Unfortunately, even if the most carefully put together team there are times when some members of your project team just wont get along. This might be due to a clash of personalities or different work methods, but whatever the reason as project manager it is important to ensure that this does not affect the project as this may cause problems as you progress. Project management training can give you some of the tools you need in order to deal with issues between team members but sometimes you may need a little more than that to get to the root of any problems.
Address the issues
It isn’t necessarily a bad thing if people disagree. In fact, some disagreements can be good when it comes to throwing solutions around as this can often lead to finding the best answer to a problem. The issue comes when those disagreements are no longer constructive to the work environment or get out of hand. This is when tensions in the team can rise and cause issues. As project manager it is important to be aware of any potential clashes that may exist in your team and keep an eye on them. If they become an issue it is important to address them as soon as possible to avoid any escalation that could affect the work of the rest of the team.
Ask the right questions
If there are member of your project team who are not getting along it is really important to deal with it fully and this means asking the right questions. You want to understand exactly what is going on so that you can deal with it properly. This might mean asking team members why they think the other person is acting the way they are rather than asking the individual themselves. Getting everyone’s point of view can be very insightful when it comes to resolving these types of conflicts.
The right questions will give your team members food for thought about where they may be able to help improve the situation without the need for you to take more drastic action.
Look forward not back
Once you have had a chance to talk with the members of the team who have issues it is important to consign that behaviour to the past and look forward to a team where there is more cooperation and an improvement in the way people work together. Sometimes it is absolutely fine for team members to agree to disagree over things, the important thing is that everyone acts in a professional manner to each other.
A plan to help you all move forward as a team can be a good idea and can help everyone to put their differences behind them. If you are struggling to plan the best way forward, then project management courses may be a good way of reassessing how you might achieve this.
