Tag: Teamwork

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Problem Solving: Teamwork

While developing the best solution for a problem may be very challenging and complex, the process you should follow is quite simple; First you have to identify what the problem is and figure out the source or cause, then you develop solutions, act on the best solution and review and evaluate whether you’ve been successful. Be methodical, no ‘ready, shoot, aim’.

Let’s explore an example: You are leading a team that is not operating at maximum effectiveness as members aren’t getting along. You know some of the symptoms; team members are arguing or splitting into factions that don’t communicate with each other, team members are going off and performing functions without letting others know what they’re doing, etc. What to do?

First you figure out the source of the problem.  I would start by talking to team members.  I would ask them open questions that are not judgmental; How do you think the team works together? Find out what they think the issues are. Don’t ask leading questions like “Do you think Bob is the source of all the tension?” rather determine if they think there is tension and then ask “What do you think is the source of the tension?” Most importantly, don’t put anyone on the defensive.  Try not to ask yes or no questions, you will get more information with open-ended questions. Also, while you should acknowledge the information you are receiving, don’t openly agree with the person so that they feel you are siding with them which could in turn cause more conflict if they repeat to other team members that you’re on their side. I knew managers that took on the views of the last person they spoke with every time, so people would angle to talk to them last. Your goal should be to objectively gather information from all points of view and then objectively analyze it.  Separate out the information that is consistent across the majority of people from the outlier information.  Look for the themes.  Draw your own conclusions about what the source or cause of the problem is. Think through possible solutions.

I would next bring the team together.  I would discuss a summary of the information I received.  Assure that you do not attribute information to any one person or include information where all will know who it came from, as this could prove divisive.  You need to walk a fine line here and use your judgement.  Now that the team has a view of the issues, ask them to brainstorm possible solutions.  If they can develop and own the solution as a team it will be more productive.  If at some point it becomes obvious that they cannot resolve as a team, end the session and re-think how you want to proceed.  You may need to make the decision on your own, especially if it includes removing a member of the team.

Once you’ve arrived at a decision about how to proceed, communicate to the team and execute the solution. Assure you manage the process so you can made adjustments to the solution if need be.  After a reasonable amount of time, check in to see if the problem is really resolved and if not, you may need to reconsider whether you mis-read the problem, or need to adjust the solution.

Most importantly, keep the lines of communication open, use your judgement, be fair and open minded, appreciate that if it was easy you likely wouldn’t have had to get involved in the first place!

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Individual versus Team Sports

There are some team sports where the team members need to effectively work together to play the game, for example soccer, basketball or football.  Each member of the team has a primary function. The Quarterback in Football is responsible for throwing or handling off the ball, but that individual needs teammates who are capable of catching the ball or running to the end zone, in order for the team to score points and win. Even if the quarterback chooses to run the ball himself, he needs the other members of his team to block for him to assure he can run unimpeded.

There are other sports where the team members are primarily individual contributors. They can win their individual event even if the team doesn’t win overall.  Examples include runners in track, wrestlers, or ‘singles’ tennis players. 

In fact, in many of the individual contributor sports, the athlete must compete against his or her teammates to achieve a seeding which affects whether they even get to compete.  In many wrestling matches only one athlete per weight class gets to compete.  In Tennis the seeding determines who plays whom in a match and the person ranked the best has an advantage.

How important is team spirit and cohesiveness in sports where there is motivation to compete against and beat your own teammates to assure you can participate in competition?  From my perspective, someone who has played both types of sports, it is extremely important! 

When members of a team support one another, whether it be through cheering them on to beat an opponent, or consoling them if they lose, it improves the team members motivation and spirit.  When the whole team is together, travelling to an away meet or after the event in the locker room, it is the team cohesiveness that will lend positive support to those who won and most importantly, those who lost.  If a track or wrestling team is at a meet, in addition to the individuals winning or losing their individual events, there is usually a team score, and a team that wins the meet.  The joy and exhilaration of being part of the winning team is much greater than simply winning an individual event.  It’s the difference between celebrating alone or celebrating with your mates.  It’s also the difference between being alone after a loss, or having the support of your mates to lessen the pain of the loss.

These concepts translate to business in that there are both teams and individual contributors at work.  This will be the subject of another snippet!

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Teamwork in Business

I was at an executive management conference years ago with senior leadership from all divisions of the company.  There were Bankers, Traders, Fund managers, Lawyers, Accountants, and Technologists, all successful people with a variety of skillsets and strong opinions. At one point, an argument broke out with proclamations that the skills and values of one department were superior to that of the other departments. The people in relationship roles argued they were superior to the people in technical roles, those in revenue generating roles were more critical to the success of the business than those in non-revenue roles etc.  Of course, the architects of the conference provoked this conversation as they knew that it was critical to the success of the firm that we come together as a cohesive team.   

After listening to this banter, I chimed in and pointed out that we were all part of the management team, and like every successful team, the members had different, however complimentary skill-sets.  I described a soccer team which had similar dynamics.  If you asked a member of the offense, she would take credit for the win, she scored the winning goal, she got the headlines in the news. If you asked a member of the defense, she would proclaim that she was responsible for stopping the other team from scoring goals. She got an assist when she fed the ball directly to the foot of the offensive player who scored the goal.

For a team to be successful, it requires skill and capability in all positions, and most importantly, it requires the teammates to work together, cover for one another, pass to one another, talk to one another. All positions play a crucial role towards the win and must operate effectively with one another for the team to win.

Similarly, in business, people with complimentary skillsets are necessary for the business to be successful and must work together for the business to achieve its success goals.

So, the next time you are comparing your skills to other team members, and think you are better than your teammates who have different skills or play a different role on the team, think twice about whether both skills or roles are required for the team to be successful.  Assure you show appreciation for different capabilities, don’t treat teammates with different skills as lesser than you, there’s a good chance that without them, you wouldn’t be successful.