3How's this for a challenging assignment: You're the new manager of a 14-person team that's been together four years. During your first two days with the team, nine people come to you and complain vehemently about two team members, Laura and Frances.

They're angry: Laura and Frances come in late, leave early, ignore assignments and are sarcastic and nasty.

Supposedly, Laura and Frances claim they're the best employees and, therefore, entitled to set their own schedules and to offer their honest opinions to improve the others. And your predecessor didn't do anything to change that behavior.

The manager you replaced had been with the company for a long time and with this team from the beginning. Maybe the complaints are exaggerated or signs of a vendetta. What should you do?

First, buy time. Tell the employees that you appreciate their feedback and you want to make a firsthand assessment.

Next, talk with the former manager. What's her assessment?

She says that everything you were told is true. Her approach had been to suggest ways that Laura and Frances could improve their performances. She hadn't written them up because she felt sorry for them. They'd obviously developed a strong sense of entitlement, had deep problems with authority and probably wouldn't respond well to threats or force.

Laura and Frances are good people, not bad. She'd decided to help them gently, no matter how long it took. She'd never force people to change or to leave. She's proud that she'd gotten the rest of the team to cover the work the two didn't perform.

So you watch for a week - and realize the complaints are accurate.

Laura and Frances say they're entitled to be unsupervised and clearly resent any comments about their behavior or productivity. They say they know what's best and should run the team.

They're totally oblivious to the idea that what they're doing is wrong or destructive. When you bring up the fractured team dynamics, they're enraged. They feel the rest of the team has made them scapegoats.

They've been allowed to set their own schedules and timelines for years. If the previous manager had objected, they say, she would have done something to them. Since she didn't, she must have approved of their behavior.

What do you do now?

• Get clear on your goals. In the words of Mr. Spock from "Star Trek," "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Ignore psychoanalysis of Laura and Frances and instead focus on their behavior.

Your job is to get productivity and teamwork from them, not to continue victimizing the other 12 people on the team. Your organization is not in business to rehabilitate problem employees. You don't have to force Laura and Frances to do anything. You can give them a choice to be productive and well-behaved or to find another organization where they'll be happier.

• Determine what you and the project need from all team members, including Laura and Frances. Be clear and specific about expected behavior. Include goals that would stretch each person.

• Get support from your boss. Since Laura and Frances have been with the organization for a while and might have friends and protectors, go up the supervisory chain as far as you need.

• Meet individually with each team member. Get their input and discuss your plans and expectations for them. Document their new goals and timelines, and how you'll measure productivity and behavior.

• Review progress every week or two. Don't waffle. Treat everyone the same.

• Be prepared for pushback. Laura and Frances won't give up their habits easily. They'll try to organize the rest of the team against you. They'll complain about you to the bigger bosses. They'll try to smear your reputation with their friends in other departments.

• Be prepared for surprises. In this case, we were surprised when Laura changed her behavior and became a productive team player. That was difficult for some other people on the team, who had built up a lot of animosity. But Frances didn't change. After three months, to avoid high standards, she tried to transfer to other departments. But her reputation preceded her, and she had to find a job with another organization.

The situation outlined above is real; only the names have been changed to protect the guilty. The manager of the team involved stepped up to the challenge and the resulting change was well worth it.

The remaining members of the team felt like a giant weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Their productivity and teamwork increased dramatically. Eighteen months later, the team was given an award for "Best Performing Project Team."

Beware of organizations that are proud they never fire anybody. Destructive entitlement and deadwood will accumulate. When results matter, good workers will be forced to work around their unproductive and difficult co-workers.

Ben Leichtling, a Denver-based speaker, consultant and leadership adviser, can be reached at 303-458-6616 or Ben@LeichtlingAssoc.com.