Team Conflict

It is unavoidable; any effective team will face conflict. Teams with knowledgeable members will accept conflict and set one good idea against another to determine the best idea for the team.

-Causes of Conflict

Substantive Conflict: When members disagree about ideas and issues that affect the group. This will occur because all members are focused on the teams’ goals. Time management, for example, could be a substantive issue because a schedule could be useful, but getting all members to adhere would cause conflict. Procedural Conflict: Team members will disagree on the method or process used to attain the overall goal. There are several methods that can be used; discussion, gathering of info, secret ballot or show of hands. Deciding how to decide can spark conflict. Affective Conflict: Happens when there is a difference in personalities, communication styles or emotions. Members might feel threatened or that they have not been heard or valued. This can occur when members struggle for leadership roles. Members may feel that they have been treated unfairly. Affective conflict is generally the hardest kind of conflict to recover from.

-Consequences

Conflict only becomes good or bad when a team reacts positively or negatively to it. Positive conflict takes place when team members pose disagreement in a way that is respectful of the others. It is good to disagree and to have open discussions as long a everyone values others contributions. Conflict has a positive affect when it enables more involvement, creativity and productivity, and leads to inventive solutions. Negative conflict happens when team members employ destructive behaviors against one another. Many times this can lead to hostility, insults, threats or unproductive arguments. This dysfunctional attitude will cause stress, anxiety, loss of purpose and hinder any progress towards the teams’ goal. Team members become inflexible, making it hard to resolve anything. This will lead to a breakdown of team cohesion and ultimately, project failure.

-Resolution

Avoidance most times will not resolve the issue; however, it is the best resolution when the issue is not crucial to the progress of the team. Avoidance can also help when any given situation gets out of hand. Generally it is better to reschedule and approach the situation in a more calm fashion. It can also give members time to think and put the situation into perspective. Avoidance is also recommended when the issue causing conflict doesn’t mean that much to you. Accommodation allows team members to give in to the team at the cost of their own views or opinions. Some team members simply just want to get along with other members, so they are moved to be the accommodator. Before doing so, that team member must be positive that they are able to support and follow through with the decision made. Accommodation could also occur when one team member realizes they are wrong or have changed their mind. On e or many team members will have strong beliefs about a topic/issue which will cause competition. This usually means that a team member is more concerned with their own agenda than that of the team. This always presents a win/lose situation; which in the end will ruin relationships among team members. This may be a beneficial approach when the team needs to be moved to action, or a member believes that the actions of the team are unethical, illegal or dangerous. Team members can compromise and accept a middle ground requiring either side to give up something for the good of the teams’ progress. A compromise should be reached because the team is at a stalemate and running out of time to discuss the issue. This is a fair method due to the fact that everyone equally gives something up. If the group has enough time to commit to a creative solution, collaboration is the desired