Resolving Conflicts in work TeamsI A major advantage a team has over an individual is its diversity of resources, knowledge, and ideas. However, diversity also produces conflict. As more and more organizations restructure to work teams the need for training in conflict resolution will continue to grow. Conflict remains the number-one problem for most of the teams operating within a large company, even after repeated training sessions on how to resolve conflict and how to minimize the negative impact on team members. One reason for this may be that mangers and other leaders within organizations are not giving the issue of resolving conflict enough attention. Although most managers are aware of disagreements and have received training in conflict resolution, they seldom assign a high priority to solving conflict problems. With this in mind, it is critical that team members possess skills to resolve conflict among themselves. Conflict arises from differences. When individuals come together in work teams their differences in terms of power, values and attitudes, and social factors all contribute to the creation of conflict. It is often difficult to expose the sources of conflict. Conflict can arise from numerous sources within a team setting and generally falls into three categories: communication factors, structural factors and personal factors. Barriers to communication are among the most important factors and can be a major source of misunderstanding. Communication barriers include poor listening skills; insufficient sharing of information; differences in interpretation and perception; and nonverbal cues being ignored or missed. Structural disagreements include the size of the organization, turnover rate, levels of participation, reward systems, and levels of interdependence among employees. Personal factors include things such as an individual's self-esteem, their personal goals, values and needs. In order for conflict to be dealt with successfully, managers and team members must understand its unpredictability and its impact on individuals and the team as a whole. I. Find the equivalents in the text: Разнообразие ресурсов; решение конфликтов; негативное воздействие; придавать большое значение; учитывая это, важно…; по отношению к власти, ценностям и установкам; выявить источники; атмосфера в команде; непонимание; коммуникационный барьер; недостаточный обмен информацией; восприятие; невербальные сигналы; структурные разногласия; текучесть кадров; процент участия; взаимозависимость; самооценка; непредсказуемость. II. Answer the questions: 1) Why does conflict remain the number-one problem for most of the teams? 2) What are the sources of conflict? 3) What are communication barriers? 4) What do structural disagreements include? 5) What do personal factors include?
II Conflict in work teams is not necessarily destructive, however. Conflict can lead to new ideas and approaches to organizational processes, and increased interest in dealing with problems. Conflict, in this sense, can be considered positive, as it facilitates the surfacing of important issues and provides opportunities for people to develop their communication and interpersonal skills. Conflict becomes negative when it is left to escalate to the point where people begin to feel defeated, and a combative climate of distrust and suspicion develops. Negative conflict can destroy a team quickly, and often arises from poor planning. There is the list of high potential areas from which negative conflict issues commonly arise: Administrative Procedures: If the team lacks good groundwork for what it's doing, its members will not be able to coordinate their work. People Resources: If the team does not have enough resources to do the job, it is inevitable that some will carry too heavy a load. Resentment, often unexpressed, may build, so it is crucial that team leaders ensure adequate resources. Cost overruns: Often inevitable, cost overruns become a problem when proper measures are not taken. The whole team should know early on when cost becomes a problem so additional funding can be sought by the team. This way the problem can be resolved before it grows into a problem for management. Schedules: The schedule is highly consequential to the team's project and should be highly visible. All members should be willing to work together to help each other meet their deadlines. Responsibilities: Each team member must know what areas are assigned and who is accountable for them. Wish Lists: Stick to the project at hand and avoid being sidetracked into trying to fit other things into it. Wait and do the other things you would like to do after successful completion of the original project. I. Find the equivalents in the text: способствовать выявлению насущных проблем; межличностное общение; чувствовать себя побежденным; агрессивная обстановка; недоверие; подозрительность; не хватает внятного обоснования; человеческие ресурсы; неизбежно; невысказанное недовольство, крайне важно; обеспечить адекватные ресурсы; превышение затрат; добавочное финансирование; график; иметь большое значение; быть на виду; укладываться в сроки; ответственный; придерживаться; проект, находящийся в разработке; отвлекаться; включить. II. Answer the questions: 1) What is positive in conflict? 2) When does conflict become negative? 3) Enumerate 6 potential areas from which negative conflict commonly arise. 4) Why are team members not able to coordinate their work? 5) What happens if the team does not have enough people resources? 6) Who resolves the problem of cost overruns? 7) Why is it important – to meet the deadlines? 8) Why shouldn’t team members sidetrack into trying to fit other things into the project? 2)
|
