In January, Organizational Leadership faculty member in the Division of Doctoral Studies, Dr. Arron Grow, published “Change or Go: How to Stop Non-Team Player Behavior in the Workplace”.  According to Dr. Grow, this latest work was written as a follow-up to his earlier work, “How to Not Suck as a Manager”. Through research for this earlier work, Dr. Grow found that one of the most common complaints employees had about bad managers is not taking action to stop destructive team member behaviors. “It’s bad enough that a team member isn’t being a team player,” states Dr. Grow. He continues, “Team members get even more frustrated when they see a team leader who isn’t leading; not doing what needs to be done to stop the distraction.”

“Change or Go” was written to help team leaders through these situations. To organizations who do not attend to this area of work life, the costs can be enormous. Low morale which leads to work inefficiency and absenteeism is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the impact on a team and on an organization when non-team player behavior goes unaddressed. As a professor, business consultant, and public speaker on topics of effective workplace environments, Dr. Grow has heard his share of experiences from those who have suffered the effects of destructive behaviors in the workplace. According to Dr. Grow, “Anyone who has been in these situations knows, even just one bully, knowledge monger, fiefdom builder, gossip, or work avoider can turn an otherwise pleasant work environment into a nightmare.”

In “Change or Go”, Dr. Grow outlines a strategy that can help team leaders through this process that for many is a difficult, highly stressful situation. A few key steps in this process include:

1. Cultivate a consensus among team members that top effectiveness every day is the goal.
2. Generate and make widely known a general list of both desired and unacceptable behaviors so team members have a clear knowledge of what it takes to be most effective as a team.
3. Follow organizational policies already in place to ensure every possible chance is given to help team members become the best team player possible.

Team leaders who are able to implement practices that focus on creating the most effective team possible will find themselves leading more satisfied, more loyal, and more productive teams and team members.

“Change or Go” is out now and can be purchased online.

Dr. Arron Grow is a full time faculty member in CityU’s Division of Doctoral Studies. He is currently the Program Coordinator for the Organizational Leadership Concentration.