Question

Why is it important not to form cliques with friends or ignore or leave out team members that you are not close to personally?
This behavior can create divisions on the team.
Everyone on a team must be good friends.
You cannot be friends with team members.
Forming cliques is against the law and you can be fired for this behavior.

Answer 1

Best answer: "This behavior can create divisions on the team."

Why:
- Cliques and exclusion damage collaboration and trust. When people feel left out they participate less, stop sharing ideas, and morale and productivity fall.
- Exclusion increases conflict, reduces information flow, makes decision‑making worse, and can cause higher turnover or absenteeism.
- Repeated exclusion can also create a hostile or unsafe environment for some team members.

Why the other statements are wrong:
- "Everyone on a team must be good friends." — Not true. Teams don’t have to be friends, but they must be respectful, communicative, and cooperative.
- "You cannot be friends with team members." — Not true. Professional friendships are fine so long as they don’t lead to favoritism or exclusion of others.
- "Forming cliques is against the law and you can be fired for this behavior." — Generally false. Cliques themselves aren’t illegal, but exclusionary behavior that involves discrimination or harassment can violate laws or company policy and could lead to discipline.

Quick tips to avoid cliques and be inclusive:
- Invite quieter or new members into conversations and meetings.
- Rotate roles and responsibilities so everyone gets visibility.
- Solicit input from the whole group and credit contributors publicly.
- Hold team norms discussions about respect and inclusion.

If you want, I can draft a short team‑norms statement you can use to discourage cliques and encourage inclusion.