The Management Team: “We’re Wasting Too Much Time Off Track”
- Michael Soderling
- Sep 30
- 3 min read
The quote comes from the closing reflection session of a workshop designed to strengthen the management team.
In a pre-workshop survey, members described each other as competent, accountable, and solution-oriented on an individual level. At team level, however, they pointed to difficulties in following the meeting structure and staying on topic. How should we make sense of this mixed picture, and what did we do to unlock the team’s full potential?
To get closer to an answer, let us look at the concept of noise in communication. Noise takes three forms:
Ambiguity: “Maybe some people could take greater ownership of their responsibilities.”
Contradiction: “Your report is solid, but the structure doesn’t work.”
Redundancy: “It’s critical that we hit this deadline. If we miss it, the consequences won’t be good. We need to keep our promise to have it finished by Thursday, people must be able to trust us to deliver.”
Ambiguity leads to mind-reading and leaves people caught up in their own thoughts instead of listening attentively. Contradiction creates confusion. What part of the message should people focus on? Redundancy also causes confusion, which you may have felt yourself when reading the example in the previous section. As the speaker keeps droning on, you wonder what you missed the first time, but nothing new appears in the repetitions that follow.
Noise makes information harder to convey, which in turn weakens problem-solving and inevitably drains people’s energy. In the workshop, one type of noise stood out: redundancy. The struggle to stay on topic, flagged in the survey, was just as evident in the room. The team was caught in a dynamic nobody wanted but everyone kept alive. How can that be, given that we are talking about competent, accountable, and solution-oriented professionals?
Seen through the lens of group psychology, the behavior is understandable. The core issue was a lack of response. Without it, people may assume their message hasn’t landed and repeat themselves, or they may react emotionally to the silence and keep talking just to fill the void.
To address this, I asked everyone to look around the team while speaking and to focus on whoever had the floor. With eye contact, it’s almost impossible not to give and receive feedback. I also stressed that it’s fine to nod, give a quick “mm-hmm,” or say things like “interesting.” It may sound almost trivial. Do highly qualified professionals really need coaching in such basics? But that’s not the point. The aim is to build a skill, not to add knowledge.
On the matter of staying on topic, I told the team that it isn’t, of course, forbidden to shift the subject. The real issue was that no one said things like, “Is it OK if I raise a different question?” or “We’re talking about X now, but I think the discussion will be better if we first address Y. What do you think?”
I saw the participants roll up their sleeves and apply the tips without ego, and over two days the amount of wasted talk was steadily reduced. What emerged, just as noted in the reflection session, was productive conversations, and the members’ inherent engagement came into its own. The team now has better access to the individuals, and the individuals have better access to the team.
If you’re on a management team facing similar untapped potential, I’d be glad to connect.
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