In project management, team management plays a crucial role. A project team typically includes individuals with different levels of experience and expertise: some are freshers, some are mid-level professionals, and others are highly experienced. Additionally, there are individuals who may be older but lack the qualifications, experience, or efficiency to perform their tasks effectively.
Aligning all these team members towards the same goal to ensure successful project delivery is a challenging task. Each person brings a unique mindset shaped by their background, which can complicate collaboration. Furthermore, managing team members with personal connections to the Board of Directors (BOD) or other influential individuals adds additional complexity, as these relationships need to be handled tactfully.
Balancing these dynamics and motivating the entire team to work with the same dedication is no easy feat. I have faced situations where some team members did not share my passion for the project, merely doing the bare minimum or passing time without investing quality effort.
Although some senior members in my team are efficient and skilled, they often procrastinate. They promise to complete tasks by a certain time but delay them repeatedly, saying, “I’ll finish it tomorrow,” but tomorrow never comes. Since they are both experienced and senior, managing such behavior is tricky, leaving me feeling powerless despite recognizing the negligence.
Additionally, the flexible “home office” arrangement has introduced challenges. Some team members misuse this facility, treating it as an opportunity to avoid work or reduce their effort, which negatively impacts the project’s progress. This imbalance becomes more noticeable when only some team members enjoy home office privileges while others, often less efficient, do not. This creates dissatisfaction among those without such flexibility, leading them to question why they should exert full effort when others misuse the extra privileges.
As a result, I find it difficult to maintain consistent productivity across the team. Both the efficient and less efficient members ultimately contribute the same (or even subpar) output. When special treatment is given to certain individuals, they often take advantage of it, believing they are prioritized.
In my experience, managing a hybrid team with such inconsistencies in work modes makes it difficult to maintain harmony. Favoritism or differential treatment can lead to complacency among privileged members and dissatisfaction among others, disrupting overall team performance.
Despite my best efforts, these issues have periodically affected project delivery. If a manager aims for timely delivery with high-quality results, having a hybrid team or employees with preferential ties is often counterproductive. Such setups inevitably lead to coordination problems and management challenges. Even if you are a competent manager, these issues will create the impression of poor project management. Ultimately, customers will hold you accountable for delays, subpar delivery, or compromised quality, regardless of internal obstacles.