Conflict and Conflict Resolution

CONFLICT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

 Conflicts can be defined as a disagreement between two or more parties, which may gave rise to confrontation whether it be verbal or physical. The possibility of disagreements is always present when working in a group, the fact that group members are from different academic, cultural and social backgrounds and share different opinions will give rise to conflicts. This group, although members are diverse and expressed their opinions on the assigned work, the level of understanding and professionalism displayed by members allowed for positive feedback thus suppressing the possibility of any major conflicts. As a result, the need for a negotiation process was never necessary allowing the group to focus on the main agenda (completing the assigned task).

The selection of a coordinator was a smooth process although one member of the group was absent for the process. As mentioned earlier about the high level of understand of the members, the absent member accepted the nominated coordinator.  

There are other elements which contributed to the non existence of major disagreements; the means of communication, the occasions when the group met for meetings were few and short, the degree of difficulty of the projects and the allocated time for completion of projects.  Through the minimal presence of conflicts the group was able to perform as a single unit, possessing the same mind set and maintaining focus on the task at hand. Irrespective of the positivity derived from the members’ efforts of refraining from conflicts, there exist some forms of negativity as it relates to a reduction in creativity and illogical decisions.  Notwithstanding, the group was able to deliver the projects in a timely manner and of a high standard. To further emphasize the progress of the group work, the SWOT analysis points out the encounters that affected the groups’ performance.

SWOT ANALYSIS

1. Internal factors

(1a) Strengths:

• The high level of understanding of group members which set the foundation for the respect during group discussions.
• Members were able to maintain focus on the task at hand although there was the obligation to fulfill other personal duties (work and family).
• The absence of face to face communication limited the level conflict.
• The projects did not pose a serious challenge, thus all members shared the similar point of approach.

(1b) Weakness:

• The desire to maintain harmony within the group discouraged creativity (groupthink)

1. External Factors

(2a) Opportunities:

• The experience gained by working with such a diverse group and the ability to maintain minimal disagreement contributes to the development of each individual in their professional field.
• The communion of individuals who share similar personality traits works more effective in the sense that they are basically on the same page, thus reducing the possibility of conflicts.

(2b) Threats:

• Through the absence of conflicts, the group missed the opportunity of experiencing a conflict resolution process.
• The non-existence of face to face communication, did not allow for the assessment of disagreements through body language.