Conflict Resolution in a Team Environment
Conflict Resolution in a Team Environment Conflict is a fact of life. Human beings deal with conflict every day in their personal and professional lives. However, conflict within a work group can be especially frustrating. One does not have the luxury of handling situations of conflict within the work setting in the same manner that you might choose to handle conflict in your personal life. ... This paper will explore conflict within a work group; the causes of various types of conflict, the positive and negative effects on an organization as well as individuals. The benefits of these conflicts are further explored, as are possible resolution strategies. It will be essential to have a clear understanding of conflict as it pertains to a work group in order to explore this topic further. ... The members of this team have obvious differences, such as their race, nationality, gender or age. ... In order for this team of individuals to progress toward their goals they will need to resolve conflict. Conflict management as defined by A Dictionary of Business in Oxford Reference Online, “The control of conflict within an organization. There are three main philosophies of conflict management: Traditionalists hold that all conflict is bad and potentially destructive for an organization. On the other hand behaviorists see conflict as inevitable in an organization and attempt to harness it in a positive way. The interactionists see conflict as essential to the survival of an organization and something that should be encouraged.” To better understand how conflict arises we must know what some of the causes are. ... This can create competition among team members and draw their focus away from team goals. If each member of the team acts to advance self-interests over team interests, the overall outcome is likely to be poorer than if they worked together. By building team identity you can enhance cooperation and minimize competition. You can do this by linking individual outcome to team outcome and by lengthening the time team members expect to work together. The longer they expect to work together the more they will identify with the team. Democracy can also be a cause of conflict when it comes to team function. Voting is the most commonly used way to make team decision but can in itself lead to conflict. Team members who “lose” the vote may claim that the vote was fraudulent or the voting was not carried out the way it was agreed upon. ... Therefore it may not always be the best solution for the team. ... The effects of conflict can be as varied as the causes themselves. ... What makes corporate conflict difficult to quantify and assess is that it rarely spills over in obvious or overt ways such as fistfights, abuses and lewd gestures. ... Interpersonal conflict (Miranda & Bostrom, 1994) tends to be related to disagreements that come from personality clashes or emotional interactions among team members that are often perceived as personal attacks. This type of conflict tends to be considered destructive and dysfunctional if problem resolution is not achieved, energy is diverted from the pressing issue or activity, and team or individual morale is compromised (Capozzoli, 1995). Moreover, this conflict is considered disruptive because it can result in greater indecisiveness, increased polarity, reduced cohesiveness and consensus, while promoting hostility, distrust, cynicism, apathy, and disengagement among team members (Amason, 1996; Amason et al. ... Such conflict needs to be identified, discussed, and reduced before it gets out of control (Bens, 1999; Fisher et al.