Last updated on Jul 9, 2024

Your team is divided on project goals. How can you bridge the gap and find common ground?

When a team is divided on project goals, it's like trying to sail a boat in two different directions—you'll get nowhere fast. As a management consultant, your role is to help teams navigate these choppy waters and find a common destination that everyone can agree on. It's essential to understand that differing opinions can be a source of strength, not just a cause for conflict. By leveraging diverse perspectives, you can create a richer, more comprehensive approach to achieving project success. The key is to bridge the gap, aligning individual aspirations with the collective mission, and ensuring that every team member is rowing in harmony towards the shared goal.

1 Identify Issues

To bridge the gap in your team, start by identifying the root causes of the division. Engage in open dialogue with each team member to understand their perspectives and concerns. This step is crucial because it helps to uncover the underlying reasons for the disagreement, whether they stem from personal motivations, misunderstandings of the project objectives, or different visions for the outcome. Recognizing these issues allows you to address them directly and work towards a resolution that respects each viewpoint while steering the team towards a unified goal.

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Aravind Thomas Antony

Offering Development Innov Senior Principal at Accenture
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That's the right place to start, always! Identifying a problem (and what has created it) is a key step to resolution and future avoidance of similar issues. Perspectives also drive understanding. Open discussions facilitate an environment of sharing thoughts, perspectives & thereby allow for corrections in understanding.

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Pedro Alvear Otero
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First focus on common goals to facilitate trust and communication. It is important then to create consensus and sometimes look out of the box for a solution that is neither A nor B but C .

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2 Set Objectives

Once you've identified the issues, it's time to set clear, achievable objectives. This means defining what success looks like for the project and ensuring that these goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. By setting SMART objectives, you provide a clear framework that all team members can understand and work towards. This clarity helps to minimize confusion and aligns everyone's efforts, making it easier to track progress and adjust plans as necessary.

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3 Facilitate Dialogue

Facilitating open and constructive dialogue is essential in finding common ground. Create a safe space where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns without fear of judgment or reprisal. Encourage active listening and ensure that each voice is heard and considered. This process not only helps to build trust among team members but also allows for the synthesis of different ideas, leading to innovative solutions that might not have been discovered without such collaboration.

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Ankur Jain

Operations, Global Supply Chain and Digital Transformation Leader | Analytics, Business Intelligence and Program Manager | Mentor | CLSSBB
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Think of a cross-functional team working on a new product launch. Engineers, designers, and marketing specialists collaborate. To facilitate dialogue, The team holds regular brainstorming sessions where everyone's ideas are welcomed. No idea is too unconventional or risky. Each member actively listens to others, seeking to understand diverse perspectives. They avoid interrupting or dismissing ideas prematurely. Over time, this approach builds trust. Team members feel valued and respected, leading to stronger bonds. By synthesizing various viewpoints, the team devises creative solutions. Perhaps a marketing insight sparks a design tweak that enhances user experience. The product exceeds expectations, thanks to collaborative dialogue.

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4 Build Consensus

Building consensus is about finding a middle ground where all parties can agree. This doesn't mean that everyone will get everything they want, but rather that everyone can support the direction the project is taking. Use techniques like voting, ranking options, or finding compromises to move past sticking points. Remember, the goal is not to win an argument but to create a collaborative environment where the team can commit to a shared vision.

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5 Action Plan

With consensus on the objectives, it's time to develop an action plan. This plan should outline the steps needed to achieve the goals, assign responsibilities, and set deadlines. It's important that this plan is not only practical but also flexible enough to accommodate changes along the way. A well-thought-out action plan serves as a roadmap for the team, providing direction and keeping everyone focused on the collective goal.

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6 Monitor Progress

Lastly, regularly monitor progress towards the project goals. This involves setting up check-ins, tracking milestones, and being responsive to any issues that arise. Monitoring progress helps to maintain momentum and ensures that the team remains on track. It also provides opportunities for feedback and course corrections, which are vital for adapting to new challenges and keeping the team united in their pursuit of the project objectives.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Anahita E.

Independent Consultant | digital marketing consultant | lifestyle consultant | it is our honor to help you to get whatever you need and you want |
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To address a situation where your team has differing opinions on project goals, you can bridge the gap by facilitating open communication and collaboration. Encourage team members to share their perspectives and actively listen to each other's ideas. Seek to identify common themes and priorities among the various viewpoints to establish shared goals that everyone can work towards. Additionally, consider holding team meetings or workshops to align on the project's objectives and create a unified vision. By fostering understanding and compromise, you can help your team find common ground and work towards a shared goal.

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Management Consulting

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Your team is divided on project goals. How can you bridge the gap and find common ground?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Identify Issues

2 Set Objectives

3 Facilitate Dialogue

4 Build Consensus

5 Action Plan

6 Monitor Progress

7 Here’s what else to consider

Management Consulting

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Your team is divided on project goals. How can you bridge the gap and find common ground?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Identify Issues

2 Set Objectives

3 Facilitate Dialogue

4 Build Consensus

5 Action Plan

6 Monitor Progress

7 Here’s what else to consider

Management Consulting

Rate this article

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