Dealing with uncooperative team members?

Last week, I discussed difficulties that may arise when working on a team. One area I mentioned but wanted to discuss further is that of working with difficult team members. It is important to remember that some disagreement among team members can be healthy for the team. Having team members with different opinions about how a project should be run, how a design should be implemented, or how to approach a problem, can help the team view the situation from different angles. This may lead members to develop a solution that would not have been thought of previously. Unfortunately, conflict can have a very negative impact on teams as well. When one member does not do his or her share of the work, or tries to dominate group discussions, or insists on their ideas being used all the time, there is a strong possibility that communication and collaboration among team members will break down and possibly cease altogether. This can lead to lost work time and poorer team production.

When faced with one or more difficult team members, teams must choose how they wish to address the problem. This is one area where established ground rules can become very helpful. If the team establishes ground rules about interactions and team work from the outset of the project, then members can refer back to them when trying to address the issue.

If the problem is a group member that is unproductive or produces poor material, then it may help to spend some time working with the group member to uncover where the difficulty starts. Is the member unmotivated? Are they unsure of how to proceed, but fear looking foolish in front of everyone else? Finding the answers to these questions and others about motivation may help the team make a decision about a course of action. Perhaps shifting jobs or helping the team member find motivation, through encouragement and positive feedback.

Another problem is when one team member becomes domineering or tries to lead all team discussions. Although this works well on some teams, sometimes projects need to be more collaborative. If team members notice that a member is becoming overbearing, it may be a good time to refer back to the ground rules about team discussions. If there have been no established ground rules, then team members can instead make adjustments to their interactions. Team members may decide that everyone should get a turn to speak and that other members will be respectful and attentive. Teams may require that disagreements be voiced in ways that are not discouraging. The use of “I” statements can be very helpful to prevent people from feeling attacked. If team actions do not encourage the group member to be more collaborative, then it may be important for a willing team member to confront the difficult member and have a discussion about the importance of fairness and teamwork for the completion of the project.



This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or disorder. Nor is it intended to replace a consultation with a mental health provider.