Conflict Resolution Within a Team

Conflict Resolution within a Team

In an ever changing society more and more companies are incorporating training

and moving towards and embracing a team working environment to improve product,

services and processes. In a study that looked at reducing conflict between team

members, it was found that the most effective strategies for reducing the rivalry were

working together on cross-functional teams and visiting customers together on the field

(Yu,2001). When you work together on a team over a long period of time, you stop

thinking of each other as “Network Engineer” and “IT Specialist” and start to see one

another as simply teammates who have something useful to offer.

When dealing with conflict one might consider different methods to use and or a

combination of each to get a good end result. In today’s society some individuals on the team do not feel free to express their opinions and share their expertise. In some situations, the teams not only represent different functions but different management levels as well. Lower-level employees are afraid to speak up thinking “If you say the wrong thing, it is used against you.” Or some members feel they will never disagree with another member of the team because they feel like that person is a know it all so why give any type of push back. Open communication is key, so trust can eventually come into play and help the team move towards its end result. At times there may be Communication Barriers that will keep a team from succeeding. Lack of appreciation of the contributions of other team members, some individuals do not respect the expertise or knowledge that another team member can bring. Some individuals are very territorial and not willing to share their knowledge thinking someone else on the team will shine better than them. Members of the team that is not willing to share ideas or share similar work orientations. Although one may argue with these generalizations, it is clear that at times different team members will develop a work style that often clashes with the styles of the remaining people on the team (Karvelas, 1998). There is no getting around the need for people who “know their stuff.” The team needs information, skill, and expertise to solve problems and make decisions. However, technical expertise or any other