Sometimes a team stops moving forward on the road of change or fails to get results at the desired speed and direction. In some cases, progress stop entirely, leaving the team churning in place. Some team members may try to move forward, but are inhibited by the negative weight of another team member.

To keep your team moving ahead, you must deal with this weak team member.

CHARACTERISTICS TO WATCH
A team member who is not helping the team move forward has some of the following characteristics:

• Holds a position too long with very little change of duties
• Doesn't see the need for change
• Can't solve problems with creative solutions that enhance productivity
• Inhibits implementing change
• Becomes overwhelmed with varied duties and deadlines
• Doesn't participate in discussions for future enhancements
• Perceived by others as a follower and order taker, not a leader
• Works a set routine--always comes into work and leaves at the same time. Has the same lunch time. Eats the same thing.
• Has the attitude: "If someone else can do it, great! I'm too busy."

Unfortunately, the more responsibility you give a weak team member, the more he or she can pull down the team. For example, a middle or top manager can prevent an entire division and organization from moving forward and achieving results.

Dealing with a team member who is flattening the team is like fixing a flat tire. You have four choices:

1. Leave the tire alone to let out air until the car can't move at all.
2. Switch out the tire and use it as a spare.
3. Patch the tire and hope that there will be no damage.
4. Buy a new tire.

LEAVE IT ALONE
There are many situations where the team member who is not helping the organization move forward is simply ignored. For example, he or she isn't doing anything wrong and the daily duties are being done satisfactorily. Or maybe the company considers his or her experience and knowledge (which, by the way, has not been transferred to anyone else) to be crucial to the organization.

While there may be cases where leaving the employee alone will not harm overall team efforts, the other team members will continue to work around the weaker team member and will eventually become frustrated. Some may become frustrated enough to move on, leaving the manager with a slow moving team. An organization with slow moving parts will die a slow and painful death.

CHANGE THE TIRE
Another option is to move the weak team member to another position in the organization with reduced responsibility and less visibility. This can allow the manager to move the department forward without the weak team member.

There are many issues that you must consider when taking this approach. If the position is less responsibility, will the salary stay the same or will there be a decrease?

Carefully word your communication to the rest of the staff so that the employee changing jobs feels respected for past experience. This is especially true when a manager is demoted to an individual contributor position. A sample memo could read: "Sam was selected to head up this project due to his level of experience and knowledge of patient care systems. For him to dedicate his time to this project, Sally will be the manager of the nursing staff."

PATCH THE TIRE
This solution will take time and patience. Some weak team members have never received coaching and training to perform at a higher level. They have been brushed aside. "Jane should certainly know how to enhance the productivity in her department; she's been there for 20 years." Maybe no one ever asked for Jane's input on the department enhancements, or gave her the resources to implement the changes.

Visiting other companies with similar departments or brainstorming with professional peers can help overcome tunnel vision. In coaching this employee, a manager should describe the necessary outcomes and coach, not dictate, how the implementation will happen.

Asking open-ended questions will help: "What do you think is the most efficient path to make this change happen?" "How will you be using your resources?" "What technical resources do you need?" "How will you measure the progress and report results?"  Over time, the weak team member may learn new skills to become a higher contributor with effective coaching and training.

BUY A NEW TIRE
There will be times when you simply need a new tire. A weak team member may continue to pull down the team no matter where he or she works. The organization may be in survival mode with no time to coach and train the weak member. Maybe a manager has tried to coach and train him or her with no success.

When this occurs, it's time to replace the employee. Experience and knowledge may be lost, but the other team members are often so relieved that they challenge themselves to gain the necessary knowledge. Ultimately, the organization is recharged and all team members move forward.

Deciding how to fix a flat tire on a team requires difficult management decisions.

Variable factors in the organization include timing, cost and speed of the change. These factors will impact whether the flat tire can be ignored, used as a spare, continued to be patched or completely replaced.

Sue Romero is a human resources consultant and facilitator specializing in employee relations issues, manager coaching, management and team training. She has over 20 years experience coaching managers on enhancing their effectiveness. Her Web site is  www.romeroconsulting.com.