Welcome to the team – or not …
In individual coaching, I have to do with the limits of leadership. Sometimes teamleads or front line leaders experience coworkers who are allergic to newcomers in the team and do not change their negative behavior even after repeated calls. The main question for every leader is then, what should I do now?
Set the frame and all at one table.
Precondition: The leader declares that he will no longer tolerate the situation.
The conflict appears to be hardened, the perceptions of all parties involved and the dynamics behind them must be made clear. In a three-hour, initial, open discussion with all participants, we will work out an explanation of the situation. In emotional terms: let off steam, but please without reproaches, which all the participants know well enough.
The result:
Not only the head of the team has to fight. The long-standing team members are working on the ongoing change process in the department.
The situation: The “new” – set aside for the relief and back-up of their day-to-day business – apparently operates completely different activities, and the superior tolerates that! There are only two conclusions remaining:
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If a back-up is no longer necessary, then our work does not seem to be important any more.
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Will we still be needed here at all with our abilities in the foreseeable future?
Even if these interpretations seem exaggerated at first glance, they feel very real to the participants. Nothing easier than finding a scapegoat in this situation – the new one. He, according to the circumstances, behaves in a healthy manner and pulls back. This dynamic is made clear in the discussion.
And, of course, it becomes clear to everyone – teamwork is something quite different.
After the first three hours, thoughtfulness is on all sides. A good, realistic first result.
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