Working Together examples

[S] Two colleagues in my team had developed a tense working relationship due to conflicting approaches to case prioritisation. One preferred to tackle urgent cases first; the other focused on complex cases regardless of deadline. The tension was affecting team morale and causing delays.

[T] I needed to help restore effective collaboration without taking sides or escalating unnecessarily to management.

[A] I suggested a brief team discussion about how we prioritise cases, framing it as a process improvement rather than a conflict resolution. I prepared a simple matrix showing how both approaches had merit depending on the case type. During the meeting, I ensured both colleagues had equal time to explain their reasoning, and I summarised the common ground: both wanted the best outcome for the client. I proposed a hybrid approach where urgent cases were flagged by 10am and complex cases were scheduled for afternoons. Both colleagues contributed refinements.

[R] The team adopted the hybrid approach within a week. Case turnaround times improved by 20% and the two colleagues began collaborating on a shared spreadsheet to track priorities. My manager noted the improvement in team dynamics at the next one-to-one.