Group Dynamics and Focus on Conflict Resolution by Way of Communication

Abstract

In today’s world teamwork is being utilized by companies across the globe. Employers are seeing the value of teamwork and what can be accomplished when people put the strengths together. These teams consist of people from different cultures with different personalities. Conflict is inevitable when it comes to group dynamics. Conflict resolution is necessary to keep the group functioning efficiently. This paper will analyze group dynamics and focus on conflict resolution by way of communication.

Teams consist of personnel with varied backgrounds, experience, education, and intellectual ability. These differences will, by nature lend themselves to varying perceptions in business, its problems and solutions, which result in conflicts within the team. Conflict has more to do with personal styles than the actual problem. Team leaders bring together certain people who possess the necessary aptitude to solve a particular problem but do not take in consideration the problem-solving styles, or cognitive styles, of the individuals involved. (Falcioni, 2007)

When management selects individuals for a team, the emphasis should be placed on what each member brings to the team. An example, if a member displays talent in a given area, but has the attitude of “Get out of the way, or get run over,” the team should be balanced with an individual who is less aggressive. He/she should possess a control factor, which will not allow the value of a “team” to diminish. This will bring cohesion between the members and not highlight just one individual. If the aggressive individual continues without a balancing factor, the team will lose the benefits of what other members have to offer. It is of the utmost importance to choose a varied group of individuals that will keep each other in check. Good leadership in those choosing the right members is only the beginning. Teamwork cannot be demanded. Everyone involved must discuss and understand what the goal is and what is required of them. Teams should have traits such as goals and objectives, empowerment, trust, authentic participation, innovation, creativity, risk taking and leadership. (Temme and Katzel, 1995)

While finding a good balance, conflicts will most certainly arise. Conflict resolution strategies must be utilized, for the team to be effective and meet the goals and objective of their assignment. These conflicts may be more evident in certain types of teams more so than in others. Conflict is common when working in teams. Its is important to have team meeting in order to lay out potential problems and disagreements and prepare to support the teams final decision. (Weinstein, 2007)

In resolving conflict, ask the question, “How do we keep this from happening again?” The first thing is to be objective. This helps in managing conflict by keeping team members focused on the problem at hand (Huber, 2007)

In the following section, we will see that there are several types of teams to be discussed. Regardless of the type team, conflicts are inevitable and therefore, resolutions must be found to remain productive.

In an effort to address types of conflict resolution strategies, we must first know a little about the teams themselves. In today’s business world, there are four basic team types; cross-functional teams, self-managed teams, task force, and process improvement teams.

Cross functional teams include members from various departments or business specialties such as marketing, information systems, communications, public relations, operations, human resources, accounting, finance, planning, research and development, and legal. Cross-functional teams are usually charged with developing new products or investigating and improving a company wide problem such as the need to increase speed and efficiency across departmental lines or the need to adopt a new company wide computer system. Cross-functional teams derive their strength from diversity. By including representatives from all or most of an organization’s primary functional areas, the team can diagnose a problem from multiple perspectives simultaneously, ensuring that all relevant points of view are taken into account. This can speed up the problem solving process and result in an outcome that is more readily accepted by the various departments that are affected by the change.

Self-managed teams are “groups of employees who are responsible for a complete, self-contained package of responsibilities that relate either to a final product or an ongoing process.” Also known as self-directed, self-maintained, or self-regulating, self-managed teams