How Should My Friend Handle Team Indifference After Joining a New Company?

Seek your guidance for an old friend who has recently changed his company. Within the first week of joining, he is facing indifference from his team.

Succession Planning and Team Dynamics

From what he gathered, his position is like succession planning for his manager, who has been in the company for more than 10 years. There are chances of him being promoted/transferred to other group companies or leaving for a better role.

Challenges with Subordinate Relations

His subordinate is junior in designation but has been in the company for more than 5 years and obviously did not like the idea of getting a team member with a higher designation than his own instead of his own promotion.

I have advised him to hang in for some time—say at least a year—but he is very depressed by his team's cold attitude and is thinking of changing as soon as possible.

Seeking Expert Advice

What, according to experts here, would you suggest?

It is a human tendency not to immediately accept a newcomer in a company.

You can advise your friend to be patient and friendly with others. Encourage him to ask for their suggestions and opinions regarding his assignments, and seek support, guidance, and help from his peers and subordinates. Involve his subordinates in the decision-making process.

If this is done, he can feel the change in attitude after 10-15 days.

Thank you for your inputs. He is now facing issues like having petty faults dug up in simple work and, worst of all, having no work at all. His manager says he doesn't have the trust yet to be given important work or any work.

Hi, This is a bit of a fragile situation. Obviously, resistance will be there in the very beginning. While resistance from the subordinate (who is senior in terms of service) is justified, non-cooperation from the manager's side is something significant, and intervention from the Location Head/CEO/President is very much required. An email communication (or introductory meeting) from the top superior confirming the roles and responsibilities of your friend should be passed on to all the members, directing their cooperation towards your friend. At the same time, your friend should also make efforts to build relationships with everyone. If feasible, he can plan a lunch outing or a high tea with all. If your friend continues to work with struggle, one day he himself may be sacked by the management for not handling things properly.

Dear member,

This is a classic case of mishandling replacement planning. You have referred to the instance in your friend's company as succession planning. However, it is not succession planning. Please check the internet to educate yourself on what succession planning entails.

Before filling in your vacancy, your manager and subordinate should have been taken into confidence. The manager should have been clearly informed that he needs to groom his replacement and properly hand over the charge to ensure work continuity. The junior should have been counseled on the reasons for hiring externally to fill the vacancy. Effective department functioning requires buy-in from superiors and strong support from subordinates. Unfortunately, in your friend's case, both are missing.

A learned member has commented that the resistance to change was evident. However, true leadership lies in preventing the obvious. Reacting to the behavior of the manager and his subordinates exemplifies poor leadership.

I recommend approaching top leadership to explain the situation. If the manager believes your friend is unfit to take over, he should identify the reasons behind this perception. Your friend should seek feedback on his shortcomings and work on correcting them. Conversely, your friend must demonstrate to his subordinate that he is better suited for the role.

Your friend's company seems disorganized. In well-organized companies, work is system or process-dependent. In less organized companies, individuals are intertwined with their departments, making personnel transitions challenging.

Disheartened by the lack of cooperation from both sides, your friend is considering leaving the company. However, this decision may raise questions about his departure. Encourage your friend by emphasizing his intellectual capabilities to navigate this challenge.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar