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Effective communications is defined as the successful exchange of information between individuals. An effective communicator is successful in establishing an active two-way link with another individual or group. When people work in groups, there are two quite separate issues involved. The first is the task and the problems involved in getting the job done. The second is the process of the group work itself: the mechanisms by which the group acts as a unit. Without due attention to this process the value of the group can be diminished or even destroyed; yet with a little explicit management of the process, it can enhance the worth of the group to be many times the sum of the worth of its individuals. It is this synergy which makes group work attractive in corporate organization despite the possible problems (and time spent) in group formation (Blair, 2015).
Conflict and Causes of Conflicts
Conflict is any situation in which individuals or groups do not agree. Individuals or groups have different ideas, interest or goals and can not compromise because the opposing parties have strong beliefs that they are very different from each other. People have different views on many different subjects; therefore, when interests are threatened, conflicts arise. There are two types of conflicts: positive conflicts and negative conflicts. A positive conflict is where the outcome of the conflict results in a positive solution. If the conflict creates better decisions, develops shared ideas, and personal growth and change, it is considered to be a positive conflict. Negative conflict is where the outcome of the conflict creates a destructive result. If the conflict creates unresolved anger, personality clashes, low self esteem or low ...
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...rson chooses the way the encoded message is to be transmitted or channeled to the other person or group. This can be done by various ways, such as, face-to-face, written, or electronic mail, just to touch on a few. Upon receiving the message the receiver has the option to provide feedback to the source. Feedback is a fundamental part of the communication process. It is important to realize how critical feedback can be and how it can overcome difficulties when communicating. The group process must be planned, monitored and reviewed just like any other managed process (Blair, 2015).
References
Blair, G.M. (n.d.). Groups that work. Web. 17 April 2015.
http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art0.html
Beard, Ronald. (n.d.). "Working With Group Conflict" University of Maine. Web. 17 April 2015.
http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/PDFpubs/6106.pdf
Numerous cases in history show that identification with a particular group can lead to dreadful outcomes. Together, with historical evidence, classic psychological studies tell a very powerful story. Decent people can take on oppressive roles and succumb to oppressive leaders. However, people often resist tyranny, and their resistance tends to be most effective when it is collective.
Communication is the process of transmitting information or messages from one person to another. It’s a process by which individuals or groups or organizational units undertake transactions in a variety of ways and within different areas with the aim of carrying out organizational goals (Griffin,
The first chapter of “Working in Groups” focuses on group communication, the first aspect being the key elements of group communication (Engleberg and
In several occasions, conflict occurs in the communication of one or two people. Several people have thought of conflict as cases involving pouring of furious anger in a communication process. Nonetheless, conflict is the misinterpretation of an individual’s words or values (Huan & YAzdanifard, 2012). Conflict can also be due to limited resources in an organization (Riaz & Junaid, 2010). Conflict may as well arise due to poor communication or the use of inappropriate communication channel of transmission of information between the involved parties. Management of conflict has various conflict management styles that include avoidance style, forcing style, passive-aggressive style, accommodating style, collaborating style and compromising style. Workplace conflict comes in two different kinds: task involving conflict, which focuses on the approaches used in resolving the problem and blaming conflict that has the aspects of blame and never brings element of resolving problems between the conflicting parties. In the perception of several individuals, relationship conflict is negative.
Teams are groups of people who work together to achieve a common goal (Learning Team Handbook, p 310). Workplace teams are increasing as businesses find the yield of team productivity and creativity exceeds individual productivity/creativity. To promulgate productive teams, businesses have had to identify common threads for successful teams. Businesses have identified the dynamics and needs of successful teams.
Team Dynamics - Conflict Resolution Strategies People work in groups or teams every day, 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 while keeping the greater good of the team in mind. Conflict, as it arises, should be combated and abated through swift and thorough resolution techniques.
McComb, S., Schroeder, A., Kennedy, D., & Vozdolska, R. (2012). The five Ws of team communication. Industrial Management, 54(5), 10-13.
Before understanding how to deal with conflict, one must understand what conflict is. Conflict can be defined as, “any situation in which incompatible goals, cognitions, or emotions within or between individuals or groups lead to opposition or antagonistic interaction” (Learning Team Toolkit, 2004, pp 242-243). Does the idea of conflict always have to carry a negative connotation? The growth and development of society would be a great deal slower if people never challenged each other’s ideas. The Learning Team Toolkit discusses three different views of conflict: traditiona...
Many people enjoy working or participating in a group or team, but when a group of people work together chances are that conflicts will occur. Hazleton describes conflict as the discrepancy between what is the perceived reality and what is seen as ideal (2007). “We enter into conflicts reluctantly, cautiously, angrily, nervously, confidently- and emerge from them battered, exhausted, sad, satisfied, triumphant. And still many of us underestimate or overlook the merits of conflict- the opportunity conflict offers every time it occurs” (Schilling, nd.). Conflict does not have to lead to a hostile environment or to broken relationships. Conflict if resolved effectively can lead to a positive experience for everyone involved. First, there must be an understanding of the reasons why conflicts occur. The conflict must be approached with an open mind. Using specific strategies can lead to a successful resolution for all parties involved. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument states “there are five general approaches to dealing with conflict. The five approaches are avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise, and collaboration. Conflict resolution is situational and no one approach provides the best or right approach for all circumstances” (Thomas, 2000).
Conflict can be negative in the same tense except it is dysfunctional and hinders the teams or the person’s performance or ability to attain goals or objectives (Reaching out, 1997). Negative conflicts tend to result from the most common aspects known as relationship conflict or task conflict. Task conflict occurs when team members disagree about the tasks at hand and how they need to be performed. The other common conflict is relationship. This occurs when team members experience intrapersonal incompatibility issues. This is typically detrimental to teams as it tends to turn personal because they differ in social and communication differences and never come to a positive resolution to forego these conflicts. This is different when compared to task conflict in that task conflict can potentially be beneficial because the issue does not become personal, therefore, bringing about new ideas. Negative conflict is destructive when it leads to stress, inability to take action, and the loss of esteem or purpose (Reaching out, 1997). Conflict is viewed as negative when it results in unresolved anger within the team, personality clashes, low self confidence and problems of efficiency within the team leading to low productivity.
Communication in work teams differs from that in traditional organizations due having different communication patterns; establishing trust is a key factor; open meetings are a vital approach for improving communication; shared management is common; listening, problem solving, disagreement resolution, negotiation and compromise are significant factors; and information flows in all directions to all associates of the organization.
Conflict is energy, conflict is excitement, conflict is often driven by a passion that is necessary to progression. In other words, we need many of the characteristics that might cause conflict and conflict itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The important thing is learning how to manage
Conflict can occur anywhere and at any place, and recently there has been an ongoing conflict that has been manifesting at work, between a supervisor and an employee, and I am stuck in the middle of their conflict. For the past few months, a coworker has been moved from seat to seat, all over the call center. At first, the conflict was very difficult to see, however, between the supervisor and the employee, atmosphere of tension was felt when interaction was made. The employee, Ana Maria, began showing acts of defiance against her supervisor’s instructions, and additionally began spreading her discontent with fellow employees. As a result from her discontent being spread with to the other employees, work productivity began to fall, which caused
The Importance of Group Work in Today's Organizations. It could be argued that in order to be successful, modern organisations must actively develop strong and cohesive work groups. Why do you need to be a member? Is it true that there is no room for the individual in today’s organisation? The rapid progression and improvement in information and communication technology has led to modern organisations finding new ways to work.
According to McShane and Von Glinow, conflict is “a process in which one party perceives that his or her interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party” (328). The Conflict Process Model begins with the different sources of conflict; these sources lead one or more parties to perceive that a conflict exists. These perceptions interact with emotions and manifest themselves in the behavior towards other parties. The arrows in the figure illustrate the series of conflict episodes that cycle into conflict escalation (McShane and Von Glinow 331-332).