Question

A Team in Trouble 3 (This short case describes a situation that can often be found with students teams. Students on this team have different personalities, interests, skills and goals. Your role is to be a couch for the team, helping them to resolve their conflict and become more effective.)

What course of action will you take if you can’t get all parties to cooperate?

Once you get all parties back on track and focused, what will be the final resolution?

What will be the follow-up plan?

Answer 1

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Conflict is pretty much inevitable when you work with others.

People have different viewpoints and, under the right set of circumstances, those differences escalate to conflict. How you handle that conflict determines whether it works to the team's advantage, or contributes to its demise.

You can choose to ignore it, complain about it, blame someone for it, or try to deal with it through hints and suggestions; or you can be direct, clarify what is going on, and attempt to reach a resolution through common techniques like negotiation or compromise. It's clear that conflict has to be dealt with, but the question is how: it has to be dealt with constructively and with a plan, otherwise it's too easy to get pulled into the argument and create an even larger mess.

Conflict isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Healthy and constructive conflict is a component of high-functioning teams. Conflict arises from differences between people; the same differences that often make diverse teams more effective than those made up of people with similar experience. When people with varying viewpoints, experiences, skills, and opinions are tasked with a project or challenge, the combined effort can far surpass what any group of similar individuals could achieve. Team members must be open to these differences and not let them rise into full-blown disputes.

Understanding and appreciating the various viewpoints involved in conflict are key factors in its resolution. These are key skills for all team members to develop. The important thing is to maintain a healthy balance of constructive difference of opinion, and avoid negative conflict that's destructive and disruptive.

Getting to, and maintaining, that balance requires well-developed team skills, particularly the ability to resolve conflict when it does happen, and the ability to keep it healthy and avoid conflict in the day-to-day course of team working. Let's look at conflict resolution first, then at preventing it.

• Acknowledge the conflict – The conflict has to be acknowledged before it can be managed and resolved. The tendency is for people to ignore the first signs of conflict, perhaps as it seems trivial, or is difficult to differentiate from the normal, healthy debate that teams can thrive on. If you are concerned about the conflict in your team, discuss it with other members. Once the team recognizes the issue, it can start the process of resolution.
• Discuss the impact – As a team, discuss the impact the conflict is having on team dynamics and performance.
• Agree to a cooperative process – Everyone involved must agree to cooperate in to resolve the conflict. This means putting the team first, and may involve setting aside your opinion or ideas for the time being. If someone wants to win more than he or she wants to resolve the conflict, you may find yourself at a stalemate.
• Agree to communicate – The most important thing throughout the resolution process is for everyone to keep communications open. The people involved need to talk about the issue and discuss their strong feelings. Active listening  is essential here, because to move on you need to really understand where the other person is coming from.

Answer 2

If I cannot get all parties to cooperate despite my efforts as a coach, the next course of action would be to have individual meetings with each team member separately. During these one-on-one sessions, I would strive to understand their perspectives, concerns, and reasons for not cooperating. It's essential to create a safe and open space for each team member to express themselves freely without judgment. These individual meetings will help me gain insight into the underlying issues causing the conflict and resistance within the team.

Once I have gathered information from each team member, I will analyze the common themes and areas of disagreement. With this understanding, I will facilitate a group discussion to address these issues collectively. During the meeting, I will encourage open communication, active listening, and a focus on finding common ground and shared objectives. As a mediator, I will guide the team through the process of brainstorming solutions and compromising where necessary.

The final resolution will be a mutual agreement among all team members on how to move forward. This agreement may involve setting clear and achievable goals, defining each team member's responsibilities, and establishing effective communication channels. The team should also develop a shared vision and purpose to align their efforts and foster a sense of unity.

For the follow-up plan, I will schedule regular team meetings to assess progress and address any emerging issues promptly. It's crucial to maintain open lines of communication and keep the team accountable for their commitments. Additionally, I will encourage team-building activities and workshops to improve collaboration, foster trust, and strengthen interpersonal relationships among team members.

Throughout the process, I will continuously monitor the team's dynamics and provide ongoing support and guidance as needed. The goal is to create a cohesive and effective team that can work together harmoniously and achieve their objectives while embracing their diversity of personalities, interests, skills, and goals. Building a strong team culture and ensuring effective communication will be key to sustaining the team's success in the long run.