An In-Depth Look at Conflict Resolution

Abstract

Conflicts arise from differences in opinions especially when individuals come together in teams, their differences in terms of social standing, values, morals, political stance, religion and experiences can all be contributors to creating conflict. To avoid the negative impacts that can result from such disagreements one of the most important methods of resolving conflict is to deal with disputes quickly and openly. Conflict is not always destructive, if handled correctly conflict can prove to be beneficial to a team. A team’s advantage over an individual contributor is the range of knowledge and ideas that individuals contribute to the team. A broad range of perspectives can lead to a much more productive analysis of the task at hand by investigating many possibilities from multiple perspectives.

Reasons for team conflicts

Communication issues: In any team, some members will be better communicators than others. Some individuals are confident or carefree and are able to express their ideas without fear of feeling belittled while others may never understand how to effectively express their ideas. Team communicating relies on each individual’s perspective(s) being brought up to the team for discussion. Sometimes individuals are not able to put their thoughts and feelings into words where the point they’re trying to make becomes obvious to some or all of the team. Good communication skills rely on good listening skills. When an individual’s opinion on a topic becomes biased their listening skills and in turn their communication skills become one sided. Some examples may be; poor listening skills, poor dissemination of information between all individuals, or differences in how individuals understand or perceive the information put forth.

Biases as previously discussed may stem from personal experiences such as social issues, personal values, moral issues, religious beliefs... When team member’s opinions on a topic differ based on personal beliefs/biases, the team becomes unstable and possibly counterproductive. This “conflict” may eventually may lead to a communication breakdown and separation of the group.

Individuals Responsibilities within the team: Each team member must know what areas are assigned to whom and that they accountable for each of their