There are 5 ways to deal with a difficult team member
1.Spot Signs Early
Observe signs early on. “ Procrastination, blaming others and not trying for self improvement are signs of a non-cooperative team member,” says Sudhir Dhar, associate director and head — human resources and administration at Motilal Oswal Financial Services BSE 0.35 %.
2.Tolerate or Counsel Them
One approach is to live with the fact that you are stuck with a bad apple, says Ruchi Sinha, assistant professor of business, organisational behavior, ISB. The other option, she says, is to diplomatically give them feedback and use motivational techniques.
3.Build a Social Contract
Social contracts between team members have a motivating influence, says Sinha. “Teams can develop a document that lists all the key behaviors expected from members,” she adds.
4.Manage by Delegation
One way to handle non-cooperative members is to assign them responsibilities where they can work in silos. “Else, give them tasks that can be worked on independently thereby reducing the amount of face-time required with such members,” says Sinha.
5.Report Them to the Higher-Ups
If all these interventions have not helped, the best option is to report the member to the team leader for a re-assignment. “At times, prevention is better than cure. The teams need to develop better ways to screen members,” says Sinha.