PeopleBuild a teameasy
A few weeks after a project team is assembled, members who were initially polite begin openly challenging each other's ideas and questioning how the work is divided. Productivity has dipped. What is the project manager's best response?
- AReplace the most vocal members to restore harmony.
- BReduce collaboration by assigning members to work independently.
- CRecognize this as a normal stage of team development and coach the team through it toward shared norms.
- DReport the team as dysfunctional to the sponsor.
Explanation
Correct answer: CTeams predictably pass through a turbulent stage before they normalize and perform; the leader's job is to guide them through it, not to suppress it.
- A
- Removing members resets team development and punishes people for behavior that is a normal part of forming a team.
- B
- Isolating members avoids the friction but prevents the team from ever reaching a high-performing state.
- C
- Correct. Challenging and renegotiating roles is an expected developmental stage, and coaching the team through it leads to genuine norms and higher performance.
- D
- Escalating normal team development as dysfunction is inaccurate and abdicates the project manager's leadership role.