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How do you cope with working in a team?

by tova
4 replies
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There are four of us currently involved in our start-up. I have a lot of respect for my colleagues, but lately, we have been disagreeing more and more on the focus and direction of our business. I am wondering if anyone has some concrete tips or resources we could use to help us not only communicate better but work more cohesively and efficiently as a team?

And let me be clear - we do already talk a lot. That is how we have resolved any disagreements so far, through talking; however, I have been finding that these "resolutions" mostly just result in the person who is disagreeing deciding to defer and allow for majority rule. I do not think that is necessarily the best way to keep going with things in the long run as it could possibly lead to resentment or underlying animosity.

Anyway, all of that is to say I am not just looking for advice that says "talk to them more!" I would like to be able to bring to them something concrete like a seminar, or a strategy or some TED talks videos, or anything like that. We have looked at a few basic ideas surrounding teamwork and how to maximize efficiency already but nothing has really helped us so far.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions! I know we all really care about our project and I just want us to be able to keep that passion alive and not have it clouded by disagreements that never get properly resolved.
  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    we do already talk a lot
    You can talk too much. There is nothing WRONG with "majority rule". A group of people will seldom have 100% agreement on anything for long.

    On a functioning team project - there is a division of responsibility. The team would share ideas and opinions but each team member would be in charge of one particular area of the project and his decision in that area would be the final say.

    the focus and direction
    If that is not resolved, it's a problem. My suggestion is to stop all other activity - and communicate until you have a "mission statement" you agree on. Put it in writing - sign it.

    A team project needs a mission statement to give it focus - and short and long term plans, too. Without those you can have individuals just talking things to death rather than proposing solutions to a perceived problem.
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  • Profile picture of the author tagiscom
    Yes, been in a group when building a website, ir looked like a dogs breakfast in the end.

    A group also governs Graphicriver, which explains the disfunctional mess on their forums and site.

    A group can still work, but unless everyone is on the same page, the end product will probably not be as good as it could have been.

    I would rather by my own boss, and employ people if needed.

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  • Profile picture of the author marktman571
    Originally Posted by tova View Post

    There are four of us currently involved in our start-up. I have a lot of respect for my colleagues, but lately, we have been disagreeing more and more on the focus and direction of our business. I am wondering if anyone has some concrete tips or resources we could use to help us not only communicate better but work more cohesively and efficiently as a team?

    And let me be clear - we do already talk a lot. That is how we have resolved any disagreements so far, through talking; however, I have been finding that these "resolutions" mostly just result in the person who is disagreeing deciding to defer and allow for majority rule. I do not think that is necessarily the best way to keep going with things in the long run as it could possibly lead to resentment or underlying animosity.

    Anyway, all of that is to say I am not just looking for advice that says "talk to them more!" I would like to be able to bring to them something concrete like a seminar, or a strategy or some TED talks videos, or anything like that. We have looked at a few basic ideas surrounding teamwork and how to maximize efficiency already but nothing has really helped us so far.

    Thank you in advance for any suggestions! I know we all really care about our project and I just want us to be able to keep that passion alive and not have it clouded by disagreements that never get properly resolved.
    Disagreements are fruitful if going into a right direction or can be destructive if the division of responsibilities are not perfectly defined in a startup. My suggestion is to rely on each other's ability for a particular task assigned and bring out only constructive criticism.

    Cheers
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  • Profile picture of the author Kurt
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