You have a team member who happens to be the best pitcher in a baseball team. This team member has had a misunderstanding with the head coach, they just don’t see eye to eye. Now the head coach will not play this player & makes him sit on the bench as a form of punishment. This situation is getting worse & has had a toll on the team’s overall performance. Pitcher #2 has been trying his best to fill in, but being the only pitcher in the team now, it has really been hard on him & his performance. We are losing games that we could have won had we played our ace pitcher. If this player cannot be removed from the team, how can we smooth the rift between this player & the coach to take advantage of this player’s skills for the better of the team? The team feels that if the coach who is just as stubborn as this player can work out their differences for the better of the team, we can some how salvage this season in a positive manner & possibly even go into post season. Is it possible to make this situation into a win / win result? Please advise.

The Team Doc Says…

Are there any adults in the house? Geesh. Sounds like the coach is acting like a two year old having a temper tantrum. Not a good demonstration of leadership by any stretch of the imagination. Then again, that could be an incorrect interpretation on my part since I don’t know the facts of the situation.

Having an effective team is about focusing on the goals of the team and how each team member can contribute to this objective.

You don’t say what got the coach and pitcher into this conflict mess, so I’m going to assume the pitcher did something the coach told him not to and the coach is holding him accountable for those actions. That is not a bad thing.

One of the biggest issues in the business world today is that people are not held accountable for their actions — but — we don’t just sideline them and keep them out of the game. We put them on a performance plan by outlining specific behaviors they must demonstrate and key outcomes they must achieve. Then if the team member can’t meet those expectations, we get rid of them.

That’s what should happen in this situation to achieve a win for the coach, a win for the pitcher and a win for the team. Put the pitcher on a performance plan and if he can’t meet the criteria for acceptable behavior, he’s off the team (not just on the bench).

But you have to help the coach be a grown up first and see the error of his ways. He needs to be held accountable by someone too. I would guess that would be you or a group of parents that are willing to help the coach see the error of his ways. You will need to keep this discussions as “emotionless” as possible. Talk about facts, expectations and outcomes and how he can lead the team better by rising above his current level of behavior. And if he doesn’t, maybe he should be fired too.

How about you reader? What are your thoughts about this situation? Please leave a comment.

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I am doing an on line management course and the current topic is conflict. I have been given a scenario where there is a company that has historic dislike between marketing and finance teams. The question posed is what you could do to identify the historical conflict/tension amongst the teams? What steps you would take to successfully resolve the tensions/conflicts between the teams and a brief explanation as to the rationale for each step. How would you evaluate the outcomes? I would appreciate some tips as to how to go about this.

The Team Doc Says…

That’s a great business scenario to test how you would resolve a conflict. It is a situation that would really occur in the work environment.

Your first step would be an assessment in the form of interviews with the team members. Your questions for this interview would include things like “How well does the [other] department respond to requests for assistance?” You’ll want to delve into a discussion with the team members to find out the underlying reason for the conflict. Use open-ended questions — who, what, why, how — to get the most information.

Once you’ve found the reason(s), you would detail an action plan for resolving the conflict. It may be as simple as regular communication or it may be complicated such as deep rooted issues between the leaders of the teams.

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What are codes of conduct?

The Team Doc Says…

A team code of conduct defines the standards of behavior for team members. In the work environment, this would include things like:

• Communicate openly

• Share issues with the team

• Use consensus for team decisions

• Actively participate in meetings

• Be present and engaged

• Others…

It’s very common for a team to develop a code of conduct. What’s not so common is for the team to have success holding team members accountable for abiding by the code of conduct. The team members either ignore the behavior and just stew about it or it elevates into a full scale unresolved conflict. Not a good thing.

It takes team growth for the team to be able to work through these issues. Establishing a team code of conduct is a good thing for the team as long as you’re prepared to deal with any roadblocks that may occur.

Reader, what do you think?

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I work in a small non-profit. The director has been there for 30 years. A new job was posted, and there were a few applicants for the job but the director felt her granddaughter should have the job. The feeling of all the other team members was that she did not have any office experience and did not feel it was fair to have family members be the highest paid in the center. The board of directors interviewed the prospective applicants. I applied for the position having 20 years experience in various office positions. The board members told me that even though I was qualified, there would be “hell to pay if a specific person didn’t get hired”. I was not hired for that position but was offered a much lower paying position that I had no experience in. Everyone feels trapped because all concerns have to go to the director who has made it clear that her granddaughter was the most qualified and any complaints are just jealously.

The Team Doc Says…

Well, I’ve had my share of questions about cruddy places to work and this place needs to be added to the pile.

With a director that feels family is entitled to a job because they are family and a board that has no spine, the best thing you can do is get out of there. Soon.

I know the current economic environment isn’t the best, so make it a priority to dust off your resume and start looking for a new place to work where you are valued and there is a leader at the helm.

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I have 10 nurse techs who all work together in the same department. They really are pretty much friends and friendly, but they all want to know who is doing what when so that no one has to do more than anyone else. They get very irritable with each other if they one feels she is having to work harder or do more than the others. What do you suggest?

The Team Doc Says…

This is easy. Just have a daily meeting with your team to discuss who is doing what that day. Talk about who can help the person with the heaviest load. Then put it into action.

This process will help reinforce the bond within your team and may help with some knowledge transfer among the team members.

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