How to manage disorganized people in your team?

Managing disorganized people in your team can be challenging, as it leads to delays, miscommunication, and reduced overall productivity.

Disorganized team members reduce team productivity and cause stress for the entire team. It not only affects their performance but also their associates, colleagues, and manager.

As a manager, what can you do about it? It is your responsibility to help them get organized. However, you don’t need to be demotivated because every problem has a solution. In this article, we will share proven tips for managers to help their team get organized and improve overall productivity.

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What is a disorganized team member?

A disorganized team member is someone who struggles to maintain order and structure in their work and environment. This often results in missed deadlines, incomplete tasks, and a cluttered workspace.

A disorganized team member may struggle to prioritize tasks, keep track of important documents, maintain productivity levels, and manage their time effectively. This can lead to decreased productivity, increased stress, and potential impacts on team performance and project output.

Signs of a disorganized team member:

There are many ways to tell whether someone is unorganized at work, however, the following are some typical signs:

• Clutter around their work desk
• Missing deadlines regularly
• Lack of job accountability
• Confusion related to job responsibilities, assignments, and company protocols
• Absenteeism
• Poor quality of work, low productivity
• Not spending time on high-priority tasks
• Regularly misplacing important documents, files, or emails
• Inconsistency in communicating messages, failing to respond to emails, or giving timely feedback
• Forgetting meetings, appointments, or important events

Tips for managers to help disorganized people get organized

Managers can help disorganized team member by identifying the causes of disorganization, explaining why being organized matters, setting clear expectations, and emphasizing the importance of organization.

They should lead by example, create a supportive work environment, use work management tools, and show empathy. Breaking tasks into smaller steps and holding regular one-to-one check-ins also helps improve structure and accountability.

1. Identify the root cause of disorganization

Understanding the root cause helps you fix the real problem rather than dealing with it. It leads to more effective and long-term improvements.

If you are not aware of the cause of the issue, it’s likely to repeat again and again.

Take time to analyze:

• Are the people unclear about expectations?
• Do they lack time management skills?
• Are they overwhelmed with too much work?
• Are there insufficient systems or tools?

Identify what is happening, why it is happening, and how to avoid it. This ensures long-term improvement rather than a short-term solution.

2. Explain why being organized matters

People adopt good habits when they understand the value behind them. Help your team see how being organized improves their performance and reduces stress.

You can do this by:

• Sharing real examples of how organizing leads to better results.
• Conducting informal discussions or team sessions.
• Providing training or resources on organizational skills.
• Offering constructive feedback.
• Recognizing and rewarding improvement.

3. Set clear expectations

Clear expectations help team stay on track and complete their tasks with confidence. Disorganized team members often struggle because they don’t clearly understand what is expected of them. Be specific while assigning tasks and communicate clearly with your team members.

For clear expectations, make clear to your team:

• What needs to be done?
• What should the final outcome look like?
• When does it need to be completed?
• Any important guidelines or priorities.

Clear expectations make people plan their work better, stay focused, and complete tasks with confidence. This reduces confusion and helps build consistency in their performance.

4. Lead by example

Leading by example shows what organized behavior looks like in practice. It creates a clear standard that team members can apply in their daily work.

People observe and follow how their manager works, communicates, and manages responsibilities. A team’s success or failure is often determined by the quality of its leadership.

If you want your team to be organized, you should also follow these:

• Be punctual: Arrive on time, meet deadlines, and keep meetings structured.
• Stay organized in your work: Plan your day, prioritize tasks, and communicate clearly.
• Listen actively: Be approachable, hear your team’s concerns, and respond accordingly.
• Handle setbacks positively: Learn from mistakes and guide your team to do the same.
• Promote work-life balance: Avoid overworking, as people often mirror your habits.

5. Create a positive work environment

A positive work environment helps teams to improve their habits. It makes them open to feedback and consistent in their efforts.

Teams perform better when they feel appreciated, supported, and motivated.

Tips for creating a positive work environment:

• Recognize achievements, even if they are small.
• Encourage a growth mindset.
• Support people during challenges.
• Build trust through open communication.

By creating a positive work environment, you can unlock your team’s full potential, improve performance, and help people stay organized.

6. Use the team management tools

Team management tools help teams stay organized by providing a clear system for tracking tasks, deadlines, and progress. This reduces confusion and mistakes.

Using these tools in the workplace helps to identify and address potential barriers to progress, encouraging people to effectively manage their workload, meet deadlines, and improve performance.

The benefits of using work management tools include:

• Better visibility: Track tasks, deadlines, and progress in one place.
• Improved collaboration: Share files, communicate, and stay aligned.
• Reduced stress: Centralized information prevents confusion and missed tasks.

7. Be empathetic

Showing empathy and compassion can solve the problem without passing judgment or condemning them. Be humble and remember that no one is perfectly organized. Some people may struggle due to personal challenges, heavy workloads, or a lack of skills.

You can try these methods to help them:

• Listen actively, show genuine compassion and understanding.
• Understand and empathize with different perspectives and experiences.
• Encourage open and safe communication within the team.
• Recognize and validate their emotions.
• Be flexible and supportive, accommodating reasonable requests and providing resources.
• Show appreciation for their work and achievements.
• Empower through involvement and autonomy.

8. Break large projects into smaller, manageable tasks

Breaking tasks into smaller, manageable pieces provides a clear starting point and direction. This makes it easier to manage their work.

People often feel stuck when they don’t know where to start a task, because large tasks can seem overwhelming.

Tips to help them:

• Dividing work into smaller, actionable steps.
• Setting clear milestones and deadlines.
• Prioritizing tasks based on importance and urgency.

9. Have regular one-to-one checks

Regular one-on-one check-ins help people stay organized by holding them accountable and aligned with priorities. It ensures that tasks are checked and issues are addressed early. This helps keep things clear, track progress, and solve problems.

Things to follow during check-ins:

• Review tasks and priorities.
• Address blockers and challenges.
• Discuss goals and progress.
• Encourage open communication.

Why do people become disorganized at work?

People become disorganized at work due to lack of focus, excessive workload, procrastination, genetic factors, and psychological habits.

1. Lack of focus 

Due to a lack of focus, people struggle to concentrate on one task at a time and become disorganized. Their minds constantly switch between tasks. Poor concentration levels adversely affect their work performance. As a result, tasks remain incomplete, and efficiency drops over time.

2. Excessive workload

Under relentless pressure to deliver work and meet deadlines,  people can easily become disorganized. Excessive workload makes them messy. Overwork and stress can also lead to a myriad of illnesses, which impact their mental and physical wellness.

You cannot expect an overstressed person to pay attention to small things when they are more worried about finishing the assigned task. So organizing things falls toward the bottom of people’s priorities.

3. Tendency to procrastinate

Procrastination, lack of interest, or low motivation can delay tasks. Some people avoid difficult tasks, while others get distracted by more engaging activities. This leads to last-minute work, missed deadlines, and a lack of direction.

The tendency to procrastinate on certain tasks stems from various reasons, such as:

• Expecting you’re not going to achieve the value you’re trying to get
• The job role doesn’t seem worth it based on your ideals or situation
• Naturally acting on whims more often than not, which makes people pursue things that are immediately interesting, as jobs fall by the wayside
• A subconscious fear of failure can put people under stress, and they may delay continuing the task

4. Genetic roots

Genetic factors cause disorganization, as certain conditions affect how the brain processes information and manages tasks. 

Our genetics is like an owner’s manual for our body, determining how we do things. Sometimes, certain gene mutations can hamper the way our brain processes information and organizes thoughts.

Conditions like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and certain types of autism disorders have specific genetic components. In these cases, the genetic component can influence the brain’s ability to follow the routine, stay focused, and organize the task.

5. Psychological habits

Psychological habits such as poor time management, poor prioritization, and difficulty with decision-making lead to disorganization at work. As a result, one may struggle to maintain order, structure, and organization in their daily tasks. This can lead to cluttered workspaces, missed deadlines, and difficulty managing tasks effectively.

Psychologically, disorganized people may experience disappointment, tension, stress, and anxiety, as well as instability, because they stop working to stay organized.

Effects of disorganized people in the workplace

Disorganized people in the workplace lead to decreased efficiency, increased stress, a lack of accountability, communication breakdown, and negative team dynamics.

1. Decreased efficiency: Disorganized people miss out on target dates, cause project delays, and experience a lack of performance. This affects their own productivity and ripples throughout the entire group’s performance. They need help with time management and prioritization.

2. Increased stress levels: Disorganized team members produce a tough work environment where missed deadlines, last-minute changes, and a lack of preparation become common. This causes stress, minimizes work satisfaction, and increases exhaustion among teams.

3. Lack of accountability: Disorganized individuals regularly neglect their responsibilities, producing a culture of unaccountability in the group. This causes frustration among other members and burdens them with extra work.

4. Communication breakdown: Unorganized individuals misplace important records, delay responses to emails or messages, and struggle to forward information accurately. This results in misunderstandings, errors, and impacts project communication and success.

5. Negative team dynamics: Disorganization disrupts group dynamics and collaboration. Associates regularly follow up, redo jobs, and handle errors caused by disorganized individuals. This strained relationship reduces trust and interferes with collaboration, and creates negative team dynamics.

Conclusion

Managing disorganized people in your team is difficult. It is important to know that everyone has a unique way of functioning. Some individuals are naturally organized, while others are not, which is fine. The idea is to establish standards to aid disorganized personnel and everybody else.

By following the methods stated above, you may discover the underlying causes of disorganization, such as anxiety or stress. If you believe your employees are facing such troubles, provide them with help and resources. Handling disorganized people is a chance for growth and skill development.

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