectives of their team. Additionally, the team should collaborate (and a facilitator should enable this collaboration) around:
- How they will work together as a team
- Roles and responsibilities of team members
- How the team will be recognized for their efforts – both as a team and as individuals contributing to the team
- How the team will operate
- How the team will solve problems, resolve conflicts and make decisions.
- When team meetings will be held and what will be accomplished at those meetings
- How the team will share information throughout the initiative
Going forward, on a regular basis, the team leader should regularly check in with individual team members to ensure they are feeling comfortable and confident with the team and that there are no further issues to address.
What might have been done from day one when these issues surfaced?
Everything listed above! Getting a team together early on is essential so that they can get to know each other and begin to build strong working relationships. A variety of team building activities enables for team members enable for building strong relationships. Additionally, having the team collaborate on how they will work together and accomplish the goals and objectives of their initiative increases engagement and commitment to the initiative.
