Case study: “It’s not my job”
Jackie leads a small global marketing team at a company based in Milan. The team consists of four other members, three of whom are from Bergamo. They have established close friendships and collaborate closely, also spending time together outside work.
Jeremy has recently arrived in Milan from the UK to join the team to take responsibility for the newly created Asia-pac region. He comes with a great track record, but Jackie is worried. Jeremy is very quiet in meetings, despite the fact that English is used as the team’s language. He doesn’t contribute many ideas during their open brainstorming sessions. In these meetings, which the team members lead in rotation, they ask for support to deal with problems they face in their respective roles. Jackie sees Jeremy in the kitchen and decides to express her concerns.
Jackie: Jeremy, hi. Can I have a quick word with you today about your performance in the team? Jeremy: OK, but I have a call in ten minutes.
Jackie: That’s enough. I just wanted to say that I’m a bit concerned. We have a super team here — very proactive, committed and creative. You can see that in our team meetings. We share, we interact and we support each other. But you’re not engaging enough. In the meeting this morning, you hardly said a word. And I can see it’s beginning to disappoint the team. The mood in our meetings has changed. And I’m afraid to say it’s because of you.
Jeremy: OK. I hadn’t noticed. But I’ve really been enjoying being here. I like the group dynamic and I’m learning a lot. Basically, I’m just listening at this stage. You know the regions are very different, so I can’t really contribute very much at this stage.
Jackie: I disagree. You have a lot of experience, and we expect you to contribute more and become a full member of the team. We value your expertise, and we want to hear your ideas and learn from you. You need to be part of this culture we’ve created, and start giving and sharing. This is why we’re such high performers in the company.
Jeremy: I understand what you’re saying. But I’m very busy with my own work. I don’t have a lot of time to do other people’s jobs, to be honest.
Jackie: Well, let’s have another chat on Friday afternoon after the project update. We need to talk this through.
Jeremy: OK. Good idea.
What to think about
What do you think about Jackie’s feedback to Jeremy?
What reasons does he give for his behaviour in the team? How valid do you think these reasons are? What other factors might explain Jeremy’s behaviour so far?
How do you think the team should handle this situation?
You will find our feedback on page 40.