Comment:     by Tricia Simo Kush 2/6/2009 "A productive team is one that works together toward a common goal – successful project completion, where everyone plays a part and does their work well." It sure seems just that simple, doesn't it? I learned a new term in class last week that also fits here: C.A.V.E person (Creature Against Virtually Everything). What was interesting is that nearly everyone in class could identify a CAVE person in their workplace, even though we all have different employers and job descriptions. It would seem the issue is more pervasive and not limited to IT... unfortunately.
	Comment:     by Rene’ Jones 7/22/2004 The basic principle of leadership is communication. If you have a bad apple within the organization they must be dealt with immediately. The problem most leaders try to address attitude and not behavior. What the individual does has to be pointed out and addressed and not swept under the rug. By not dealing with it, you are communcating to the other employees that you are a weak manager. Rene Jones President AHN Corporation www.ahninc.com
	Comment:     by Raj Narayanan 7/21/2004 People make or break teams. Team-leader or manager can help the team work, or prevent the team from breaking. Teams, parties, families, nations grow and achieve greatness only when the people have great chemistry amongst them. Team management is people management, which iteself is entirely a great art and science, that only a few have mastery over. There are people or managers who manage even the very tough-nuts. Clearly, these points mentioned here are only abstract and can not be applied for all the teams. The article shows that, there is much more to be done by the Management Schools across the world, in developing the art of...Read On
	Comment:     by Melinda McElvaine 7/21/2004 Finally, someone who had the guts to 'tell the truth'...which is...you can't save everybody! Even the bible says that there will be some who will choose the 'wide road' in other words, the wrong way. Why does corporate America allow such division for so long? Why hurt those who help the company to protect persons who cause harm? The truth is finally out and now I only hope 'THEY LISTEN.'
	Comment:     by Rob Hayden 7/21/2004 Important article, but its just as important to realise that as some people have very little assertiveness in the face of management, others may be over-assertive or aggressive when they feel that they have been badly treated. But what makes a "de-jeller" react the way they do? Surely there is a cause that makes them feel wronged. It's a managers job to keep team members happy so that they may, in turn, do their job properly. Perhaps the manager should find out why they are unhappy, before tagging them as the problem. Could be that the "de-jeller" is the only person on the team with the strength to stand up to mistreatment.
	Comment:     by Behzad Dastur 1/18/2004 A very good article, which brought to light a very important topic. The two most important ways to deal with this issue are one. communication and two. communication. As a manager you have to identify the the bad apple, and communicate with the employee as well as the other employees. Sometimes simply talking to the employees helps alleviate the problem. The key is focus on the bad qualities rather than the "bad apple".
	Comment:     by Ken Kennery 1/9/2004 Good article Lori, some of the responses though are pretty out there. But hey that is what makes life so much fun.
	Comment:     by Gerold Keefer 1/9/2004 more questions come to my mind: -who bought the bad apple? -might the bad apple be a good apple for specific purposes? -is it actually a good apple surounded by bad ones? -who will be the next bad apple? -what trees generate bad apples? bottom line: the "search and destroy" approach presented here is not satisfying for me - but this might be the "old europe" view. best regards,
	Comment:     by Erin Nardo 1/9/2004 Any thoughts on when this one bad apple is the bosses right hand and is the problem?
	Comment:     by Anne Turner 1/8/2004 I see the point you're trying to make, but you're leaving out the possibility that the "de-jeller" could actually have valid points and that he or she could be right. In some work environments, people get pushed around and bullied, degraded, and insulted on a near-daily basis. Perhaps becoming a "de-jeller" is how they respond to the bullying, especially when the bullying is so subtle that management has trouble pinning blame on specific individuals. People have become very sophisticated in the workplace and some people really do live to disrupt peoples' lives. I say this because I recognize some of the aspects of a "de-jeller"...Read On Author's Response: 1/8/2004     You raise an interesting point, and it sounds like you’re in a tough situation. I don’t reach the conclusion that someone is de-jelling the team quickly or lightly. I listen closely and look at the dynamics of the team. When I observe that someone has good ideas but they aren't received well by the rest of the team, it may be a matter of timing and delivery, and that's fixable through coaching and practice.
	Comment:     by Matt Casey 1/7/2004 I enjoyed the article. Although the advice seems rather logical, I do not see any mention of scholarly work supporting recommended actions. I would caution readers and recommend more research in the Industrial Psychology/HR arena before taking action. Author's Response: 1/8/2004     My advice is based on real-life experience working with many teams. And your comment raises another point: The HR department in your company can be a resource when you are in this sort of situation. HR or your company lawyer can also help you navigate the policy and legal issues.
	Comment:     by Tek Wallah 1/6/2004 There’s been a great deal of concern in Europe in recent years about a phenomenon called “mobbing”. This often takes the form of a spiteful and underhand bully setting up an absolutely innocent team member to be fired – or pushed to quit. The most fearful statistic is that they usually succeed, by persuading other team members and the manager to support them. A company which rushes to judgment about who exactly is the “real bad apple” might find itself on the wrong end of a lawsuit. And properly so. Author's Response: 1/7/2004     This is why it is important to be in contact with the team members (as has been suggested already). The manager needs to be in touch with the team - as a team as well as with the individuals. As Peter has suggested, one on one meetings are great tool to accomplish that. Using that one-on-one time, performance issues can be discussed (good and bad), coaching can be done, and so on. It is important to address performance issues in a manner that is fair to everyone. That means not rushing to judgment. It also means not ignoring the problem due to fear.
	Comment:     by Marty Gem 1/6/2004 Great food for thought, thank you. I think managers should not be exempt from scrutiny where bad apples are concerned. How many times have I not seen managers come in late or leave early, talk about colleagues in one-to-one meetings or shy away from uneasy but enlightening confrontations. A team should have the courage to deal with this too. A self-cleaning team? :-) Author's Response: 1/7/2004     This strikes me as a different sort of challenge. It is more difficult to address problems with a mananger's performance (especially if you report to that manager). I'd be interested to hear more of your thoughts on how a team member would address problems with a manager, and what problems would be fair game.
	Comment:     by Miah Siemion 1/5/2004 Can the team recover from the effects of a "bad apple" if that person stays on the team? (Assuming the "bad apple" accepts responsibility for her behavior and actively works towards changing it.) Author's Response: 1/7/2004     I believe the answer is yes. This is why it is important, as a manager, to address the problems as they arise. The first goal step is to address the problem with the employee. Removal from the team is the final option, not the first one. As others have pointed out in their comments, the manager needs to be in touch with the team, as a group and with the individual team members. One on one meetings are a great way to do that. Once a person indicates they wish to work on the issues (which in my experience happens frequently) – then the manager needs to coach the employee through that process. As a person improves, others will see that, and will eventually accept and appreciate that.
	Comment:     by Peter Clark 1/5/2004 This is in response to J. Sundarajan's comment. He raises several points. First, there is the issue of a "bad apple" that doesn't appear to be bad from the outside. He must mean from the Manager's perspective, for "de-jelling" is necessarily a public act. If there is no impact on other team member's, then there can be no de-jelling. This is not to say that the employee is not a problem, just that the problem is not at the team level. Teams will often protect the bad behavior of one of their member because of the natural "us versus them" mentality regarding management. I am reminded of the character of Eddie Haskel on Leave It to Beaver, who...Read On Author's Response: 1/7/2004     Many excellent points, Peter. On the topic of maintainting contact with employees, I have used one-on-ones (which I too find invaluable), standard weekly or even daily status reports, and team meetings. I have found it useful to have an established time to discuss problems and issues (both the employee's and the manager's), as well as progress and successes.
	Comment:     by Pat Barkman 1/5/2004 I appreciate the common sense approach to managing described in this article. I agree with this approach. Assuming the manager has an appropriate skill set, I think managers never really fire anyone ... they fire themselves. It's just up to the manager to follow-through. Also, everyone can be replaced. Taking it one step further, I think a manager who does not deal with the effects of bad-apples is, in effect, firing themselves. Because, that's part of management -- managing productivity and effectiveness of everyone in the group, including themselves. Author's Response: 1/7/2004     Good point - managers have a role and responsibility to the team they manage.
	Comment:     by Paul Tsuda 1/5/2004 Your advice in the situation you describe worked well. One bad apple can spoil the entire barrel. But a word of caution to those to who might use your strategy to rid their teams of dissenting voices: differences of opinion are uncomfortable but normal. People often forget that order/chaos, good/evil, majority/minority are inseparable pairs. The elimination of one side of these inseparable pairs is basically impossible. Or if total elimination is achieved the result is something like a Nazi Germany or Iraq under Saddam Hussein. Sometimes tolerating a few bad apples is worth it if the end result is a diversity that breeds flexibility...Read On Author's Response: 1/5/2004     You make an excellent point. It is important to value differing opinions and contrasting points of view on a team. There is certainly a difference between a de-jeller, and people who have different perspectives within the team members. How to make effective use of the differences among team-members sounds like a topic worth exploring in itself.
	Comment:     by Ramji Boothalingam 1/5/2004 An excellent article which gives lot of insight towards being a perfect team member in order to achieve the common goal i.e Project success I feel Project Managers should constantly interact with the team members despite their tight project schedules. This helps in nipping the problems in the bud. Author's Response: 1/5/2004     I agree - its important to stay connected with the people on the team. Besides, project managers are a part of the team. Its also key to address problems directly, as they arise. Hoping they'll resolve themselves rarely leads to the outcome wanted - and isn't good for project or team.
	Comment:     by Jayatheerthan Sundararajan 1/5/2004 The challenges are a. identify the de-jeller(s), b. educating the de-jeller(s) and c. ensuring that the mass is still working towards the common project goal. The bad apple is not always having the bad outer skin. Can we have a check list to identify the fresh outside but bad attitude inside, especially in a large project? Author's Response: 1/5/2004     That's an interesting thought. Can you say more about how this would manifest itself in a person's behavior? or how a "bad inside, fresh outside" would negatively affect the project?

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