2.1) LITERATURE REVIEW
Team conflicts:
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).
Leung, Liu and Thomas (2005) discussed conflict management in construction. The study findings suggest two types of conflicts: team and task conflict. Conflict and conflict resolution both are essential part of goal setting process and can affect the final outcome. Integration style is desirable approach for solving conflicts in conflict management. Integration style for solving conflicts means the best decisions with improved level of satisfaction of m...
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...rs but the goal is not achieved until each member has completed his part. The Factors that influence teamwork are impacted trust and have an impact on trust. When communication breaks down, trust is reduced and communications can help to build trust (Rocco, Hofer, and Herbsleb).Research shows that conflict has a negative impact on performance. A conceptual model is developed which explores relationship between conflict and performance and conflict impact performance through its effect on exchange and trust (Lau & Cobb, 2009).
A shared goal has a major impact on the success of a team. For such a common goal or vision to be understood and sustained, interdependence and mutual understanding must be developed. For this to happen, there must be support of the team must be present. Trust must be present and must be recognized (Loo & Loewen, 2003).
How a team works together affects its ability to complete a project or task cooperatively. “Each person in a group could have different ideas about the best way to solve a given problem” (Working Together, 171). Team members must “learn to be open to new ideas and develop skills in listening, questioning, and consensus building” (Working Together 173). A lack of trust among team members constrained their individual and collective voices, restricting the sharing of knowledge, experience, and opinions” (Working Together, 174). With a foundation of trust within a team, the groundwork for open communication is built. However, communication barriers may lead to disharmony among team members. Building trust and creating an atmosphere that fosters open communication enables team members to feel comfortable voicing their opinion. Without this, some team members may be “afraid to express a contrary point of ...
“The team is faced with creating cohesion and unity, differentiating roles, identifying expectations for members, and enhancing commitment. Providing supportive feedback and fostering commitment to a vision are needed from the team leaders (Developing Management Skills).” ... ... middle of paper ... ...
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.
Likewise, the conflict should be acknowledged as soon as it is seen and prepare for the resolution. During such time, the discussion about it plays vital role towards resolving the conflict. In order to maximize team efforts, teammates must cooperate with each other and try to resolve conflict with proper and transparent communication. While resolving a conflict, it is also important for the teammates to remember why they are together in the first place and follow their best foundational strategy.
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.
An effective team typically develops through several stages. Tuckman and Jensen developed a model for how teams should develop that includes five stages: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning (as cited in Martin ,2006 and Fulk, Bell,& Bodie ,2011). In forming, the first stage in team development, team members are introduced to the team’s purpose and goals(Martin, 2006 ; Fulk et al. ,2011). Fulk et al. (2011) explain that members are usually motivated and excited about working together to accomplish the specific goal, but they point out that interactions among team members can be affected by uncertainty about purpose, anxiety, mistrust ,and reluctance to share ideas and opinions. Nevertheless, despite such uncertainties, team members usually avoid conflict and move on to the next stage, storming(Fulk et al.,2011). Unlike the forming stage, the storming stage is marked by conflict (Martin...
As the processes and systems used in business have become more complex, teams, not individuals, have become popular in many organizations. Teams are made up of individuals from an organization brought together to solve a problem, improve a process or implement a new process. “A major advantage that a team has over an individual is its diversity of resources and ideas” (Burns, 1995, p. 52). However, this diversity can cause conflict within the team. The success of the team is strongly influenced by the team’s ability to recognize the causes of, manage and resolve conflict.
As displayed throughout this essay, the Titans displayed how each of these concepts intertwine, influencing how much of an impact they will have on the performance and cohesiveness of a team. Each concept on its own is a vital aspect to analyze when looking to develop a successful and cohesive team. It is important that players connect and function with their team in order to fulfill personal needs and group goals. Without team cohesion, the performance of individual skills and team ability become inhibited. This essay as a whole greatly presented how team cohesion is influenced by a number of factors. However, certain points and proof could have been made better and further explained if there was more space
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.
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).
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.
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.
Rahim (2002) differentiated person’s perception towards handling a conflict into two: “concern for self and concern for others” (p. 216). Further, the study explored two types of conflicts and observed that most conflicts arise during the decision-making process. Dysfunctional conflict, which hinders team performance and interpersonal relations due to individual’s self-interest in implementing particular decision. Functional conflict serves organization purpose with employees involved in the conflict regarding which proposal to implement (Rahim, 2011).
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,