Solving People Problems on the Job:
Kelley School of Business X420
Discussion Session #71
Teams made up of dynamic, creative individuals
will almost always
suffer from periods of conflict.
Teams are, inevitably, made up of individuals.
Many individuals have what may be politely termed
“problem personalities”
…no, this is the WRONG attitude
for dealing with problem folks…
To deal with a negative person you should…
Determine your level of involvement
 Try to understand where they’re coming from
 Influence their attitude
 Help resolve the source problems
 Recover from the experience

Research shows that the most significant
roadblock to effective teamwork is….
Sometime it just makes sense to inflexibly follow the rules…
There are other times when rigid
behavior is unreasonable….
Research indicates that the major factor in unreasonable
rigidity is…
Among working teams, self esteem is a major fear
factor
Fear, and rigidity in
belief or opinions,
can lead to anger and
conflict.


As a member of the
team, or as a team
leader, the goal is to
avoid or eliminate
conflict.
To do this effectively,
one needs to
understand the root
causes of team
conflict.
The ways in which team conflict
occurs are as varied as the
individuals who make up the teams.
As long as rigidity of thought and
attitude rules the day, there can be
no effective solution.
So, what do you do?….
Basically, people tend to
fall back on rigid
approaches to problemsolving when other
avenues do not seem to
be available.
The solution to creating compatible teams is simple,
but it sure is not EASY.
You
must create and support
a team environment of
 OPENNESS,
 TRUTH,
 HONESTY
 and SELF-AWARENESS.
”SERENITY”
“Problem
Personality” types
While not necessarily as simple as
“The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”,
problem personalities do fall into
some generally recognized archetypes….
 The DEADWEIGHT
…they never pull their fair share of the load,
everyone else has to do more to compensate...
 If you are a manager of a Deadweight, closer direct supervision
may be necessary to change this behavior pattern.
 The LEECH
… they always want to talk when you are busy,
inconsiderately taking up your time …..
 The BACKSTABBER
… two-faced and untrustworthy, they try to undermine
you, spread rumors and try to hurt your career …..
 Team leader? Quash this poisonous behavior.
(your team will thank you)
 The EMPIRE BUILDER
… they try to get more power and will step all over
you to get it …..
 The JABBER
… the playground bully grown up, they pick on every
weakness they see, a practical joker who just does
not get it…..
 The KNOW-IT-ALL
… they always know a better way of doing
anything, and cannot wait to tell you. ...
Their advice is freely given but not always
welcome…..
 The Quiz: match up the
quote with the type
1. “Zzzzzz….”
2. “What are you working on? Oh, the annual report. That’s due tomorrow, isn’t it?
eh…well let me tell you, I had a horrible weekend….”
3. “You know, I wouldn’t want to point any fingers, but Mark managed to totally
screw up that project outline –--oh, hi Mark! How you doin’ old buddy? You’re
lookin’ great.”
4. “Look, I know my team has a full schedule, but we can handle this extra
assignment, no problem. Just give us that corner office space and boost our
supplies budget and we’re good to go.”
5. “Marie, fashionably late as usual! And Todd, that unwashed hippie look is perfect
for casual Friday! Of course, it is Monday….”
6. “This reminds me of the Perkins account fiasco, been there - done that! Of
course, you’ll want to get Research cracking on the precedents right away. That’s
what I did. You will have you’re hands full, let me tell you. Why, I
remember….”
A. The Know-It-All
B. The Empire Builder
C. The Deadweight
D. The Jabber
E. The Leech
F. The Backstabber
… there are ten coping behaviors that will
give you an edge in dealing with all kinds of
problems AND problem people you will
encounter in the workplace.
I. Expect the best
II. Listen before talking, think before acting
III. Get to the point
IV. Change what they do, not who they are
V. Model the behavior you desire
VI. Adapt your approach to the person
VII. Protect dignity and self-respect of others
VIII. Appeal to self-interest
IX. Rejoice at success
X. Cut your losses with remorse, not guilt
I. Expect the best
 Establish and maintain high standards
II. Listen before talking, think before
acting
 Demonstrate the courtesy you expect from
others
III. Get to the point
 Do not assume telepathy - say what you mean
IV. Change what they do, not who they are
 You cannot change people,
settle for changing behavior
IV. Model the behavior you desire
 Be an example
VI. Adapt your approach to the person
 People are individuals, not widgets
VII. Protect the dignity of others
 Everyone has individual worth
VIII. Appeal to self-interests
 Enlightened self-interest is a strong incentive
IX. Rejoice at success
 Give credit when problem behavior changes
X. Cut your losses with remorse, not guilt
 Hey, sometimes nothing works -- Move On.
 Whether dealing with
 or with
The principles of resolving personality issues on the
job come down to a few basics:
 Honesty and openness
 Integrity
 Tact
 Flexibility
Negative Attitudes = Difficult People
Among the most difficult - the “Hostile Aggressive” types…
The Sherman Tank….
The Sniper….
The Exploder….
The “Sherman Tank”
...they bully and push people around….
 Stand up to them
 But don’t get into an argument
 Maintain a civil but undaunted composure
 Keep your cool
 Once you’ve stood up to them, be ready to be friendly
The “Sniper”
…they are sarcastic and critical….
 Smoke them out
 Polite confrontation in private about the “jokes”
 “Did you mean it that way?”
 Challenge them every time in this manner
KEEP YOUR COOL!
The “Exploder”
…normal one moment,
out of control the next….
 After explosion, do nothing but look them in the eye
 Take a break, get some privacy
 Offer a pragmatic plan of action
 KEEP YOUR COOL!
You may have noticed a theme here….
To misquote Kipling,
“If you can keep your cool when all about you
are losing theirs….”
The “Complainer” will whine about everything.
 Listen actively
 Get them involved in solutions
 Don’t apologize
The “clam” – silent and
unresponsive
no matter what.
 After opening conversation, go silent
 Friendly silent stare
 Non-confrontational comment on the silent treatment
 Emphasize how important the work is
 Schedule another meeting
The “super-agreeable” -- always says yes,
and usually let you down.
 Strongly
state your sympathies with their workload pressure
 Offer to help them get the job done
 Go for “win/win” compromises so they can relax.
 Don’t keep accepting false agreements
“Naysayer” – says no to anything
Come back with a positive but realistic statement
 Never argue with a negativist
 Acknowledge what they say
 Show alternatives
 Explore worst case scenarios
 Be ready to act alone
The “Know-it-all” is
always right….
Paraphrase back at them their solution
 Propose alternatives as questions
 Give them a way to save face when
they’re wrong
 Know your facts
 Be positive (it’s an attitude thing)
 Thank them for their help
The “Indecisive” waits
until you or chance
decides for them.
 Ask them for help with specific task problems
 Offer your problem-solving ideas
 Find out the real reason for indecisiveness, and help
 Give them your support after decisions are made
Your positive attitude is your best weapon
in dealing with difficult people.
 Be open and honest
 Keep your smile
 Stay frosty, don’t let anger divert you
 Calm directness will win out
 Cultivate patience
You can
help overcome team
conflict …
…BUILDING A WINNING TEAM
Solving People Problems on the Job:
EVALUATION QUESTIONS
1. I found the presentation material
easy to understand.

2. This Advantage session increased
My knowledge of the subject presented.
3. I will be able to use some of the
Information from this session in the future.
USE:
– a. Strongly agree
– b. Agree
– c. Disagree
– d. Strongly
disagree
– e. Don’t know
4. The presenter was well prepared for this Advantage session.
5. This presentation should be repeated in future semesters.