Conflict Resolution in Team Dynamics

Conflict Resolution in Team Dynamics

Conflict Resolution in Team Dynamics

"No doubt there are other important things in life besides conflict, but there are not many other things so inevitably interesting" - Robert Lynd (BrainyMedia.com, 2006). Conflict resolution can be one of the greatest challenges and sources of frustration a work team will encounter. Often, when many people are brought together with different backgrounds, personalities, and communicating styles, minor conflicts can become a big problem. Individuals can become competitive and distant, putting the group behind schedule. Unresolved conflict often results in the loss of productivity, creativity, and cooperation. How you handle conflict creates an enormous impact not only on the parties directly involved, but also for the other people indirectly associated through living and working relationships. When team members are trained in the art of conflict management and resolution, they can learn the difference between constructive and destructive conflict making meetings less of a battlefield and more of a debate and learning experience. Effective conflict resolution cannot only help everyone involved but it can also result in new learning and positive change.

Dawson explains in order for a team to be successful they must possess, "a clear mission, the right competencies and skills, and direct and clear support from leadership" (para. 7). Teams are full of individual conscious people that need to feel appreciated and treated with respect. The ability to comprise with a learning team helps to manage conflict that allows every team member to express his or her ideas and opinions that allow the team to move forward. When dealing with two different parties in a legal dispute, lawyers work diligently to negotiate a mutual agreement for everyone involved. This is not always easy, but there are some good ideas to keep the negotiation process on the right track. The reading in the learning team toolkit reading, Conflict and Cohesion in Groups, suggests the following for advice, "negotiation takes the form of compromise, with members conceding some issues in order to achieve agreement on other points" (Engleberg, Wynn, and Schuttler, 2003). A lawyer uses a deposition proceeding to collect data to determine if a plaintiff has a cause of action to bring a lawsuit to trial. During depositions lawyers can ask open-ended questions and narrow questions to the plaintiff and defendant to collect information. Open-ended questions are broad and allow the person to give more emotional elaborate responses. Narrow questions are on a specific topic or subject matter and focus more on facts than emotions. This type of questioning can allow the learning team leader to gain a better understanding of the reasoning, emotions, and facts behind the conflict.

After the learning team leader collects all the facts what happens next? Once the leader is finished collecting the facts, they can begin to summarize and piece it all together (Engleberg et al., 2003, p.156). lists the following four (4) principles involved in the negotiation process:

1. Separate the people from the problem.

2. Focus on group interests, not positions.

3. Generate a variety of possible solutions for mutual gain.

4. Insist on objective criteria for choosing a solution.

At the end of negations, everyone involved in the conflict should have a chance to express their ideas and opinions. The best solution benefits the learning team and helps the team reach their goals. Remember to always have an open mind when approaching a conflict and leave personalities out of it. The ends do not always justify the means (De Janesz, Dowd and Schneider, 2002). Ask yourself what they want to gain most from their experience in working with learning teams.

Greider, and Leahy explain, "training can help bridge some cultural gaps...but you will fare better on foreign soil if you're willing to admit that your expectations about work and assumptions about culture may be vastly different from those of the people that you work with" (p.26). Students must not have the assumption that everyone on his or her learning team will approach a project or communicate in the same way. Bringing together people with different cultures, background, and educational experiences will create a need to set up guidelines for communication. Of course no one will communicate in the same way; however; awareness in differences must be recognized and respected between team members to avoid offending other team members.

The people who bring an understanding of different cultures to their learning team can help establish a uniform method of communication and help bridge cultural gaps. Porter brings up a good point of seeing the individuals of a team as the sum that is greater than its individual parts (2003, p. 1). Team members must learn to see themselves as part of a bigger picture. People that have spent time overseas and learned a foreign language would be best at managing international teams (Greider and Leahy, p. 26). Learning teams can use their more culturally affluent members as mediators or leaders. Through tolerance, persistence, and awareness of assumptions that are present within a learning team, individuals will be more equipped to manage conflict in the learning team environment.

There are two classifications of conflict: constructive and deconstructive conflict. Constructive conflict is beneficial in the development of the team (Engleberg, et al. 2003, p. 148). This type of conflict can have positive effects not only on the group, but on each team member as well. Constructive conflict leads to the team making better decisions, better creativity, and more involvement from team members. Better decisions are made in the group as a result of everyone being satisfied and feeling as though he or she had a part in the entire process. When everyone gets involved key issues get clarified so sensible decisions can be made that will benefit everyone involved. Once the issues have been resolved and they are clear everyone will have a good understanding of what is going on and what is being accomplished.

The personal effect constructive conflict has is much like the overall group affect. The members are more involved with every aspect of the process. Team members tend to form friendships and trust in each other. Everyone feels his or her thoughts are valued and he or she are more likely to put their ideas on the table. They also feel more freedom with their ability