In such collaborative workplaces it is considered more constructive to discuss a problem and allow its solution to emerge, than to hand down directives. But these behaviours do not come naturally to many of us, particularly when teams are under stress. Paul B. Brown recently looked at strategies for helping employees improve their performance through constructive discussion, in Coaching Employees: A Delicate Balance, a review of three recent books on the subject.*
* requires free membership to NYTimes.com