This question was recently posted on one of the business networks I subscribe to (http://www.focus.com/). Here's the question in its entirety:
I run a small PR firm where teamwork plays a substantial role. While everyone has their own particular job assignment (Strategist, Media Liaison, etc), we do frequently come together as a team to discuss how to handle particular clients and situations. This is especially true when one of our clients is involved in a major scandal. However, it is during these high stress times when my team simply falls apart. Several of these instances have resulted in employees leaving the company because they "simply can't work with these people", which takes my attention off of whatever issue is at hand to finding a replacement (one position has been occupied by three different people in the past year).
Some of the answers are quite interesting. Here are parts of a few:
1. " ....... it is important to focus time on building trusting relationships. Having people learn about one another's strengths and how they can optimally contribute to the team and developing respect and appreciation for those strengths will help a you retain talent and build a high performing team."
2. "I have had individuals not working together, yet they will band together against another department when it suited! True. I begin the process by having weekly “Team” meetings with all my direct reports (I usually have less than 12). The first thing I do is to set the rules – everyone can and should speak, there are to be NO personal attacks or bullying. Plus people losing control is not an option. We all discuss and if there is dissention then my diplomacy skills are critical, But whatever happens, the final decision is mine."
3. " ..... so why not collect the inputs separately and then make the final decision based on an aggregate of opinion? While it sounds like more work, it's not. Without the fighting, tantrums, drama etc. you can hold a series of very short meetings, aggregate the content and make a decision in a much shorter time frame."
4. "To make your team gel for action when required you just don’t need a “star” hire to replace a team member, you may have to start with the basics. I strongly recommend you first find out how to put in place a coherent team."
5. "One thing that I will suggest is reading the book "Fierce Leadership" by Susan Scott. A major component in there is the "Smart + Heart". I simply adore this ideology. Hopefully you have set a certain culture within your organization, and you and the others within your organization foster, build, and grow it daily."
My response was: "I am a strong proponent of using functional and cross-functional teams in order to develop strong integrated solutions. Often it takes the leader to step up and call the foul when individuals say they just can't work with other individuals. Rarely have I found that to be true. It's determining why one or more team members are saying that and using good team building practices to get the team through the four phases: forming, storming, norming and performing ......... I'd also recommend the well known resource, "The Wisdom of Teams" by Katzenbach and Smith, to you."
I thought it was particularly interesting that one of the posts suggested the the manager meet separately with each of the individuals to get their input. I didn't post my specific sentiment because there already had started to be a bit of discord (parts of responses I didn't post above), but it struck me that question is exactly one reason why it makes sense to meet in teams - to save time.
As a collaborative type, I have rarely found that you can't make a team function. But, often it does take a skilled team leader to get the team formed and through its "storming" phase. One practice that often works well for me is to get the team focused on the problem as quickly as possible. Focusing on the problem leads the team to think about what I call "a common enemy" - something they all agree needs to be fixed - as opposed to thinking about themselves or their individual roles.
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