How to deal with a team that isn’t working

Dear WW: A consultant suggested that I create a cross-functional team at my company, but I’m starting to think it’s a waste of time because it’s been six months and all we’ve accomplished is a lot of meetings. NOT A TEAM PLAYER

Dear Not,

The day of my high school prom I woke up with a case of the runs. Nerves? Bad pizza? I didn’t care. I just wanted it gone. So when my buddy Bednar handed me some medicine, I plastered it right to my lips. What possessed me to stop suddenly and take a look at the label? I don’t know, but it was sure a good thing I did. The medicine wasn’t the cure for what ailed me: he’d handed me a laxative.

That morning I learned the importance of taking the right medicine, a lesson that’s just as important in business. Your consultant is right: teams CAN be the right medicine-but only if used as directed. For advice on teamwork I teamed up with “Fast Company”, a business magazine that’s got its finger firmly on the pulse of today’s frenetic workplace. The following tips were adapted from an article in the Fast Company February/March 1998 issue, “Team Doctors, Report to ER!” (with credit to consultant Jon Katzenbach).

Does your project really require a team? Working with a team is like walking a mile in someone else’s shoe. It can be useful if you need a shoe, but it can also produce blisters. So don’t do it unless you really need a blend of skills to solve the problem. Ask yourself the following: Do I already know the solution? Could the individuals on the team solve the problem more easily if they were working alone? A “yes” answer and you might think about doing it another way.

Can you handle the inefficiency of a team? Teamwork is a lot like making sausage: you can get a great result, but it takes time and isn’t always a pretty sight. So don’t do it unless you can stomach the irritations. Ask yourself: Do I need the solution to this problem ASAP? If so, teamwork may not be the best way to get it. Am I generally impatient with “process?” If so, asking one person to work on the problem may be a more palatable way to find the answer.

Can you relinquish control? If you’re still calling the shots, your team isn’t a team. No wonder it’s not working.

Did you give the team a clear mission? Are your team members asking, “why are we here?” If so, they may need a clearer goal with measurable results. Try something like, “what specific strategies can we implement to reduce inventory?” rather than “tell me how to make things better.”

There are a lot of good reasons to have teams at work, but this was all I could digest and pass on in 500 words. Wish I could do more, but, well . . . I’ve got to run.

Working Wounded poll:

What song do you sing when it comes to teams at work?

“That’s the Way (I Like It)”, 29.6%

“That’s Where I Went Wrong”, 31.8%

“That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be”, 38.4%

Working Wounded strategy:

Our winning team strategy comes from A.N. in Palo Alto. “I work in a corporate culture that emphasizes working in teams, sharing, reaching group decisions, etc. but has a reward systems that’s based on individual contribution. This makes team work interesting . . . Garbage in, garbage out is a reality for people as well as computers.”

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. Sherrie Campbell is a relationship and business professional, having applied her counseling background in a variety of challenging organizational settings. They’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, especially if you have better ideas than they do. Also check out their complete column archive at workmash.org, “The Boss’s Survival Guide” and “Gray Matters: The workplace survival guide.” Send your questions or comments to bob@workmash.org.