Conflict Resolution In Work Teams

At first glance conflict often times seems to be a harmful byproduct of individuals working together as a team, but there are many benefits that can come from effective conflict resolution, both to the team and to the individuals involved. Probably the best and most concise way of summing up conflict is that "conflict, like water and fire, is neither good nor bad" (Capozzoli, 1995, Ð'¶4). Conflicts can come into being for a variety of reasons, and there are a number of ways they can be handled, and in nearly every case there is the opportunity for each team member to add to the experiences and background from which he or she will draw from in future scenarios.

Conflict is inevitable whenever a team of people is assembled to complete a project; even if team members are familiar with each other prior to the team being assembled, conflict is still likely to occur because each individual is uncertain of the role that he or she is expected to fill during the course of completing the project. This uncertainty can lead to some head-butting early on as each team member finds his or her niche within the team and this can easily cause conflicts to arise as a variety of perceptions, experiences, and knowledge bases are brought to the table. Gratton and Erickson found that the more experts in a given field there were involved in a work team, the more likely it was that conflict would arise and the less likely it was that conflict would be approached in an effective manner (2007, p102). Even as each team member finds a comfortable role to fill within the team, conflict is still to be expected and there are many benefits that can be gained from the process of resolving it.

Before going any further, we should take a moment to get a better idea of what is meant by conflict. In 1962, Kenneth Boulding defined conflict as "a situation of competition in which the parties are aware of the incompatibility with the wishes of the other" (Capozzoli, 1995, Ð'¶4). So, if conflict is really just competition, then it stands to reason that there is room for both destructive, or negative, and constructive, or positive, conflict. When the existing conflict is destructive, or negative, team members are unable to reach a resolution and therefore the team is much less likely to function as a productive and effective unit. On the flip side, constructive, or positive, conflict allows team members to learn and grow from the experience and provides the team with resolution to a problem, helping them to continue through the rest of the project with an increased sense of unity.

Conflict can be a healthy byproduct of team members working together and can actually be considered as a sign that every team member is contributing to the project and that team members are challenging each other's (and their own) ideas. Conflict is also proof that a team is made up of a diverse group of people who are all drawing off of different backgrounds and experiences; this variety among team members will likely help to put new ideas and methods of completing tasks on the table thereby creating a learning environment for everyone involved. In contrast, if a team manages to sail through a project without any conflicts, then the team itself needs to be carefully examined; it's possible that the team has been compiled of individuals who are too similar in their ways of thinking and so no one every had a reason to challenge anyone else, or there was one individual who was an active participant while the other team members simply sat back and did not contribute their own thoughts. Either way, the end result of the team project is not likely to be very enlightening or challenging to current ideas.

When poorly managed, conflict can also have a negative effect on a work team; conflict has the ability to drive team members away from each other which can cause the final project to not be completed in time, or it can result in just a few individuals having to do the work of the whole group. Uncertainty about how to effectively manage conflict should not, however, be a reason to avoid it. As Townsley states, "it is true that suppressed differences can reduce the effectiveness of a team, when they are brought to the surface, disagreements can be dealt with and problems can be resolved" (n.d., p.2).

The key to a work team being able to successfully overcome conflict is to establish a strategy for conflict management early on in the team's relationship. "One of the greatest obstacles to conflict resolution is unrealistic expectations" (Reimold & Reimold, 2007, Ð'¶4). When team members take the time in the beginning of a project to discuss exactly what each person brings to the table and what each person's expectations are for the team, then they will be able to develop a plan for resolving