Team conflict
As human beings, we tend to face issues disturbing us as a group or as a team. When several minds are brought together, they can accomplish great results compared to a single person’s ability. People who come along are from different places, maybe having varying beliefs, strengths, diverse opinions, and views towards various topics or issues surrounding us. When this is used positively, the different factors enable them to develop an effective solution and deal with the task. However, these differences can also be the source of misunderstanding between the team members and, in worst-case scenarios, lead to the group’s dissolving. It is clear how much conflict influences the existence of a group and if it ends up with a solution or will be dissolved with no answer, and since no group is formed with the aim of it being driven to its demise one has to find a way in which the conflict will be solved amicably to the benefit of every member of the group (Broder, 2020). One can either deal with it by directly addressing it, giving off hints or throwing of a suggestion, or even ignoring it if it is minor.
Question
Such instances of conflict have become visible to me in several cases, the most recent being in a class-based group; for a certain period, the discussion was healthy. Ideas were flowing continuously until one of the group members tried to convince the rest of the group as to why they should not consider another member’s point because, according to him, the other member’s point was vague and lacked a good backing to support his case. The member under the limelight felt humiliated and retaliated by insulting his accuser. After several minutes of trying to calm them down, the group leader had no choice but to call the meeting, and the two members had to be prevented from running into each other to avoid locking of heads.
In the case above, it is clear that conflict is bound to happen in a team or a group. That does not necessarily mean that all disputes are negative; that said it’s good to note that team conflicts are divided into two types: constructive conflict and destructive conflict.
Constructive conflict is a positive type of dispute which involves different ideas being brought about and at the result with one effective approach. In this type of conflict, the people involved are left to argue formally and include feelings of the situation, and an example of such kind of conflict is in a courtroom (“Culture | How to Manage Team Conflict”, 2020). The other type of conflict is referred to Destructive conflict; this type is a negative form of friction brought about by disrespect between members, or the emergence of not ideas that do not help the Team in anyway .high probability is that this type will only lead to the demise of the group or lead to hatred between the members, for this case the conflict should be stopped as soon as possible.
To successfully counter this conflict, they must be well educated or informed on the handling of such issues since if not handled well, it will only result in further damage instead of good. The team leader must be well accompanied with resolution skills to maintain the group; they must be able to handle the issue in a healthy and precise way. The group members, too, must be informed about the occurrence of conflict even before the start of the group session. In case of arising of the misunderstanding, they will be able to handle it in the best way possible.
For the most efficient way to deal with the conflict, the following steps should be put in place:
Getting ready for the resolution; this will involve accepting the presence of the conflict in the group. The team leader should make their group understand that there is a conflict in the group before even finding out how to tackle it. After that has been put into consideration, the Team then will discuss the effect of the dispute to the discussion or task. Every member must participate in setting their team forehand before their interest. In this instance, anyone who’s intention is winning more than accomplishing the goals of the Team will be considered the stalemate (2020). finally, the members should be ready to communicate and express their thoughts towards the issue at hand especially the parties in conflict should each be given a certain time to express their opinions, then the team leader together with other members weigh out those thoughts and come up with a decision to solve the issue.
The next process involves understanding the situation; in this case, the members are all given an opportunity for their thoughts to be heard, with the consideration that there is a high rate of emotions going on in the process the team leader must devise a way in which none of the members will feel left out or ignored they have to give the base of their argument whether factual, documented or from believing .the team leader may also subdivide the group into smaller groups and instruct them on what to discuss. Then its subgroup brings each point to the table, and the issues are discussed over, and a concession is reached amicably.
Finally, the team leader must find a way to agree; this may involve convincing the parties to agree to keep away their differences and focus on the goal (Resolving Conflicts on the Team – dummies, 2020), they can also use the win-win situation or using a voting system where the majority wins. After an agreement has been reached, the leader should give some time to the group for the member to celebrate the solution attained to dissolve the conflict.
Conclusion
It’s good to confirm that team conflicts are normal and should be solved dealt with in the most healthy way possible to ensure the group’s existence and purpose are maintained. Every member of the group walks away, having attained his or her goal being in the group. Conflicts cannot be avoided, and thus teams should be ready to tackle them in their pursuit of success. They should also understand that some disputes can be positive and, in which case they should be embraced, and if they are negative, they should find a way to eradicate them healthily and successfully, and in the end, the Team attains its goal.
References
Broder, J. (2020). How Leaders Can Best Manage Conflict Within Their Teams. Entrepreneur. Retrieved 31 July 2020, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/247275.
Burnage, S. (2018). CPD: Leading your Team effectively. Second, 2018(22), 12-12. https://doi.org/10.12968/sece.2018.22.12
Culture | How to Manage Team Conflict. Udemy. (2020). Retrieved 31 July 2020, from https://www.udemy.com/course/culture-how-to-manage-team-conflict/.
LAS VEGAS SANDS CORP., a Nevada corporation, Plaintiff, v. UNKNOWN REGISTRANTS OF www.wn0000.com, www.wn1111.com, www.wn2222.com, www.wn3333.com, www.wn4444.com, www.wn5555.com, www.wn6666.com, www.wn7777.com, www.wn8888.com, www.wn9999.com, www.112211.com, www.4456888.com, www.4489888.com, www.001148.com, and www.2289888.com, Defendants. (2016), 20(10), 859-868. https://doi.org/10.1089/glre.2016.201011
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Resolving Conflicts on the Team – dummies. dummies. (2020). Retrieved 31 July 2020, from https://www.dummies.com/business/human-resources/employee-relations/resolving-conflicts-on-the-team/.
Resolving Team Conflict: Building Stronger Teams by Facing Your Differences. Mindtools.com. (2020). Retrieved 31 July 2020, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_79.htm.
Villanovau.com. (2020). Retrieved 31 July 2020, from https://www.villanovau.com/resources/leadership/manage-team-conflict/.