Case Study

Team One

The kind of conflict that is affecting team one is analytical in nature due to the fact that Tonya does not want different alternatives to be presented since the problematic questions seem to have obvious answers. From Tonya’s perspective, there is no need of breaking the problem into small units in order for the group to find the best possible solution since the final answer is already obvious. According to De Dreu and Weingart (2003), analytical conflicts usually occur when an individual perceives a problem from a differing perspective and suggests a different solution. This conflict is highly disruptive, and it can only be solved by using an effective strategy of preventing, controlling and regulating the conflict in order to restore stability.

One-on-one conflict resolution approach is the most appropriate strategy of solving such kind of conflicts. As the team leader, Tonya needs to be informed that each of the alternatives of streamlining the expense reporting system has various limitations and benefits. Since the one-one-one approach presents an opportunity of communicating directly with Tonya, it will be effective in enabling her to understand why all the alternatives have to be taken into consideration. In addition, this will make her understand that disrupting other members from offering their contributions presents major challenges of finding the most appropriate solution. Barrett (2014) says that a team leader should have the ability of communicating effectively to ensure that other team members understand what the team wants to achieve.

Team Two

Team two is affected by interpersonal conflict because when Mary and Tom communicate through texts, they disrupt the meeting and make other groups members feel uncomfortable. Interpersonal conflict takes place when an individual or a group of individuals interfere with the efforts of other people when they are trying to achieve a certain objective (Beheshtifar & Zare, 2013). Studies have shown that such conflict can have several kinds of dimensions, ranging from behavioral, cognitive, and affective components. The behavioral component is when an individual or a group of individuals interfere with the ability of other people who are trying to reach some goal. The cognitive component is associated with personal disagreements while the affective component is related to negative emotions between concern parties. From this case, Tom is uncomfortable with the two group members who have brought food to the meeting, and thus, discusses his problem with Mary through texting.

A team approach is the most appropriate strategy that can be used to resolve this conflict. Team members can seek the attention of Tom and Mary and inform them that their actions are disrupting the objectives of the team. A team approach can be effective since all members will have a common strategy that will be used when a person wants to raise an issue or communicate with the entire team. Further, this approach will present Tom with an opportunity of raising his complaints, and the appropriate solution will be implemented. The team is working on a very important project that aims at improving the morale of the company. Therefore, Beheshtifar and Zare (2013) say that interpersonal conflict can be solved by indentifying the issues that have led to the conflict and looking for solutions that are supported by the concern parties.

Team Three

The predicament that the team three faces is associated with the task conflict where all team members have put individual efforts to complete their mandates, but there is the lack of coordination in terms of the way their different tasks should be managed. It can be seen that all team members have actively performed their duties, but they have failed to coordinate the submission of a common report. Task conflict can be defined as a conflict that takes place when a group is not able to move forward and complete a certain project due to differences that are related either to work or to personal issues (DeChurch, 2001). From this definition, it can be seen that the team three would not be able to complete its assignment on time since all members presented their tasks in different formats the revision of which requires a huge amount of time.

Facilitation is the best approach that can be used to resolve this problem. To prevent such misunderstanding in the future, the team leader should ensure that there is constant communication among all team members. Studies have shown that team projects where the leaders keep open and efficient communication with their team members tend to complete their tasks more effectively (Barrett, 2014).

Team Four

Team four is suffering from role conflict where one member of the team does not clearly understand the role that he is supposed to play in completing the objective. In addition, personal problems affect his/her ability to complete the assigned task effectively and on time.  Role conflict usually occurs when the tasks that a person is supposed to fulfill are in conflict, or one assignment is being affected by a different task (Idris, 2011). In this case, Gary’s official duties to the project are being affected by his personal problem, a factor that has made him submit the substandard work. Secondly, Gary did not understand his mandate to the team, and this forced his team members to redo the substandard work that he delivered. This is a clear sign of role conflict.

The most appropriate response to this conflict is facilitation, where team members try to communicate with Gary and understand the most effective way of enabling him to deliver quality work. The team member should facilitate in provision of ideas that will assist Gary to deliver better results in the second assignment. According to Barrett (2014), the lack of clear communication between team members leads to poor results since an individual fails to express the challenges that he/she encounters in the process of the delivery of the duties.

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