Team dynamics can contribute to the success or failure of an organization or project.  You may find yourself in a situation where your high-performance team members are not performing as a team but rather in silos.  As a leader, what do you do?

I believe everyone can bring something to the team so, it is important to identify what it is that’s keeping the members from collaborating.  When I experience a less-than-adequate team dynamic, I try to understand what it is that is driving the behavior of the outlier or outliers. I like to bring them in.

When I say “bring them in,” I mean to get them close, listen, observe, and find out what is important to them.  Find out what they contribute and how they perceive the situation or dynamic.  Having an understanding of what is troubling them, driving them and motivating them may help you identify steps to improve collaboration.

A quick sports analogy to illustrate my point.  If a baseball pitcher is having trouble and there are three men on base, the coach will usually call for a quick huddle on the mound.  He gets a few key team members and “brings them in” to talk about solutions for a positive outcome.  The coach learns more about what is going on and the team discusses options for success.