The case is about team conflict because it involves a team work. We have a group of employees working on a project which has a common goal to implement safety database tracking system for their company (international pharmaceutical company).
I see a both affective and substantive conflict developing. Affective conflict for the members of the team based in USA who are enthusiastic about sharing their previous work experience from a similar project (Perspective) with the 'Vigilance' project, but they meet strong resistance and alienation. Also, the team leader in France feels threatened and tries to increase his power position which goes against the interest of the task set. So, it has the tendency to trigger the members to be resentful, suspicious
…show more content…
The physical distance is an issue albeit advance information technology nowadays. If the team members were all based in the same office space their communication (both vocal and body languages) gestures could have a different and more influential on the project outcome. Physical distance compounds unexpressed feelings of frustrations and stress from the team members in USA. Poor communication (communication breakdown) and vital information exchange about roles and responsibilities of team members is hampering smooth workflow and may orbit to poor performance. The lack of open communication in the team is not helping towards team performance and in meeting expectant deadlines schedules. The team is also made up of members that were part of two obsolete companies of distinct or different cultural identities. Each of these employees do have different and diverse cultural trends and perception. Under the umbrella of the new company, these cultural differences are slowing down the work dynamics and the differences in American and French business cultures (norms or ways of doing business) also plays an important role in making work difficult. American business practices and ethics will not be the same to French businesses practices. All these three cited dips. i.e. physical distance, communication breakdown and culture are …show more content…
Which problems might it not solve?
The decision to appoint a subteam sponsor can be looked as attempt to expunge team differences. The first is that it is appointed as a quick fix or panacea to sort out the affective and substantive disagreements in the team. More tellingly, it is some sort of conflict management solution. Already there exist conflict in the team but if well controlled and managed will help increase team performance. The team may help expunge existing communication breakdowns. The Sub-team might not be able to solve the autocratic leadership practices and unilateral decision-making overtures of the team leader.
When staffing an important project or projects which is more challenging in addition to considering technical skills it crucial to involve people who are apt in conflict management skills and strong communication skills. Also, it is important to consider team leadership skills when staffing such a
1. How might different aspects of teams and teamwork contribute to team members thinking about quitting their jobs?
Attaining results from a team consisting of members likely spread across vast distances is an increasingly difficult task without taking advantage of the necessary resources available for distance collaboration. Several factors are taken into consideration when building an effective team. Creating a team out of a group of people who come from a variety of backgrounds is not an easy task because group members must first learn how to collaborate as a team before they can even consider completing a project together. Teams have a clear purpose with defined roles for each of its participants. Collaboration with the use of technological resources comes into play when a team consists of members spread out geographically. Realizing the strengths of each team member as well as the resources that are available is essential to a team’s success.
Conflict is not always something that can be easily overcome. When two groups have a similar goal to work for, many times the groups will find a way to work with the other group to finish the job. When faced with a task that requires people to work with another group they dislike it results in a successful solution.
Seven tasks must be included in consideration of team dynamics and structure. The first of which is defining the goal, mission or function of a specific team. The team must know what it is being asked to accomplish. The second area of consideration is assessing what skills, abilities, knowledge or potential to acquire such would be needed amongst selected team members. Identification of potential team members should include an assessment of the skills, knowledge and abilities or the potential to acquire such so that ultimately the team has the building blocks with which to succeed in its mission, goal or function. This assessment must include an understanding of realistic potential contributions by potential team members with the included assessment of whether or not the acquisition of skills and knowledge can be made available through research and analysis.
According to the Theorists as groups turn into teams, most conflict happens in the “storming” stage of team development (De Janasz, Dowd & Schneider, 2001). First, one must understand what conflict is. Capozzoli (1999) cites Boulding’s 1962 definition of conflict as “a situation of competition in which the parties are aware of the incompatibility of potential future positions and in which each party wishes to occupy a position which is incompatible with the wishes of the other.” Conflict can be either constructive or destructive to the team and can be created in several ways. Conflict must be analyzed and understood for the team to resolve it.
We also addressed potential barriers that we may encounter, like scheduling conflicts due to personal or work related issues & technological boundaries, for each person may be on a different level in this area. Also, the time zone factor which is the biggest & you must prioritize it for the benefit of the team & the competency of each members contributions. Trust must be earned by the team members & leader through fulfilling duties, assignments, & commitments. (Temme, J. & Katzel, J. (1995)
People work in groups or teams everyday whether in their career, education, political organization, church, or any other social setting. Conflict while working in teams or groups is inevitable. When taking people of different backgrounds, personalities, moral, and ethical beliefs and putting them together in a group, conflict will arise. The key to achieving your team goals is to construct and conquer your goals with keeping the greater good of the team in mind. Conflict as it arises should be combated and abated through swift and thorough resolution techniques. When dealt with properly conflict resolution can give rise to a cohesive and productive team.
A group can only be called a team if the members are actively working together toward a common goal. A team must have the capability to set goals, make decisions, solve problems, and share responsibilities. For a team to be successful, trust must be earned between its members by being consistent and reliable (Temme & Katzel, 2005). When more than one person is working on a particular task, inconsistent views or opinions commonly arise. People come from different backgrounds and live through different life experiences therefore, even when working towards a common goal, they will not always see eye to eye. Major conflict that is not dealt with can devastate a team or organization (Make Conflict Work, 2008). In some situations, conflict can be more constructive than destructive. Recognizing the difference between conflict that is constructive to the team and conflict that is destructive to the team is important. Trying to prevent the conflict is not always the best way to manage conflict when working within a team setting. Understanding conflict, what causes it, and how to resolve conflict effectively, should consume full concentration.
Differences within the team are the major reason for conflict. This stems from differences in opinion, attitude, beliefs, as well as cultural back grounds and social factors. The Conflict can be positive which is functional and supports or benefits the organization or a person’s main objectives (Reaching Out, 1997). Conflict is viewed as positive when the conflict results in increased involvement form the group, increased cohesion, and positive innovation and creativity. Conflict tends to be positive as well when it leads to better decisions, and solutions to long-term problems.
Conflict seems to inevitable when trying to merge two companies. Conflict is described as the “Process which begins when one party perceives that the other has frustrated or is about to frustrate, some concern of his” (Kumar, 2009). Synergon’s CEO uses a “take no prisoners” approach and would fire most of the management team within 12 months of taking over a company using an approach they call neutron bombing. In cases where both companies are successful like in the case of Synergon Capital and Beauchamp you add even more conflict. The managers of Beauchamp are used to operating in a positive way that has produced profits for the company and you add Nick Cunningham a manager of Synergon who is used to restructure management in newly acquired poorly ran
The four main barriers are poor communication, an unclear common objective, conflicting attitudes, priorities and values, and the lack of equal responsibility amongst the team.
Along with the preparation for conflict resolutions, understanding the situation in the team during the conflict is important. Clarifying positions along with listing the facts and all the necessary analyzation of the particular situation helps in resolving the conflict in a team. Applying this process can effectively address and resolve the conflict in a
Conflict is a basic aspect of teamwork (Levi, 2001), since the number of decisions that a team needs to make often evokes feelings of discomfort and stress. Conflict very often arises from a clash of different working style, ideas, interests, needs, and wants. Team conflicts can be due to high stress level. It has been experienced that in teamwork there can be conflicts and conflicts creates dissatisfaction among the employees. It is important that conflicts be addressed in such a way that it has adverse effect and it is very important to address the conflicts on the spot otherwise it would be difficult to handle the conflicts. (Jehn, 1995).When team member s disagree about the task themselves that how these tasks should be performed then task related conflicts occurs. It is also called task led-conflicts, it occurs when persons disagree over the understanding of tasks and their goals it is a disagreement between two team members in a group over the decisions. They have differences of opinions about a certain issue. (Stewart, Sims & Manz, 1999). Disagreement can be caused by differences in viewpoint and values, differences of opinion about tasks and differences in expectation about the impact of decisions (Levi, 2001).
Conflicts transpire as the team develops and moves through the different stages listed in section 3.0. Additionally, conflicts could also arise from lack of leadership that leads to unclear and conflicting goals. The lack of communication from the leader would result in uncertainty to the contribution and commitment of each individual (The University of Melbourne, 2013). This conflict can be resolved by regularly reviewing the work and improving the communication between each individual (Johnson, 2015). Another large conflict that arises is the unfair distribution of work to each person. Whilst it is important for each individual to adapt to every Belbin role that is needed, one must not receive more or less work. The unequal distribution could lead to resentment, inefficiency and the unfairness of a member not contributing but still receiving the marks. All these conflicts can be resolved promptly before it hinder on the work quality. The team should identify the causes of conflict, state their effect on the team and negotiate a solution that suits all. Most importantly, the team should communicate regularly and be proactive about any situations (The University of Melbourne,
Working in teams provides an opportunity for individuals to come together and establish a rapport towards others within a group. Teamwork is classified as people with different strengths and skills who work together to achieve a common goal. When a team works well, specific objectives are fulfilled and satisfied. Teamwork plays a crucial role in implementing and fulfilling a common goal in a team project. Each member plays a role and takes on different responsibilities combined together. In different stages of teamwork, conflicts and arguments may occur for as members have different standpoints which need to be harmonized within the team. The key to having an effective teamwork is to explore each member's unique abilities to motivate them.