How can you effectively work with a difficult team member in Marketing Research?

Understanding the status-quo is key. What are the visible and non visible cues? What can you depict from the conversation? Asking the right questions will enable you solve the right problem which will clear up the obstacles preventing the team member from producing outstanding results.

It is not limited to Marketing Research but can happen anywhere. We sometimes need to be in the shoes of that so called difficult person and feel that. Let us agree that everyone is a different personality and we should find ways to work together. Some people work best when in silo and some do great things in a team. As a leader we should find out better fitment task for such personalities.

focusing on what the objective is, is basically the key for productive and effective communication with such person. matters can be understood and resolved with logic and objective finding rather than on emotions and notions. difficulty automatically resolved when you listen to understand and convince through insights or evident truths.

In my experience, the best way to work with a difficult team member is: - Seek to understand their perspective. Have an open and honest conversation to understand why they act as they do. There may be valid reasons behind it. Listen empathetically. - Find common ground. Look for shared goals, values or interests that you can connect with. Focus on these rather than differences. - Set clear expectations. Be very clear on roles, responsibilities, and expected standards of behavior. Leave no room for assumptions.

I try to identify the root cause of their behavior. Most times I find out that its personal issues, or dissatisfaction with their role, or miscommunication. So, understanding the underlying issues can help in addressing the problem more effectively.

Tener empatía es la clave para lograr la confianza de las personas ! De esta manera se logra una comunicación real y asertiva

Oftentimes there is conflict in market research organizations between research, sales and operations. Mutual respect is critical important to ensure collaboration. In order to ensure your perspective is heard, you also need to consider the perspective of your colleagues and how the problem impacts their function. Striving for win-win outcomes can be challenging and oftentimes roles & responsibilities are not clear. Consider providing clarity with a RASCI and ensure you have debrief after every project and document what worked and what didn't so you can improve collaboration in the future.

Most often we don’t communicate with team members thinking that they might not take it in the right spirit and may further feel demotivated and discouraged but I have learnt that not communicating is a bigger problem. I use the method of SBI to communicate 1-Situation- set up the context and explain the situation first 2-Behaviour- explain the behaviour of the another person on the way you see it 3-Impact- what’s the impact it’s having on you and the work and how it makes you feel.

Comprendre son point de vue, sa vision et ses motivations. Il y a s?rement des points communs à établir pour avancer ensemble. Communiquer avec bienveillance, établir un plan d’action afin qu’il n’y ait pas de zones d’ombres et où chacun comprend l’impact de son travail sur celui des autres, ainsi que les deadlines. Rester ouvert au feedback et garder un climat de travail positif

The next is to initiate an open and honest conversation with the team member. Make sure to address any concerns they may have and encourage them to express their opinions and feelings. Ensure that the communication is constructive and focused on finding solutions.

Hearing is not listening. Silence your mobile and other distractions. Ensure eye contact. Use body language for feedback. Ask more questions than jump to give answers. Ask for the assumptions made. Don't be judgmental. If you identify a capability gap, address them immediately or in the near term. Truly believe that here is a colleague who has also invested in the task as much as you do with all sincerity and passion.

Listening and showing empathy is critical in these situations. If you really understand where the other person is coming from you build a better relationship with them.

To listen effectively you need to hold back your own biases and make sure you hear correctly. Some difficult team members just want an unbiased hearing .

Actively listen to their perspective. Sometimes, difficult team members may feel unheard or undervalued. So, you've got to demonstrate that you genuinely listen and consider their viewpoints can help build trust and understanding.

El poder del silencio. No solo para escuchar, si no para ser preciso. Como indicaba Sócrates con sus tres filtros: hablar procurando hablar con la verdad, bondad y utilidad. De igual modo, solo prestar atención activa, a comentarios y discursos que se sustentan en los mismos criterios.

Es cierto que todo el proceso es relevante, y cada etapa debe tomarse en cuenta. Sin embargo, debo decir que esta parte es la que más me entusiasma: buscar soluciones. Muchas veces se pierde el tiempo discutiendo sobre el problema, buscando culpables, errores del otro, etc. y esto se convierte en un loop destructivo e inservible. Pasar a resolver problemas, plantear alternativas, buscando el consenso ayuda muchísimo a tomar acción pronto, resolver y, poder continuar con el trabajo o los proyectos que se vienen manejando en equipo.

It works every time, solution focused conversations usually get the team to overcome all conflicts. Involving the whole team to express their own ideas and perspectives help them to unite towards one objective while feeling included and appreciated.

Never come with a problem, find solutions proactively and ask seniors on similar problems they’ve faced and how they managed to resolve them. Saying I don’t know how to fix something is ok, but try to search for ways to overcome a situation before you manage to say I don’t know how to fix it.

En se concentrant sur les objectifs communs, et en identifiant la valeur ajoutée de chacun pour les atteindre, nous nous détachons de ce que chacun représente, pour se concentrer sur ce en quoi chacun contribue. Un vecteur de bien-être, de collaboration et de performance.

You can't do this alone. You've got to collaborate on finding solutions to challenges. Encourage the difficult team member to actively participate in identifying ways to improve team dynamics. This involvement can lead to a sense of ownership and commitment.

If necessary, I can advise that you involve a neutral third party or mediator to facilitate discussions. This person can help mediate conflicts, ensuring that all parties have an opportunity to express their concerns and work towards a resolution.

Fomentar un entorno de colaboración esencial para reducir las tensiones. Programar reuniones periódicas que permitan la libre expresión de ideas y contribuciones puede crear una atmósfera más inclusiva y productiva. A veces se puede sentir que el trabajo es muy individual pero la generación de espacios para discutir diferentes análisis o maneras diferentes de ver la información puede ayudar a las personas a sentirse más seguros en sus funciones.

Es importante tener puntos de vista de los propios encuestadores pues estuvieron en contacto con el público. El analista idealmente debe hacer parte de trabajo de campo, así sea poco para también tener el punto de vista de los encuestados de primera mano. Ocasionalmente el propio cliente puede colaborar al tener una visión informada pero hay que tener mucho cuidado porque se puede perder objetividad y rigurosidad con la metodología.

In some cases advices from experienced team members or seniors can be asked for. Seniors and people with experience might throw a different light to the problem and give a new perspective. Which will ultimately help solve the conflict with the difficult team member. And allow the team to work in the required direction.

Buscar orienta??o com os mais sêniors é primordial. Além disso, contar com o apoio do RH, para que através das ferramentas oficiais da empresa possa ser feito o devido acompanhamento, plano de desenvolvimento, ou ent?o, os planos de recupera??o caso sejam necessários.

Cómo en cualquier episodio de conflicto, uno debe reflexionar acerca de la causa, la consecuencia y por supuesto el aprendizaje: para la compa?ía, el equipo y para uno mismo.

En mi experiencia, el miembro más difícil en cualquier estudio de shopper o mercado suele ser el mismo due?o contratante que al mostrarle resultados diferentes a los esperados o a los comentarios de sus amigos, se inicia un proceso de cuestionamientos que sólo se pueden rebatir soportes robustos. Por ejemplo, presentamos una propuesta de cambio de layout basabado en la estudio realizado durante 21 dias continuos en las tiendas, observando a 8800 clientes, de los cuales 1800 fueron entrevistado, los due?os solo comentaron: "Buen trabajo, gracias por mostrarnos la realidad muy distinta a nuestras suposiciones ".

And remember... If you can't fix the relationship in 3-6 months, you will probably not fix it. If you don't have power to end the relationship, try to learn how to live with it. Sometimes it's very healthy just to accept that you can't do anything about it and stop trying. Nothing is more exhausting than keep on trying and nothing happens.

On apprend souvent plus lorsqu’on surmonte un conflit que lorsque tout va bien. Les conflits nous apprennent beaucoup et nous poussent vers la croissance.

Any misunderstanding is a learning process. It’s up to you to either want to see it as such or make it a personal matter that will linger on your career record forever. Growth means loads of mistakes but owning up to your own mistakes and actively looking for ways to fix them will be your way to success.

Any team member has strengths and weaknesses. Also the ‘difficult’ one(s). Do the effort to see their strengths and focus on those, however difficult it may be to forget about the weaknesses and shortcomings. If you focus on the positive, the difficult team members still can be of value. And might even improve his/her behavior and performance, due to increased self confidence and optimal application of his/her strengths to the team. Similar to team sports: the best results are achieved not by the best players, but by putting the players in their best position and so building the best team!

How to work effectively with a difficult team member in market research? Don't approach it as a market research centric issue, rather as a people issue. How one handles the issue may differ somewhat if the person reports to you or is your teammate. Assess to try to determine if the difficulties arise no matter the situation or is focused on a particular context. Examples might include being new to the organization, lacking training/experience, inappropriate behavior, or other communication issues. Try to address the person directly and never accuse; rather, state your perception that a problem exists and when it has occurred. And ask for the person to respond so the air can be cleared and knowledge helps to improve the situation.

Never involve your personal life or anecdotes on personal growth in your work life. It breaks a lot of boundaries and opens up conversations that leads to topics outside the work zone. Don’t take things personally, even if the opposite side is trying to hurt you personally. Vulnerability is not for work, empathy and compassion are for work. But never mix both.

Three Things to consider 1. Give them a structure outlined as the steps to follow and the requirements and the ways to gather those data 2. Give them some time and follow them in a more approachable way i.e. casually asks during off time like lunch or when the person is more relaxed 3. Respect his opinion and merge it with your inputs, this will help the person in guiding him to the right direction In most cases, a person is difficult to work with due to, A. He is not guided well to the exact problem (although he has the knowledge about the research) B. One has little knowledge and did not want to be exposed to their weakness

I was once that 'difficult' person to work with and that itself helps me to try understanding the obstacles dealt with the team members. Everyone has their own pace despite our intention to move things rapidly. Everyone has different ambitions and ego where that can be intimidating to others. Personal issues will always be there anyway, hence let's focus on the professional ones. Listening and setting up example are still the best way to go. The solutions might be as simple as how much involvement would you like to encourage the person to try and fail (or succeed of course). There would not be a one strategy fits all to deal with difficult team members...yet we live with it and try to make the best of it.