Depending on your environment, you may have some team members that seem like non-contributors, and in some ways actually get in the way. While I have never experienced this - or at least not for long - on the smaller more critical projects I have managed, I do see this on larger more matrix-oriented projects. The question is, "How can I handle this?"
Have you ever had someone who means well but somehow creates more work? My guess is that virtually everyone has experienced that at one time or another often in our personal lives. However, this situation also exists on the job. Many times someone’s contribution can actually seem like it gets in the way of project progress. In these cases - and I have one now - we need to find a way to change the conversation about this situation. In other words, if someone is getting in the way, whether we have the authority or not, we need to find a way to restructure the relationships to eliminate or control this.
Here are few of my thoughts on how to do this:
1. Provide isolated assignments to the party that seems to be getting in the way.
2. Provide clarity to those assignments to that individual, as well as to the assignments of others. Oftentimes, the clarity on the assignments eliminates or reduces such wasted effort.
3. Focus the person’s thinking on solving problems that are critical. Get the person to understand the priorities, or at least create some priorities for them.
4. Do not allow such a person to disturb the process progress of the team by taking swift action on this. Take control of the problem and do not ignore it.
This is a common problem and while there is no magic solution, it undoubtedly can be controlled. The key is to recognize it is to understand where there is well-intentioned enthusiasm and learn to channel it. Protect the team and be vigilant with your efforts. The problem probably requires regular attention.
______________________
John Reiling, PMP
Project Management Training Online
Lean Six Sigma Training Online
3 responses so far ↓
1 elizabethblogs // May 15, 2009 at 7:32 am
Certainly, reticence on the part of team members can be both frustrating and a barrier to making good progress on a group project.
It may be that an individual who appears less than enthusiastic to be working alongside others is unwilling to make the effort to work well in a team.
It’s also worth bearing in mind the possibility that he/she may in fact feel intimidated by the situation or lacking in confidence when asked to share their opinions and experiences.
In either case, it might be worth tackling team problems/tensions head on. My colleague has written an article about the value of team-building exercises; these kinds of activity could be useful when trying to create a more supportive, comfortable environment betweem colleagues:
http://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/managing-team-top-tips-for-effective-team-building-exercises.php
2 John Reiling // Jun 12, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Thank you, Elizabeth! I agree that team building exercises can be helpful. But on the other hand, often we do not have access to that level of formality, effort, or budget. Also, the situation I was referring to involves someone who, to a large extent, is well meaning but perhaps ‘over-enthusiastic’, but not necessarily productive, and requires extra attention of some sort.
3 elizabethblogs // Jun 18, 2009 at 6:02 am
Good point - I appreciate that spending, say, a day focusing everyone’s efforts on creating a sense of camaraderie may not always be feasible.
Having said that, I’d be interested to hear more of your thoughts on the effectiveness of setting trickier team members isolated tasks. Do you find, for example, that this ever alienates the individual(s) concerned even further? That would be my main concern if employing the technique.
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