Effective Strategies for Handling Non-Cooperative Employees and Enhancing Team Dynamics

Hi Team,

I have one of my team members who just delivers what is expected of her. However, she does not want to contribute anything to the team. Even when we ask her for any suggestions, she is not offering any. When I asked her for any complaints in the team, she did not state anything. The answers to any questions we ask are very blunt and one-word answers.

The management is not ready to lose this employee because she is a Subject Matter Expert (SME). For me, it is becoming a nightmare to handle this employee in any team activity. Please suggest ways I can handle this kind of team member.

Hi,

Call her into your cabin and talk to her politely. Tell her how important her contribution is towards the team goal. Appreciate her work and slowly try to understand what she is going through. There might be some reasons behind her reservedness; hence, try to approach it gently. Talk to the people who are close to her. Try to involve her in group activities. If necessary, relate it to work. Encourage her and observe whether there will be any change in her.

Thanks & Regards,

Srilakshmi Korukonda

There could be many reasons for this situation. I would like you to talk to her previous employer (if there was any) and see what the situation was in that company. There are people who have different personalities (or in some cases borderline disorders), so you need to know if this is her personality type or if there is something going on in her life at this point in time (such as divorce or illness at home).

I would like to know how this is impacting her work. Is there a part of her work that requires her to interact with people and communicate effectively? Have you ever tried asking her suggestions or questions via email? Have you organized any fun-based activities or gatherings and observed her behavior?

Most importantly, you or the line manager need to communicate clearly about what is expected of her in terms of teamwork. The line manager may need to adjust her Key Result Areas (KRAs) and explain to her how to collaborate effectively with the team.

I wonder whether you are having nightmares because of your reaction to her behavior. According to you, she is an SME. I do not know what field you work in; are you aware of Belbin's Team Roles? If you are not, please see Belbin's Team Roles at [url=http://changingminds.org/explanations/preferences/belbin.htm]. From that, you will notice that her behavior fits that of an SME.

1. You now have to necessarily adopt the maxim essential strategy of 'I am ok - you are ok'.

2. There is seldom an ideal situation for an HR professional to deal with attitudinal and workplace aberrations, minor or major. It is up to him to create ideal terms there.

3. You can never change an unchangeable person in an unchangeable context. Yes, but you can possibly change the present situation to deal with such unchangeable ones.

4. Never convince yourself that you are quite perfect in assessing the reasons and gravity of such complex situations. Try to act as less imperfect as possible.

Last but not least, foremost, seek to create for both of you a real 'off-the-office environment' to deal with this problem, if any, along with another HR sagacious colleague(s) who are reasonably well known for moderation skills. Kindly keep me and other thread friends posted with the developments in the matter thereafter, so that we can continue to apply our minds to help you.

Hi members,

Very interesting queries are coming in on this platform. Some people do not want to argue or open up about the issues. They may have ideas but express them in a simple rather than elaborate way, due to a lack of language proficiency or time constraints. Such people demonstrate efficiency and speed when working alone. However, when collaboration is required, it is beneficial to reach out to these individuals periodically for effective teamwork.