Managing Organizational Behavior 2nd Edition by Timothy Baldwin,Bill Bommer,Robert Rubin

Exercise 2

Dealing with a Problem Team Member
You have been working as part of a five-person team for several months, and it is now painfully clear to you and three other members of your team that the fifth member is not motivated and is just not "pulling his weight." One of your teammates wants to "kick the slacker off the team" and you are prepared to do that if the person continues to contribute so little to the team's performance. The poor performer, however, was included on the team because of his excellent skills and expertise that, if applied, could help you greatly. So your first preference would be to keep the team together, motivate this member to contribute more fully, and generate higher performance as a unit.
So where would you start? How might you approach the problem member with the issue? Are there others you would involve? Are there particular traps to avoid here?