Competent Teams Team Conflictteams Case Scenario
Assignment 1: Case Scenario Analysis and Discussion
In this assignment, you will respond to two case scenarios. The first case involves a customer relations confrontation made by a customer to you (the customer relations employee). The second case involves an organizational conflict (group to group) regarding outsourcing.
Case Scenario I:
Read what transpires and then identify a strategy to handle the issue:
- Identify and describe the crux of the issue. What elements of an interpersonal conflict are present?
- Using your self-assessment information from Module 2, describe what you would do or attempt to do in this situation. (Your values, personality, conflict style, and emotional intelligence will play a role in this scenario.)
Case Scenario II:
For this case scenario, carefully read the scenario and address the following in the discussion post:
- Identify and describe the crux of the issue. Identify the elements of group-to-group conflict that are present.
- Using your self-assessment information from Module 2, describe what you would do or attempt to do as a strategy toward resolution of this conflict. Address your assumptions, the contingencies, and how your self-assessment information will influence the strategy.
Submission Details:
- By the due date assigned, post your response to the Discussion Area. Through the end of the module, review and comment on at least two classmates’ responses.
Module 4 Overview
- Identify and analyze applicable theories for managing conflict and apply the theories to diagnose and resolve the conflict.
- Examine the impact of communication and trust breaking on overt and covert conflicts and utilize findings to either implement preventative measures or inform corrective courses of action.
- Examine the impact of differential personal styles and values and apply them to the conflict management process.
- Identify and apply the trade-offs and risk analysis used in the mediation resolution processes.
- Demonstrate team member and leadership behavior that is effective and creative in achieving team goals by identifying and applying mature group and team leadership skills in a variety of situations.
Organization-Centered Conflict
Real-world conflicts may occur spontaneously, with little or no preparation time. Thus, the more you are mindful of certain personality, conflict style, and emotional intelligence information, the more likely you will be successful in your resolution of conflicts.
Having completed your self-assessment information in the previous module, you will now be applying your self-data to two case scenarios in Module 4. The identification of the case issues is necessary before you use your critical thinking to apply your self-assessment information as it relates to the scenarios’ solutions.
This assignment requires a careful analysis of your self-information and selection of the information that correlates with the scenario. This type of assignment may seem academic, but it provides you with the opportunity to carefully select and fit your assessment information to the situation.
Next, there is an opportunity to conduct research and further understand conflict resolution and strategy as it relates to team development. In this module, you will be writing a mini literature review to further explore and gain insight into diagnosing and managing conflict and forging teams.
Conflict-Competent Teams
Team Conflict
Teams must consistently resolve conflict as quickly as possible because the synergy developed by teams is one of their greatest assets. A shared vision and goals can greatly assist teams in becoming highly effective. However, team conflict can easily occur because of a disagreement on the method or way to achieve goals and objectives. The introduction of expertise can introduce a difference of opinion as to how things should be accomplished. Goal confusion within a team can cause conflict and result in less effective accomplishment of team objectives because of misunderstandings. Since well-developed teams are a cohesive unit, the openness of trust and collaboration may allow them to resolve conflict because of the importance of being so task and mission oriented. While well-developed teams may have more cohesiveness, conflict can still exist.
Team Development and Importance of Conflict
Teams can use the collaboration of open communication to resolve conflict and focus on their essential objectives. Open collaboration can not only help teams to resolve conflict but also enable them to use open debate to strengthen their relationship in becoming more united. Team members can develop skills and behavior to help them relate to each other and solve team conflict efficiently and effectively. A highly developed team should develop a strategy for training and preparing team members’ skills to be able to solve problems related to conflict. Teams must be able to remain cohesive so as to be able to continue to generate the synergy necessary to perform at a very high level. Team members must have a deep respect for each other as teams often depend on the different expertise of each individual in order to accomplish the assigned tasks. Retaining the cohesiveness that is necessary for team success is why most effective teams participate in team-building exercise, which enables them to understand the importance of interdependence.
Overt and Covert Conflicts
Overt and Covert Conflicts in Terms of Team Communication and Trust Breaking
Conflict is not always easy to identify because conflict can be expressed overtly or covertly. Cognitive dissonance usually forms the basis for both overt and covert conflict. When you have an overt conflict, it is easy to identify, and if it escalates, you may be able to resolve the conflict because there is often a communication of feelings about the conflict involved. There is a possibility to use open communication to resolve the conflict. When you have covert conflict, it can often be difficult to identify because parties involved may use other people and situations to try and anger or even hurt the other parties involved. Parties involved in covert activities will often use a form of passive aggression. They will act aggressively while refusing to admit that they are acting aggressively. In most cases, during the process of casual judgment and social inference, covert conflict escalates to overt conflict. Leaders may find overt conflict easier to resolve because it is out-front, while covert conflict can be difficult to identify and find a solution for because the individual involved may internalize it and indirectly or passively create divisiveness within the team.
Power of Goals, Roles, and Processes
Power is basically a fundamental concept in all conflicts. How power, goals, and roles are distributed can cause individuals to feel that there is a power imbalance, which essentially can lead to the perception of inequity and conflict can arise. How the power of goals and roles are distributed can also affect the flow of communication, which again can cause some individuals to perceive that there is an imbalance in being able to reduce the conflict. This imbalance of power can actually cause some people to feel that they are the victims in the conflict resolution process. When there are no true advantages because of goals and roles, individuals involved may have integrated power, which helps the different individuals involved to negotiate and reach mutually acceptable goals. This process can develop an open flow of communication, which can lead to constructive conflict and resolution of the conflict.
Effective Team Diagnosis and Response Actions
Because conflict arises through differences, when individuals form teams, there are apt to be differences and conflict. Effective diagnosis of a team should include an evaluation of whether there is a need for conflict intervention and the possible types of intervention that might be needed. It also takes time to develop a well-developed team and the differences in terms of power, values, and attitudes that can contribute to team development and the creation of conflict. Teams that are basically very cohesive and performance oriented, because of the satisfaction with the team and its viability, normally enhance the ability to reduce and resolve conflict. These types of teams often engage in constructive conflict and debate to increase their performance and creativity. While negative team conflict can hamper the effectiveness of a team and reduce its productivity, the strength of well-developed teams can be found in their ability, through open communication, to reduce the likelihood of conflict to become destructive.
All written assignments and responses should follow APA rules for attributing sources.
| Discussion Grading Table | Maximum Points |
| Quality of initial posting, including fulfillment of assignment instructions |
16 |
| Quality of responses to classmates |
12 |
| Frequency of responses to classmates |
4 |
| Reference to supporting readings and other materials |
4 |
| Language and grammar |
4 |
| Total: |
40 |