This group has been working as a team for about four weeks. They have had some successes, but also some terrible times. John and Mary just cannot get their act together. Rob and Ted have tried to mediate, but it has gotten worse. As this point, it seems that alliances are forming and Mary may be the odd-one out. She is angry and frustrated. You have talked privately with each of the members of the team. Here is what they have told you.

MARY: "I have just given up on this group. Every time we have an assignment, people just listen to John. I can't figure out why. He may be smart, and he has some experience, but he is just incapable of getting things organized. Plus, he does not seem to really care about this class. I am the one who does all the first drafts. I am the one who calls for meetings. I am the one who checks with the professor about how we should do the assignment. Then, despite the fact that he has done squat, John just blows off my work and says we need to start new - usually just 24 hours before it is due! And Rob and Ted fall for it. I don't see why I should do anything for this team any more. Screw them."

JOHN: "Mary is so far out of touch it is not real. She just wants to push. I've been out in the work world for 10 years. What matters is not just the classes, but attending lots of info sessions with companies, and networking with people. Mary wants to be a kid in school. She's only 26 years old, and does not have much experience with business - she just worked in publishing! I've worked on Wall Street. Get real! In real life, you do the work you have to do, when you have to do it. Not weeks ahead of time. I don't need some young, inexperienced student telling me how to organize my work. I've done it longer than her! And, just because she is gunning for top honors does not mean she can impose that cost on me. Plus, when she does analyze a problem, it is totally academic. I'm the one with practical experience.

" MARY: "John says he's the one with experience!? Yeah, but he can't write worth a damn. He thinks that just because he worked in some famous companies, he knows the answer. He just wants everyone to listen to him. What's the point in being here if you are not going to do the work?! He just can't stand that I am always three steps ahead of him. He can't stand when I point out inconsistencies in his argument. Then, he gets us all off track and wants me to do all the last minute editing of his ideas, which are badly reasoned to begin with. He insists on changes the night before a paper is due, and then we see the result in the morning and it is crap. I've got to drop everything to try to fix the damn thing. But it is too late.

" ROB: "We've had struggles, but both are good contributors. John has the experience. But Mary is much more organized. I am struggling very much in accounting right now. I'm O.K. following John or Mary, but I don't have the energy to do more. This is my first time ever to take accounting and stats. I like Mary. John is a lot of fun.

" TED: "This thing is driving me nuts. Mary is a control freak, and John is just a shootfrom-the-hip type of guy. They're both smart. In principle, I'd like to be on top of things like Mary, but we can't quite pull it off. At that point, the only option really is to back up John and scramble. Whether we like it or not, we've just got to do some last minute sprints. But then Mary does not want to help out. I know that John's work is a bit raw. We could really use Mary's help at that point, but she is usually too annoyed that John has ignored her ideas. I'm just looking forward to next semester when we can have a new group.

A TEAM IN TROUBLE Part Two This short case describes a situation that can often be found with student teams. Students on this team have different personalities, interests, skills, and goals. Your role is to be a coach for the team, helping them to resolve their conflict and become more effective. Answer these questions:

1. Invent options for mutual gain for all parties involved, and for each option explain the potential benefits and risks.

2. How will you create a safe environment?

3. How will you get all parties to participate in a brainstorming session to resolve their differences, and what are the possible results of a brainstorming session? 4. What are some of your objective criteria?