Team Conflict Management Issue - Case Study Example

Case Study Report: Team Conflict Management Business Psychology Background Organizations require employees to exhibit synergy in order to be able to steer it to a better performance. This synergy is generated through teamwork, hence, every employee that the company recruits is supposed to exhibit teamwork. However, it is not possible to absolutely prevent conflicts. Therefore, there should be frequent measures developed by the management in order to ensure that the workforce remains united and exemplifies team spirit. Employees too have a role to play in promoting teamwork among themselves and together with their team leaders. There are attributes that makes one team to be successful in the discharge of their mandate as opposed to other teams. Some of these attribute cuts across the board for all the successful companies. Therefore, it is necessary for the management to understand them and ensure they instill them to the employees. A case of a web design company has been presented where a team is disintegrated. The team comprising of a graphic designer, a programmer, a usability expert, and a project manager are not in good working terms, hence the fate of the team lies on the balance. There are complains that some team members are not playing their roles effectively due to carelessness and lack of meeting the client’s needs. On the other hand, some of the team members have a view that others are being inconsiderate of their predicaments and situations. As a result, there is lack of cohesiveness within the team. These aspects hinder the productivity of the company. The company director has been concerned about the productivity of the team. This report is based on her concerns on the poor conflict management in the organization. Therefore, this report seeks to establish the cause of conflicts and the measures that the company can effect in order to ensure that the team in conflict gets to reconcile. In addition, future strategies of preventing conflict will be addressed as well as characteristics of successful team. Sources of Team Conflict A team is comprised of individuals with diverse thoughts and views. This diversity ensures that creativity and innovativeness is harnessed for the overall benefit of the team’s objectives. However, this is not always the case; diversity can be a source of conflict. For this reason, teams that have devised proper conflict management mechanisms are able to stand the torrents of conflicts. Conflicts between teams or team members can be caused perceived or actual aspects. Some of the cause of conflict is constructive while majority are destructive. These sources include; Variation in opinions and perceptions Value differences Poor team leadership Miscommunications and breakdown in communication Personal differences which creates grudges Poor interpersonal skills Team members competition over resources, power or rewards Differences in individual expectations Non-conformity of individual goals to that of the team Attributes of a Successful Team A successful team is built on the elements of common goals, same purpose, and shared focus. A successful team is obliged to exemplify teamwork while ensuring that conflicts between the team members are minimized. Ideally, a team is supposed to have common goals and objectives, in which case each of the members is supposed to play a specific role in ensuring that the team succeeds in reaching the goal. Team members are required to exemplify cooperation as they share knowledge and skills for the overall benefit of the team. These attributes relates to each of the team members, lack of which would reduce the effectiveness of the team spirit. In this regard, it is important that a team should have a culture that is guided by the attributes possessed by the team. Let us look at some of the attributes of teamwork that should be evident in a team for it to be functional. Some of these attributes are lacking in the case scenario of the web design company. 1. Open communication and effective feedback A well-established and vibrant team exemplifies open communication and the feedback from the members is mainly positive. This is a very important attribute as far as the unity of the group is concerned. A successful team should have a clear communication channel and strategy that facilitates the communication between the members. Each member of the team should be an active listener and should consider helping on the needs of another member. In addition, it is important that the member should be concerned about others by making their contributions at the right time and to the best of their ability. It is also important that feedback is given within the required time and in the best way possible, such helps prevent conflicts (Stephens-Wegner, 2008). On the other hand, criticism by the members of the team should be there. However, critic should be done on friendly terms and should be constructive. The team leader should encourage the members to speak out freely and address their concerns without any form of intimidation. 2. Interdependence The second attribute of a successful team is interdependence between the team members. Independence in a team creates rifts, which can result to misunderstandings between the members. The situation in a team should encourage a scenario where more performance is obtained through joint efforts as opposed to one-man shows. The effort made by individuals in isolation are minimal as opposed to a good team, this is because the team attempts to bring out the best in an individual while one man’s work looks more of a show-off. Application of an effective spirit ensures that goals are achieved conveniently without much strain to a single individual. Interdependence also presents diversity, where team members are able to perform far better due to the diversity of ideas. Working as team is motivating; encouragement from the other team members facilitates learning and making of contributions by the conserved members. 3. Commitment of the Team members Commitment of individual members is a key attribute of an effective team. In the endeavor to achieve the goals of the team, every member is required to be committed to exemplifying accountability to every aspect related to the group activities they engage with. For example, when working on a project, a member should account for their time during the course of the project development. This shows that the team member is committed to the completion of the project. On the other hand, the processes involved in the teamwork should prioritized by every team member. In this regard, all the members in a team ought to understand the processes that are involved and should commit themselves to accomplishing the process in which they are engaged with in good time. It is significant that the members should know the best practices that are involved as well as being explorative of new ideas that would help catapult the team (Liu, Fu & Liu, 2009). Commitment to support the leadership of the team by the members is also very important. If the team fails to respect their team leader, then, it is doomed. This is because for a team to perform well, it must have good leadership that is supported by the team members. 4. Team Composition An outstanding team should have the most appropriate composition of the team members that cut across the mandate of the team. In this regard, a company such as the web design company presented in the case study, has a perfect combination of employees. This is because all the professionals required for the effective discharge of the responsibilities of the company are present. Professionals that have specialized in various sectors come together and are able to perform a good work. However, failure by one of the team members because of incompetent lowers the quality of work hence demoralizing the other team members. In addition, it is paramount that each of the team members clearly understands their roles and the team’s expectations (McNerney, 2006). The roles of every member should be identifiable; it is very wrong to have team members that joy ride in the activities of the group. Each one should perform a specified task. 5. Sharing of Goals A team is required to share common goals and each of the members should be committed to the overall success. A team is established for a specified goal; this means that the goal is the one that directs the activities of the team. It is of essence that each of the team members should buy the goal and make it a collective as well as a personal responsibility (Fausnaugh, 1999). However, there should be an integrative interplay of all the processes involved in achieving the goals. A team that emerges successful ensures that every member is focused on the final goal. Contrarily, in a scenario where goals are not shared, then individual members work in isolation thereby making it difficult to reach a consensus. Despite the commitment towards the overall success of the company, the team members should work in a complementary fashion so that all the aspects of a project are executed harmoniously (Liu, Fu & Liu, 2009). Sharing of the goal ensures that the time taken to achieve it is spontaneously reduced while the quality of the work done is exemplary. 6. Interpersonal skills Teamwork is characterized by interpersonal skills. Executing a certain objective requires that an individual is able to relate with others in an effective way. In an environment where teamwork thrives, members exhibit interpersonal relationships that are based on life skills such as honesty, care, supportiveness, mutual respect, and trust. These qualities help a team member to be able to relate with others in a friendly and harmonious way. This means that conflicts are rare and whenever they arise, they are approached in a way that the warring parties reconcile without coercion (Singh & Antony, 2006). The team members feel appreciated hence their commitment towards the team is quite significant. When issues arise, the team is able to confront them without causing rifts within the team. Care for one another in the team promotes cohesion and integration. A positive interpersonal skill ensures that the team members are able to work with one another without any bad feeling. Case Analysis: Establishing sources of conflicts and the team attributes that are lacking The web design company depicts some failures that results to the disgruntled team. The first aspect is that the team lacks a conflict management system. This is the reason why some of them having complaining without presenting their concerns to the team and having to discuss them. The solution to the conflict cannot be found by talking behind the backs of those that are purported to lack efficiency. In fact, the complaints create a bigger rift and resentment among them. It is also apparent that the management has failed to approach the conflict that has been evident. It was reported that there was a serious disagreement that occurred in a meeting. Secondly, it is clear that there are team members that have not discharged their roles effectively. Therefore, the other team members perceive to be doing more. The outcome of this situation is resentment, which makes the team to be divided. Failure by some team members to perform their work derails the fulfilment of the client’s needs. Thirdly, the team members work in isolation; each one of them is engaged in their personal tasks. In such a case, there is lack of cooperation and the synergistic approach that would ensure productivity is lost. The team members that are working on developing their part of the process are demoralized. Fourthly, there are sharp personal differences between the team members that are unresolved. Some of the members feel that they are not understood. In addition, there is some anger directed towards certain individuals in the team. This is the reason why a comment by one of the team members infuriates the other (Gitlow & McNary, 2006). At one point in the course of a meeting, a team member berated another, an indicator of the sharp personal differences between some of the team members. Recommendations for Resolving Team Conflicts Team conflicts can be resolved through a number of approaches, all with the focus of ensuring that the attributes of a successful team are promoted. There are guidelines that ensure conflicts are resolved or are avoided. It is paramount that a consensus is reached through collaboration in order to ensure that there is cooperation between the members. The conflict in question should be confronted, then goals are set that will guide on the groups objectives. Various researchers have developed strategies of resolving conflicts. Based on the prevailing case study on the web design company, the Wisinski team conflict skills will be used. According to Wisinski (1995), six skills are necessary in resolving team conflict as well as strengthening the team. These skills are participation, claiming, relinquishing, evaluating, healthy environment, and task accomplishment. Each of these skills will be put into perspective in the case scenario of the web design company. The first aspect entails participation. Some of the team members of the web design company poorly participate in the objective of delivering the client’s expectations. The leader of the team (project manager) should be at a position of sensitizing the team members to ensure that their work is done well within the set deadline. In addition, the team leader should ensure that no member feels withdrawn, neither should there be a dominant member. The members should be made aware that they are equal and all have the same privileges. Individual members should have the discretion to ensure that the balance in participation is upheld. The members ought to have claiming skills. It is evident that every member of the organization exhibits his or her own ideas and views. Such should be argued logically instead of the members developing emotions against one another hence confrontations. Members should be sensitized on the need to criticize constructively as well as to be positive on criticism. Relinquishing skills are also very important for the case of the web company. Members should be at a position of ensuring that they do not hold firm stands that may end up affecting the team spirit. In this case, it is important that a member that presents a view that is not popular among the other members should be willing to withdraw the view without feeling intimidated. The team should sit and agree on what they believe is appropriate for the client. Since all of them are experts in their various sections, they ought to come together and harmonize on what they believe will be the best deal for the client. Team evaluation is an obligation of every member in order to ensure that sustainable success is realized. Through evaluation, the team is capable of understanding where they went wrong and what requires improvement. When members give their feedback, the rest should not take it personal. However, it is not appropriate for a team member to directly attack another. A healthy environment promotes peaceful coexistence and respect among the team leaders. In ensuring that each of the team members thrives in a healthy environment, there should be support, care, honesty and trust among the group members. Finally, every member has a specific role to be play in the team, this makes them obliged to accomplish the task. A team is built on its members, when each plays their role effectively, the results are a motivated and vibrant team. The members should be aware of the set deadlines for accomplishing the assigned tasks (Sengupta, 2013). In addition, they should be aware of the processes that are involved in order for the project to be successfully executed. Conclusion Teamwork’s productivity surpasses that of the individuals working in isolation. However, not all times when teamwork is successful; deficiency of teamwork attributes results to team failure. The best thing that the web design company can do is to adopt the Wisinski team conflict skills. It is recommended that they work on developing the team through collaboration while ensuring that collective participation is enhanced. References Fausnaugh, C. J. (1999). High-performing self-managed work teams: A comparison of theory to practice. Management Learning, 30(2), 254-255. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/209886180?accountid=45049 Gitlow, H., & McNary, L. (2006). Creating win-win solutions for team conflicts. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 29(3), 20-26. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/219150344?accountid=45049 How to cope with conflicts within the team. (1996). Getting Results ...for the Hands - on Manager, 41(4), 1. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/214235347?accountid=45049 Liu, J., Fu, P., & Liu, S. (2009). Conflicts in top management teams and team/firm outcomes: The moderating effects of conflict-handling approaches. International Journal of Conflict Management, 20(3), 228-250.  McNerney, J. (2006). Secrets of high-performing executive teams. Vital Speeches of the Day, 72(11), 349-352. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/221461977?accountid=45049 Sengupta, D. (2013, Aug 17). How to deal with conflicts in team jobs]. The Economic Times (Online) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1426017499?accountid=45049 Singh, A & Antony, D. (2006). Conflict management in teams: causes and cures. Delhi Business Review, Vol 7, No. 2. Stephens-Wegner, C. (2008). Building high performing globally dispersed teams: Challenging inequality to establish trust.(Order No. MR58836, University of Toronto (Canada)). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 170-n/a. 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