Building Team Spirit in a Software Company: How Do You Encourage Collective Responsibility?

Hi Friends,

Need help in building the team. We are a software company and have a couple of functional teams. The organizational and management are very supportive. However, team members are selfish. There is no collective responsibility within the members. All deliveries are the manager's responsibility. Managers are people-friendly, but team members are taking advantage of the situation. If one person goes on leave, no one else is willing to take on his extra work or feels that it is needed. The general attitude is "It's his work; let him come back after vacation/leave/emergency and complete it."

Though everybody maintains good personal relationships, team members do not show initiative. Kindly suggest what kind of team-building programs will suit.

Regards,
Rekha

Hi, Rekha,

I am facing a similar situation in my organization. After much contemplation, I realized that the managers need to take action and motivate everyone. You cannot awaken a person who is pretending to be asleep! It is the manager's responsibility, and everyone should be held individually accountable. Furthermore, if an employee requests time off and you notice that everyone suddenly becomes very friendly, then ask the person taking leave to recommend someone to cover their responsibilities. This way, they may leverage their connections to find a replacement. In certain cases, I have even resorted to terminating individuals. I have observed that others quickly fall in line, but it is crucial to justify such actions through a meeting or informal communication with the team.

These situations often occur when managers have been handling all tasks themselves and then transition to delegating responsibilities. Managers must ask each team member the right questions regarding their daily performance and provide firm feedback to underperformers. This has been my personal experience.

Let's hear what others have to contribute.

Best regards,

Harsha

A few initiatives:

1. A one/two-day TEAMWORK workshop explaining the importance of teamwork, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills.
2. Team incentives in addition to individual incentives - this must be paid separately to give a sense of identity.
3. Couple of team treats - the amount spent is not important, but involvement and participation of all are important.
4. Psychometric tests and feedback to participants. You can use FIROB/JOHARI WINDOW/EGOGRAMS, etc.
5. OPEN SESSIONS WHERE ISSUES TO BE brainstormed without inhibitions. HR must facilitate this. Only official issues to be discussed - issues, not personalities.
6. Individual coaching/counselling/mentoring to NON TEAM-ORIENTED engineers by the manager along with HR.

All the best.
Regards,
micokrish

Dear Friends,

Please don't write bookish references.

Please check the newspaper - "The Hindu" dated 4th Nov 2005. The topic is "Traits of successful Teams."

Please review and apply the same in your organization.

Regards,
Sidheshwar

Hi Friends,

My question is will a one/two day worshop instill the sense of responsibility in the team. Am not just looking at a team building program and then hope things will fall in place. But a solution for the whole problem.

Based of the suggestion i recieved from the HR fraternity , I have done the following

1. Identified the team

2. Made indivividual profiles of the team members (Academic & professional)

3. Suggested the Manager to have Team meetings every morning for 10 minutes.

4.Have Daily morning team meeting at 10.00 am

Agenda for the meeting :

- Review of the Project

- Review of yesterday's tasks

- Assign task for the day /week

- Let team members give deadline in the presence of the team.

- The task and the process complimented with their individual role to be brought out at the session.

- Any general discussion that the team member wants to discuss

On achieving a milestone appreciate the efforts as a team and also individuals in the presence of the team.

Manager only monitors the process.

The task and goal is set by the team.

So friends let me know whether am on the right path and also wot more can i do to instill the team spirit

Thanx

Rekha

Hi Friends,

Need help in building the team.

We are a software company and have a couple of functional teams. The organizational & Management are very supportive. But team members are selfish. There is no collective responsibility within the members. All deliveries are the manager's responsibility. Managers are people-friendly and team members are taking advantage of the situation.

If one person goes on leave, no one else is willing to take on his extra work or does not feel that it's needed. The general attitude is "It's his work, let him come back after vacation/leave/emergency and complete it."

Though everybody maintains good personal relationships, team members do not show initiative.

Kindly suggest what kind of team-building programs will suit.

Regards,

Rekha

Now problem:

1) But team members are selfish, means the team is working but not in an effective way? Suggestion: Implement MBO method. Not 100%, but it should be partly.

2) All deliveries are the manager's responsibility. Naturally, managers are responsible because they are managers. Suggestion: Make a policy and get approved by the CEO for job rotation within the department.

3) If one person goes on leave, no one else is willing to take on his extra work or does not feel that it's needed. The general attitude is "It's his work, let him come back after vacation/leave/emergency and complete it." This means a lack of coordination and cooperation. Suggestion: Issue a circular department-wise not to affect any work while the person will be outstation/sick/on leave, etc., failing which action will be taken for non-completion of work/target.

4) General Suggestions: a) Formal induction program for newcomers by senior officers, not by HR executives. HR executives will induct but after senior officers. b) Arrange a get-together program keeping in mind the economy (family-oriented). c) Show an audio-visual presentation giving an example of "TEAMWORK within ANTS." d) Implement an evaluation process of work done.

SO MANY THINGS TO BUILD TEAMWORK... BUT YOU MAKE EVERYBODY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COMPLETION OF WORK WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.

Regards

Sidheshwar

Dear Rekhaa,

Your ideas will be of much help in role and goal clarity. Additionally, you must have some meetings/get-togethers in an informal environment. A session of FIROB/JOHARI WINDOW/TA will help one to realize their shortcomings, if any, and give structured improvement action plans. Formal group meetings must be followed up by the manager with individual meetings with "problem employees" to clarify goals/roles/resources.

Linking team performance to incentives/performance appraisal is something which I have implemented successfully in many companies where I offer consultancy. Discuss with your top management and introduce a team performance-based incentive scheme - it will be definitely helpful. All the best in your team-building efforts.

Sincerely,
micokrish

Dear Rekha
I believe you are on the right path as of now. I do face similar problems in our office. Some times I preach and follow Adolf Hitler to get a few things moving as inspite of our recommendations things dont move.
The steps you have taken are the ones which we actually need to follow religiously. It does so happen that after a few days people tend to take these meetings lightly. Most important is the manager has to make use of this opportunity you have created to take better control of his team. Every member can be made to take up some one else's job as long as he is convinced by the manager to do it.
We face similar situations many times and we overcome these resistances by addressing to the employee. In many cases I sit in front of the manager to get him to address these issues then and there.
Let us know how successful the series of changes you mentioned are after some time.
Regards
Praveen

Hi,

It is highly unlikely that all team members "are taking advantage of the situation". Surely, there will be at least one person in each team who is not as irresponsible as the others.

Hi,

What I feel is there is something lacking from the manager's end. Though they are very friendly, there is a lack of control. First of all, then the managers need to handle things professionally wherein the team members do not take their manager's friendly behavior for granted. I think the way of handling the team needs to be improved. The manager needs to make it clear to his team what his or the organization's exact expectations are. Secondly, some kind of team-building activity should be undertaken.

Please comment.

Anita

Hi Rekha,

Don't worry, go with my PPT.

Regards,

Servesh Dubey
Belgaum
09343415110