Case Study
Individual Performance
“Joe isn’t functioning within the team, and performance is down; help!”
“I’ve got a rebel in my team; how do I make him/her collaborate with the team?”
A team member is isolated from/not collaborative with the team
When an individual isn’t connecting with the rest of the team, this can disrupt not just the individual’s performance and work satisfaction; it also causes havoc on the entire team’s performance and dynamics.
Discovering what the causes for the situation are, taking not only the behaviour, drivers and triggers of the individual but also the other team members into consideration, custom interventions can be executed, and what is lost can be recovered.
Joe’s manager is at a loss and was close to pulling the trigger to let him go. He, however, believed that would not do justice to Joe’s potential and might also not address what he felt were potential underlying tensions within the team.
Finding a replacement with the same product-and market knowledge would also be time-consuming and costly.
By conducting 1:1 interviews with Joe and his manager, observing meetings, and analysing the digital personality assessments of Joe, his manager and the rest of the team, a customised intervention (12 week) program was formed.
Results from phase 1 were discussed with Joe and his manager; separately and together.
The focus points of the program were triggers and coping mechanisms, as the results showed that Joe had specific triggers that the team, Joe and his manager was unaware of. The team analysis showed that most of the group had a natural way of responding to each other, which triggered Joe negatively. This made Joe feel actively excluded, and he retreated to his crisis response; withdrawal.
Joe regained his position in the team, gained confidence and is flourishing. This was achieved through weekly coaching sessions, intervention exercises for both Joe and his manager, and group workshops. Underpinning the choices of interventions was our conclusion from the group analysis. This highlighted what motivational drivers were present and missing in the team, what triggers and relational aspects were strengthening or weakening the group interactions and what behavioural factors generated conflict and which cohesion. The added benefit was that the whole team’s performance, interpersonal relationships and engagement improved, and the team has subsequently been recognised as a key resource within the organisation. Joe’s manager received a promotion based on both his skills in handling a difficult situation and the team exceeding their target quarter on quarter.
