How can you identify and address toxic team members?

Truth is, they will identify themselves. In the interview, the way they talk about their past job and the situation around leaving. Hopefully you catch it there before they are hired. If hired, it will become apparent during Daily Stand Ups when their performance is lacking and there is always an excuse. Being called out on work quality will lead to back channel bickering. If you have a good team, that bickering will come to light. If you have the opposite: a super performer then they will tell you and anyone who listens how good they are and how they always have to do extra work to make up for everyone else’s mistakes. The toxic person will broadcast themselves.

Taking credit for other people's work. Complaining about the organization without taking action. Sabotaging other people's work. Blaming others for their mistakes.

Typically in a team environment you will see these folks negatively affecting other team members, this is usually a first sign. At times the person does not realize what they are doing and at times they are aware. The former is easier to manage, once you as a manager bring up how certain situations are affecting others, they self realize and make adjustments. The latter are those that are toxic either purposely or by their own personalities, these folks cannot be coached and need to be removed as quickly as possible to prevent further damage to your culture.

Seek out your detractors, bring them onto the project team, invite their feedback and criticism, and incorporate it into the project. If you can win their hearts and minds, you'll have avoided a lot of the potential criticism that you'll likely get later in the project.

I agree that early identification and categorisation of stakeholders is of sheer importance for success of the project. During stakeholder onboarding and interaction thru the interview process it can be done. Toxic stakeholders carries nagative perspective, fault finding attitudes, attention seeking arguments, even at times they misguide the team, hiding and manipulating facts etc and in the same time they may be influential for the project and it could be internal and external as well. They have to dealt carefully especially with certain guidelines with defined code of conducts. It’s crucial to socialise what is accepted and un-accepted practice and behaviours of all stakeholder associated with the project and help to defuse toxic intents

I have seen and experienced this. I have seen both ends where on speaking there was a massive change in attitude and there was a person who became more toxic. We had to finally ask the person go As it started to effect the whole team.

Always talk with them privately and find out the real cause of their behavior. They might be struggling personally and need someone who will listen to them. Explain how their behavior is impacting their coworkers and, by extension, the team, delivery and business. Focus on feedforward by looking for ways this employee can learn and grow

Many a times people don’t respond to their duties because of some unfulfilled demand such as promotion, pay rise or relocating to a different country of their choice. Even though most of the these type of situations are beyond team’s control but an assurance of proper reward and recognition can prove to be helpful. The moment the person does something good, praise him/her in front of others. This can boost someone’s confidence and he/she can start being more productive.

No podes, te ayudo No sabes, te enseño No queres …. No puedo hacer nada. Tenemos la obligación de ser personas justas. Ser bueno es fácil, ser justo es difícil.

It is crucial to have a positive, Engaging & Meaningful Conversation IN PRIVATE. Positive and transparent feedback. Assigning independent tasks can help the 'I know it all' employee. Finally, you can communicate to the staff member that continuing this negative behavior could result in negative repercussions.

First identifying the person 1) Behavioral Patterns: Negative Attitude, Conflict Creation, Lack of Accountability, Poor Communication. 2) Performance Indicators: Decline in Team Morale, Reduced Productivity, and High Turnover 3) Feedback and Observations: Direct Reports, and Self-Reflection Then, working towards addressing and dealing with 1) Documentation: Record Incidents, and Gather Evidence 2) Private Conversation: Prepare, Specific Feedback, and Impact Explanation: 3) Action Plan: Set Clear Expectations, Support, Follow-Up, 4) Team Communication: Transparency, and Reaffirm Values 5) Escalation: HR Involvement, Formal Warnings, and Separation

Evaluate how the toxic behavior affects team dynamics. In severe cases, the removal of the individual from the team might be necessary for the well-being of the group.

Through methodical observation, constructive criticism, and timely resolution of difficulties, you help sustain a constructive and fruitful team atmosphere while successfully managing toxic situations.

Once you've spent the time working with someone, see if they have changed at all. Has the attitude improved? Is there some incentive you can offer them at a professional level? Are they fulfilling their end? If nothing changes (and you do need to give it a bit, it can be hard to change overnight), you might want to reapproach them and ask what's up.

Sometimes it is not possible for the offending team member to change their ways. The responsibility for the leader is to then limit the damage and manage the team member out of the team. This is a last resort action in case all other steps have not worked

- Protect the team members incase toxic members try to demean them and start a blame game - Try to talk to non-toxic members and make sure they are not affected and influenced by the negativity spread by toxic members - Speak to a lead/scrum master/project head about the situation and give them the clear picture - Make the environment positive by giving words of encouragement and try to make sure their efforts are recognized in client standups and make sure an example of healthy work-culture is set

Through proactive cultivation of a positive team culture and timely resolution of concerns, you establish a robust and encouraging atmosphere that can endure difficulties, including those brought on by toxic conduct. This strategy promotes long-term team achievement in addition to protecting the group.

- Set the Collective Goal - create a positive team culture which will help in overall productivity and well-being of everyone - Open communication, trust and addressing conflicts straightforwardly will help. - above 2 points will help to change the toxic person in the team as well as promoting the positivity amongst everyone.

Looking at the big picture, try to gauge what the impact is to the team. If it's causing other problems within the team (personality clashes, arguments, not wanting to work together), changes are needed. If possible, see if there if there's more information out there - a trusted ally on a team might be able to offer some insight but keep it professional and never personal (this is business, not Facebook). Avoid identifying someone if you can - usually team members will offer their opinions and name names. Keep this in confidence - don't let on that there is a specific person if you can. Generally there will be a consensus - take this into account. Move the person out of attitudes can't be modified.

Integrating these preventive steps into your team management techniques can reduce the possibility of toxic behaviors and foster an atmosphere that encourages cooperation, creativity, and the success of the team as a whole. This proactive approach facilitates the team's and the project's long-term success.

Issues should be dealt with post haste. Providing people some time to work out issues is good, but it cannot drag on. Overall, the team will look for guidance, particularly if they've provided their own feedback - people want results, not lip service. If the issue festers, it will impact the project and the team so addressing soon with changes needed is best.

Long-Term Strategies (1) Culture Building: Promote Positivity and Regular Feedback (2) Training: Leadership Training and Team Workshops (3) Finally Recruitment to consider Cultural Fit

In my experience in IT & fintech project management, there are two effective methods for dealing with toxic team members. These are: 1. Regular feedback/performance reviews 2. Conflict resolution strategies Feedback sessions and reviews identify negative behaviors, using examples and team input. Conflict resolution involves open communication and mediation to address conflicts early. Prompt, direct discussions with the toxic individual, citing specific instances and setting clear expectations for improvement, are essential. If issues persist, disciplinary actions or HR intervention may be necessary to protect team dynamics. These methods detect and manage toxic behaviors, preserving team productivity and morale.

Acknowledge their views first, listen to them carefully, understand the situation that lead to such behavior, place yourself in such situation and come up with ideas what best you can do given that situation. Propose those ideas and discuss with team members. Make them part of the process and let them own few of them. This gives team member sense of ownership and also part of the process to understand and appreciate.

There are some people who are not interested in being a fully engaged team member. There are others who may not be open to feedback and coaching. Finally, there are those who believe that their way is better than what the team is looking for. In all of those cases, I make sure that I’ve given them enough direct feedback, and connected the impact of their behavior to what may happen to their position on the team if things don’t change. It’s best to be very clear and explicit, that toxic behavior will not be tolerated. There is no room for that on a team.

I have found a few contributors to stressful team dynamics. The PM should take these into consideration when assessing the situation: (1) Is introversion being mislabeled as toxicity? (2) does the complaining party lack empathy to be supportive or humility to be comfortable with being wrong? (3) is this a situation of cross generational or cultural communication hurdles? Has the project invested in DISC or other tools to identify communication styles on a team (4) is the team suffering from conflict avoidance? Does the Team need to be supported in storming effectively? (5) is change resistance or fear a factor?