Supervisor Un-team!

[teri99]

Hi - I have recently merged two separate CSR group's into 1 queue - with that, I have also blended what was 2 Supervisory groups (of 6 each), into 1 'team' of Supervisors. Right now they are getting along, but, I can feel underlying stress about to errupt. The finger pointing & we/they syndrome has started.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to teach a team to actually work as a team?

[Speed Demon]

Hi Kim (I think?),

Look, the first thing you need to know is....

Straight forward is normally the best. If you do not broach these issues there is the potential for things to go skyward quite quickly.

From what I can understand, these are supervisors that you have merged. If this is correct then your problem is a lot larger than if it were team members.

You must remember that team members take their cues from their Team Leaders. Even if there is a small problem between 2 Team Leaders, it can cause huge rifts between opposing teams.

It's like two parents fighting in front of the children. Eventually the children learn to play the parents off against one another.

The only real thing I think you can do, is firstly observe. Don;t speak, just watch. Identify where the underlying currents are coming from.

Then take them on a team building session, be it ten pin bowling, sky-diving, etc. End off the team building session with a likes/dislikes discussion. Alternatively, get them together on a weekend ( go away on a strategy weekend), as them questions that get them to look at the bigger picture. "Where is the Call Centre headed?"; "What is our purpose?"; "What role do I play?".

If you can get them thinking about the big picture, and they get to know o0ne another in a non-work, no stress environment, it should make it that much easier to bond.

Hope that answers at least part of your question...

[Dismuke]

My view is before one can build a successful team one must recognize that any team consists of individuals. One may talk about the virtues of "teamwork" all day long - but in the end, each of us has very selfish reasons for going to work every day and doing well on the job. We go to work in order to provide financial well being for ourselves and our families and many people have career ambitions they would like to achieve. Every person values being visible in the eyes of management and being recognized for his individual accomplishments and a job well done. If people view "teamwork" as somehow standing in the way of such things - or if, in reality, teamwork means standing silent and allowing oneself to be run over by inappropriately assertive and pushy peers - then it is simply not going to happen no matter how eloquently and frequently you talk about the need for teamwork.

Teamwork rarely happens without effective leadership - and when teamwork is lacking in an organization, the very first place to look is at the performance of the leadership - i.e. at the higher levels of management.

Reorganizations such as the one you describe are often quite stressful for the people involved. Ask yourself if any of the people in your supervisor group might regard the changes as being, in some way, a "step backwards" in terms of their career ambitions, the scope of their day to day responsibilities or the prestige of their position. If so, they may deep down regard their peers as somehow standing in the way of moving forward again. If this is a possibility with your group of supervisors, then what are you doing on a one on one basis to put their concerns in proper perspective? Do decisions about the day to day operation of the department come from strong leadership at the next level of management - perhaps with lots of feedback from the supervisory team? Or do they tend to be decided as a result of a democratic consensus on the part of the supervisory team? If the latter is the case, then one should expect a certain degree of jockeying for power in order to fill the leadership vacuum. Are the more assertive team members allowed to pretty much overstep their authority and push around those who are mostly interested in simply doing their jobs? Is the environment such that your supervisors feel that they have to "toot their own horns" or play politics in order to be visible to higher management and to be recognized for their accomplishments? If so the root of the problem is not with the supervisors but with their leaders.

Recognizing that people's careers are primarily motivated by very personal and highly selfish objectives, the key to fostering a spirit of teamwork is to create an environment where every single member of the team realizes that his own selfish interests, goals and ambitions can be achieved ONLY if the team is successful - and if the team as a whole fails it will have a negative impact on every member regardless of how great their individual performance might have been. That's why I don't think it is really possible to "teach a team to actually work as a team" beyond making sure that every member has effective interpersonal skills. What is required is effective leadership - and a management that is willing to take an active interest in the goals and success of its individual employees. Employees who feel secure in their relationship with their managers are not as likely to regard their peers as a threat to their well being and career success.

[David_M_Baker]

Hi there:

From my perspective, both as a CSA and as someone with a significant amount of experience in communications, I would like to offer one very simple suggestion: Pay attention to how you're communicating.

Very often when people are, shall we say, escalated, the issue is not the people being subjected to the emotion. It's not about us. It's about the other person expressing, perhaps in a less-than-constructive fashion (i.e. complaining, blaming, us/them/we/they speech) that they are not having their needs met. I agree to some extent with what was stated previously about what motivates people, but I would not go so far as to label such motivation selfish except in the purely neutral sense: We all have needs.

What's the challenge of management? Recognise this fact and help people understand the true nature of their frustration. Take some time and observe, yes, but do it in the spirit of hearing the person behind the words and actions; the human being behind the problem.

I highly recommend Marshall Rosenberg's book, "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Compassion." Dr. Rosenberg offers a very positive and very effective (I use it with every single one of my calls, and my colleagues) system of communication that will help you with your team building issue.

I sincerely hope this information is helpful.

Cheers,

-d-