A team is practically a life force of its own. While in the best case scenario it functions as a cohesive unit that is driven towards accomplishing a common goal, in reality it is made up of a number of individuals who each have their own strengths, weaknesses and personality traits which must be managed if the project is to succeed. All of this is a good thing so please don’t consider it a disadvantage.

If a team was a musical instrument it would be a xylophone. Each bar is a different size, a different color and makes a different sound when played alone. But when played together, all of the sounds combine to make beautiful music. And so it goes with a project team.

Every member of the team is a unique individual. Some members will bring their personal problems and triumphs to work with them while others will leave them at home. Some will be talkative, others will be shy. Some will excel at team work and others will find it to be a struggle. There may be motivated people working right along side those who are not so motivated.

You probably didn’t pick your teammates, but you’re certainly going to be expected to work with them.

Project Team Member’s Strengths and Weaknesses

The key to working together is to understand what strengths each member brings to the team and how those strengths can be leveraged for the benefit of all.

If you are working on a software project, for example, you’ll probably find that some team members are especially skilled at spotting defects in source code. Others may be good at spotting problem areas in the written specifications. Once you know what each member is capable of doing, that knowledge becomes part of the team’s “collective consciousness” and team members start to rely on each other to solve problems as they arise.

As the team begins to work more closely together you will also no doubt become aware of weaknesses that are present in your fellow team members and they will no doubt become aware of yours. A good team will reach out and help each member so that the collective knowledge and skills of the team outweigh any individual team member’s weaknesses.

Shared Responsibility and Accountability

While the terms “shared responsibility” and “shared accountability” are often spoken together and even used interchangeably, they are not interchangeable.

It’s important to understand that the team does, in fact, have a shared responsibility. Each team member is responsible for getting the project completed on time and within budget. No one person can accomplish that task by themselves. That’s why the team was established in the first place.

The concept of shared responsibility means that two or more people have jointly taken on a commitment to accomplish an objective.

Accountability, on the other hand, cannot be shared. It is an intensely personal concept. No one else is responsible, or accountable, for your actions except you. If you commit to a task then you have taken ownership. This makes you responsible for completion of that task and accountable for its delivery. If you don’t complete that task because your car broke down, you are still accountable. If the wind blows your report out of your open sunroof while you are driving to work, you are still accountable.

Who do you think is accountable if you can’t complete a task because a fellow team member failed to complete a dependent task? Ah, well in THAT case – you’re still accountable.

As mentioned, accountability cannot be shared. It cannot be “passed” to someone else unless that someone else also assumes responsibility for that task. If another team member is stopping you from performing, then it is your responsibility to bring this to the team member’s attention and to the PM’s attention if the issue cannot be quickly resolved. Simply shrugging your shoulders at the next progress meeting and saying, “Well, if Jane hadn’t been late then I would have been done on time,” isn’t demonstrating accountability. It’s simply copping out and that will make you look far worse when the project failure is analyzed.

Dealing with a Disruptive or Under-performing Team Member

There may be times when you will encounter a team member who appears to have no concept of what the word “team” means. This person might be lazy, disruptive, boisterous, inefficient, incompetent or even dishonest. Or you may encounter a team member who was functioning perfectly well until a personal, work-related or other type of crisis arose and then he or she started underperforming and/or otherwise threatening the integrity of the team and the success of the project.

Sometimes a simple pep talk or offering a “shoulder to cry on”* during lunch break is all that it takes to help that person weather the crisis. * This is a metaphor. Never do anything that might be perceived as unprofessional.

It is also possible that there is nothing that you can do to help this person yourself. We all have feelings and most people, especially those who have grown close while working on a team, naturally want to help each other. But remember this: You have a responsibility to perform your work. You are accountable for your own actions. You can not afford to be drawn into someone else’s problems so deeply that you lose your focus.

If a team member is affecting your ability to carry out your responsibilities for any reason, and you cannot resolve the matter quickly, it is your responsibility to bring the matter to the PM and let the PM handle it from there. No, you are not being a “snitch.” You are being accountable.

Managing Team Member’s Expectations

The other side of this issue deals with how your performance affects the rest of the team. Your team members expect you to be responsible and accountable. They expect that you will not hinder them and that you will lend your expertise when and where you can. All of that is fine. All of that is what teamwork is about.

When you fail to act responsibly or you fail to be accountable, then you fail to live up to your team’s expectations.

This doesn’t mean that you are expected to have super powers, or work 21 hours a day and give up your weekends. It simply means that you are expected to perform your job in a professional manner, to accept responsibility for your assignments and to be accountable.

If an occasion arises that you can’t live up to these expectations, regardless of the reason, then it is vital that the PM be notified as soon as you realize that you are going to miss a milestone, deadline, or a day at work because you are ill. The PM has the power to reschedule work, shift priorities and do whatever else is possible to handle the problem. Your obligation to be accountable demands that you live up to your team’s expectations or that you let the PM know when you will not be able to do something.

Please don’t think that you have failed the team if you can’t accomplish a task. There are likely to be any number of reasons that an expectation of performance is not met. Maybe needed parts didn’t arrive. Perhaps a key piece of work was rejected by the client and the whole project got slowed down as a result. Managing your team member’s expectations simply means knowing what is expected of you and either doing it or sounding the “alarm” if you can’t do it for whatever reason.

Interacting with Team Members From Outside Your Organization

It is not unusual to have a project team consist of both members from within your own company as well as members from other companies such as consulting firms, engineering firms, or even accounting firms. While teams like this can be very powerful, especially when the “outside” members bring special skills to the team which would not otherwise be present, there can also be unexpected challenges that may need to be overcome.

What types of unexpected challenges could there be? Well, if we could predict them all then they wouldn’t be unexpected. But there are some common things that are typically the root cause of any challenges that normally arise.

The most basic concept is simply a difference in corporate cultures. This could appear as a difference in work ethic, or how meetings are conducted, or even something as simple as the use of different terminology. There may be other cultural differences that have to do with human differences that result from racial or religious diversities within the group. Some team members may dress differently because of their ethnic background or religious beliefs. There are some cultures where women are treated differently than men. You may encounter language barriers or any number of other obstacles which must be overcome if the team is going to function as one.

Celebrate the differences and seize the opportunity to learn about various people, beliefs and corporate behavior. Grow from the experience rather than let it become a barrier to success.

Take a Look in the Mirror

Never lose track of the fact that you are incapable of seeing yourself as others see you. Strive to be aware of how your personality, actions, moods and mannerisms impact the team’s dynamics. Be alert for verbal and non-verbal indications that you are part of the problem and not part of the solution.

If it isn’t against company policy to record meetings, record the session and then later, when you get home, play it back and answer these questions:

1. How many times is your own voice heard?
2. Are your comments productive or disruptive?
3. Are you the “joke cracker”?
4. Are you talking just to hear yourself talk?
5. Do you sound like you have an attitude?
6. Are you combative, defensive or complaining?
7. Is yours a welcome voice?
8. Is it a voice that shows up when problems need to be solved or concepts need to be discussed?
9. Is yours the voice of a person who speaks when they have something to say and that “something” is worth hearing?

You might be surprised by how you come across to other people once you get the chance to hear yourself as others hear you.

The “Psychology of Team Dynamics” is really just another way of saying, “Getting along with the people that you’ll be working with.” And THAT is something worth learning.