"Maybe Shankaran and Singh should find out more, observe Trivedi's style and learn his success tactics. Demonstrate their value, and join his game" Thiru Vengadam, Country Manager (India), PeopleSoft

Let us see what the problem is. shankaran and Singh believe Trivedi does not involve them fully and selectively disseminates information, though they are 'team members'. Now, why would Trivedi not engage the other team members fully? Maybe the others are not adding enough value. Maybe he feels that they are not up to his calibre. Maybe he wants to get all the credit in future, though he is sharing it now.

What can Shankaran and Singh do?

• Talk to Mahajan.

Their supervisor, the President (Sales & Marketing), should be in the right position to understand and resolve the issue. This presupposes that there is a clear management structure, a well-thought out business plan, supporting manpower plan and so on. While Mahajan is happy that the numbers are being met by the group, he should look at the prospect of higher achievement if all three were contributing optimally-as against just one.

But suppose Mahajan does not give them a good hearing; or gives them a hearing, but does nothing-why rock the boat if the team (!) is delivering?

• Go to CEO Ramanathan.

The CEO should definitely be concerned about two-thirds' of a sales group not being fully involved-and hence not necessarily contributing. While it is important to meet short-term revenue goals, it is equally important that the organisation is built on a common culture and shared values with retained learning across the firm. The CEO may take action. But approaching the CEO may not be feasible.

• Talk to the head of HR.

This is an excellent option. Now, hr has the pivotal role to play in aligning the human resources to the firm's overall objectives. It would also be interesting to know what motivates Trivedi to perform-at least in the manner he's doing. How can the others be similarly motivated? Who needs counselling-Trivedi or the other two? Or all of them? HR should help establish a team culture.

• Why not talk to Trivedi?

If they are peers and are expected to work together, why not have an open discussion with Trivedi? A dialogue would ease the tension and bring out any apprehensions that Trivedi has about them.

• Live with the problem.

Since both Singh and Shankaran are already demotivated, despite getting their proportion of credits, this a bad option. The situation could further deteriorate and drag the group down.

• Live with the problem to find a solution.

Maybe Shankaran and Singh should find out more, observe Trivedi's style and learn his success tactics. Demonstrate their value, and join his game.

"Develop a culture of cooperation and a respect for the individualism of each member, thus creating a capacity for divergent thinking" Prem Kamath, Head (Management Resources), Hindustan Lever Limited

If we were to get back to basics, man is essentially selfish even though paradoxically he is a social animal. Teamwork does not happen naturally because individualism makes it a dog-eat-dog world, especially in corporate life. The pyramid is steep, and it's every man (or woman) for himself. A string of cliches and metaphors, you might say, but that's reality.

The situation in this Case Game is typical-Trivedi is the go-getting high achiever who would rather operate alone even in a team. He probably does not trust Singh's and Shankaran's capabilities, and at best, just about tolerates their being members of his team. Moreover, Trivedi appears paranoid about his personal contribution not being recognised by the company, and hence prefers to keep the other two in the dark on matters crucial to team performance.

This is a familiar situation in any team, even in the sports arena. Consider a World Cup winning soccer team like Brazil. There are the superstars Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos, and there are others who are almost as good as these 3 Rs but not quite, and there are still others who are 'weak', relatively speaking. However, it is not just the long hours of practice that makes Brazil win, but the right mix of individual brilliance and superb teamwork-and more importantly, knowing when either of these factors must take precedence. Hence you see Ronaldo charging towards the opponent's goal post, and you bite your nails in anticipation for him to send that super kicked angled rising ball straight in, and before you know it, he has passed the ball to Ronaldinho-who doesn't miss a beat, leaving the opponents staring in disbelief.

So also in great corporate teams, where the star performer must know exactly when to score, and when to allow another to do so.

Team members must learn to work together, experience each other's strengths and weaknesses, and exploit the synergy within. They should develop a culture of cooperation and a respect for the individualism of each member, thus creating the capacity for divergent thinking-yet, in the end, bringing all the diverse thoughts together to create a comprehensive solution.

There has to be the right interplay between so-called 'defined roles' to produce the best result. In this case, Singh and Shankaran have come together due to the distancing created by Trivedi's individualism. Should they blow the whistle on 'Teamwork 101' breaking down by complaining to the CEO through the hr head? Certainly not. I would instead advise them to confront Trivedi directly. A great team must periodically review this process of problem solving, and Trivedi needs to know from his own colleagues that things are not right.

''Re-organise the responsibilities within the sales and marketing team. That would help enhance individual and collective performance'' Joseph John, Head (Strategic Resourcing), Wipro Infotech

To set the context, let us recap relevant stated facts and leading assumptions of the Case Game. Reflex Systems, a 10-year-old software company, has a team of three senior executives in sales and marketing, operating under the guidance of president Mahajan, who reports to the founder CEO.

The sales team-comprising Trivedi, Shankaran and Singh-has no hierarchy whatsoever. The team has won a Rs 10-crore order from Razzmataaz, a retail chain. The indication is that Trivedi was the key person in bagging the order, and the precise reasons that he was able to swing the deal are hazy to the other two members of the team. However, the deal has been tagged to the credit records of all three.

Shankaran, in particular, appears critical and resentful of Trivedi. Singh, though not very happy himself, accepts the fact that it was due to Trivedi they all get their 'fat sales bonus', and seems more inclined to let the status quo persist. The fact of the moment is that the obviously talented Trivedi is on a high, and the higher ups in the company too know of his 'indispensability', leaving Shankaran and Singh feeling vulnerable.

Now let's ask the key questions.

• Is the sales & marketing department of Reflex Systems sub-optimal in utilising the talents of all three senior executives?

• Are Shankaran and Singh seriously interested in knowledge sharing and growth of the organisation or too bothered about the credit sharing among them?

• Can teamwork in an organisation work well without systems? Will a few rules ensure teamwork? Are teamwork and individual excellence mutually exclusive?

• And, finally, what should Shankaran and Singh do?

My advice to Shankaran and Singh is as follows. First of all, identify the roots of the situation before reacting to the behaviour of Trivedi. If Trivedi is seen as a key performer for his contributions in the sales team, they should be proud of him. After all, he is in the same team and they all share the sales bonus.

Shankaran and Singh could also reflect on potential opportunities for enhancing their achievements within the sales team. The first and easier way to enhance teamwork and effectiveness of an organisation is by enhancing one's own individual contribution to the team.

Secondly, explore the need to re-organise the responsibilities within the company's sales and marketing team that would help enhance individual and collective performance. For instance, each one of the sales team should be asked to handle separate industry or technology segments. At the same time, retain common systems in sharing knowledge and physical infrastructures within Reflex Systems.

Thirdly, formal or informal events or meeting points will go a long way in helping strengthen teamwork within the salesforce and enable it to take the initiative by itself through new processes.

Shankaran and Singh should approach Mahajan to discuss their suggestions and options. However, such a discussion with Mahajan need not be in the immediate context of the recent sales order. Instead, they could present some of the business opportunities lost or missed out in the recent past-to which Mahajan would lend a better ear.

They could approach the hr head only if issues are not sorted out with Mahajan.