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teamwork
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There are 3 supervisors and one manager in our large loan documentation dept at our bank. 2 of the supervisors, myself included, cannot seem to get along with the 3rd supervisor. She tends to micro ma
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teamwork
posted at 1/19/2006 4:04 AM EST
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Posts: 1
First: 1/19/2006 Last: 1/19/2006 |
There are 3 supervisors and one manager in our large loan documentation dept at our bank. 2 of the supervisors, myself included, cannot seem to get along with the 3rd supervisor. She tends to micro manage her unit and tries to micro manage ours as well. She refuses to help us with our work when we need it. She puts off airs that she is better than the others and our work is beneath her. We have gotten into a pretty big tiff about how each department is being supervised. The manager of the unit is trying very hard to get us to work this through ourselves. My question is this, I want to have all of us get along, what can I do to get this to happen? |
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teamwork
posted at 2/22/2007 10:34 PM EST
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Posts: 6
First: 2/22/2007 Last: 2/25/2007 |
You can keep records of facts when this supervisor did not cooperate and how these no-cooperation situations (plus this supervisor's micro management style and attitude of considering her/his own department the best) affect negatively the performance of the department.
You all can meet in an informal environment, for example outdoor lunch, weekend dining. The supervisor will be more convinced by the facts and can change her/himself. Manager should get the supervisor's commitment to change and not to let these situations happen in future. |
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teamwork
posted at 6/19/2007 1:19 AM EDT
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Posts: 32
First: 7/29/2003 Last: 7/22/2010 |
The manager who wants the 3 supervisors having all this trouble with the obvious "bad apple" is failing to manage. Asking the supervisors to work it out among themselves is like my asking my lawn to mow itself because I don't want to bother mowing it. The manager needs to fire the "bad apple" NOW. Note: this act requires the growing of a backbone. |
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teamwork
posted at 6/19/2007 3:02 AM EDT
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Posts: 8
First: 10/3/2006 Last: 8/29/2007 |
Perhaps all of you need to rethink the way you perceive the problem. I'd suggest reading "Crucial Conversations" for some suggestions.
I've also heard a top-level manager state that a mentor that helped him see the alternatives was critical to his success. For example, if the third supervisor was writing this letter, what would it sound like? "Two of the supervisors at my job are ganging up on me. Our manager is telling us to work it out between ourselves. The problem is that I'm the only person there that really cares about...." Most of the time, we're all trying our hardest to make our organization successful. We just have different measures of success and different maps to get us there. |
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teamwork
posted at 6/19/2007 5:57 AM EDT
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Posts: 3
First: 6/19/2007 Last: 7/26/2011 |
It's important to recognize that many people are strongly motivated by fear. This is especially true with supervisors who micro-manage. While you may disagree with the third supervisor's management style, you might try harder to understand her perspective and be supportive instead of hurling her off the learning curve. She may be struggling with the demands and pressures of the job and responding badly. That doesn't mean that you do it indefinitely, but I don't get the impression that you're willing to take the chance. Make it clear to her that you will support her, rather than just criticize her, and that you expect the same in return. Propose some basic ground rules of teamwork and mutual respect and follow them yourself.
While I agree with the mowing-the-lawn comment that your manager is not managing very well, I think it's a good opportunity for you to step up and become part of the solution. |
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teamwork
posted at 6/21/2007 9:56 AM EDT
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Posts: 5
First: 10/28/2003 Last: 6/21/2007 |
When you say "The manager of the unit is trying very hard to get us to work this through ourselves", it's not clear what hard work is being done; delegating a problem is not working on it!
Are there clear expectations that units give assistance to each other when needed? If not, your manager can either set those, or work with the three of you to establish a protocol. Then it's the manager's job to enforce that. It sounds like there is quite a bit of animosity here. If you have access to an EAP, consider checking with it for resources on conflict resolution or getting a moderator as Nonna suggests. And beware of "mind-reading"; unless she actually has said that your work is beneath her, her "airs" may be explained by other factors (see Vardaeml and Grapevine, above). |
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