Team Working Research Paper

Conflict among team members is a challenge which always seems to be occurring in one way or another over a small period of time or larger. Conflict can be formed in many different ways and if unresolved can lead to more severe consequences. Having strategies in place can help leaders to deal with such issues and challenges and help to keep them to a minimum.

Storming stage is the second phase of team development. This is when the conflict between the

Conflicts can occur at this stage over leadership style or lack thereof. If the members don’t like the way the leader handles conflict, power, or authority, they may develop feelings of distrust or judgment (1). Another type of conflict arises when different opinions on how to approach the group task cannot be settled. This can be a hard stage for more passive group members who avoid conflict. Uncomfortableness that is generated during this stage, some group members may remain silent while others are dominate. Not allowing any one team member

When an organization has to merge two groups together, it goes without saying there will undoubtedly be conflict, but how the newly-formed group manages a myriad of situations can prove to be vital to the survival and success of the newly-formed team. The processes, discussions, and behaviors of the team members can set the tone early for how well the group will thrive during and even after the forming stage. In addition, the team can take many steps to help ensure that conflict is addressed and does not sabotage the group process during the storming stage. Also, the plans a team has in place can help the team members improve their relationships during the norming stage once most or even all of the conflict has subsided. Furthermore, the pre-existing and well-thought-out plans can help all the team members maximize team success and productivity during the performing stage of team development once the conflict and unfamiliarity have long subsided.

Dealing with conflict is always a challenging situation, which requires team members to be integrated into a single, organized unit (Bolger, 2003). Conflict among teams is bound to occur no matter how much one tries to avoid it. While resolving all conflicts is not possible, these conflicts can be dealt with using the correct methodology. To address team conflict there are five methods: Accommodate, Compromise, Enforce, Explore, and Postpone (Bolger, 2003).

The first step is initiating the team development meeting. During this step, the team is formed and a meeting is initiated, usually by a senior leader, to discuss problems within the organization. Although the senior leader initiates the meeting, the decision to proceed is usually made by all of the team members. At this point, the members will discuss the amount of involvement required by the team or if a team is necessary to handle the problem.

2. Storming: During the storming stage, individual personalities emerge. People become more assertive in clarifying their roles and what is expected of them. This stage is marked by conflict and disagreement. People may disagree over their perceptions of the team’s goals or how to achieve them. Members may jockey for position, and

In corporate settings, the storming phase is inevitable. In some cases, this phase extends through the duration of the project. So I was puzzled when we skipped this stage altogether during our team building exercise. Why did we skip this phase during our exercise? The top three on my list of reasons are lack of ego, authority or hierarchy among the team members. The MBA team didn’t have anything to lose. There was no competition for a promotion, a raise or individual credit for a work well done or the fear of losing the job or making our management look bad. Every team member during this phase is trying to answer the question “What’s in it for me?”. Till each member gets a satisfying answer to this question and their answer aligns with the goal of the project, this phase will continue.

There are many factors to consider when determining what causes conflict between team members including communication, structure and personal issues. Communication factors are often the primary source of disagreement among individuals. Misunderstanding of information, differences in interpretation and perception, cultural differences and poor listening can all contribute to information being poorly communicated and causing frustration among team members. Structural factors, such as the background of the team members, infrastructure, participation levels and size of team can also play a big role in causing conflict. In smaller groups, something like majority rule will not work. Employees participating and committing to a final decision will avoid conflict

The team objectives make up the first part of the processes. Teams should have a common purpose and clear objectives free from ambiguity. Reflexivity is the next stage and this helps to overcome team frustrations and any confusion regarding objectives. This is done by reflecting on immediate and long-term objectives on a regular basis by meeting and sharing information. Decision making is the next component; research has shown that teams make better decisions than individuals however there are certain process losses which can affect decisions. One of these is social conformity; the tendency to go along this the majority decision and exclude your opinion.

In the forming stage, the group is formed and the group members try to get to know each other and figure out how they are going to function. At this stage there is discomfort due to unfamiliarity together with confusion on how the team will function together. It’s important at this point in team development to have a clear objective, define goals, and plan how the team will achieve their tasks. In my previous groups in 1st term, there was some discomfort and confusion, I think, primarily due to the fact that we did not know each other well and did not have clear goals and an understanding of how we would function together as a team. But in the GDTB group, some of us had already worked together for another assignment in 1st term so it was easier for us to work together again for GDTB project. Through this project we learned more about each other and also talked about our goals, interests in how we would work

In this first stage, a group of people introduced to each other. They are curious, anxious, cautious and even excited about the task ahead. To form a good impression on others the spirit of positive vibes are seen among the team members.The forming stage is to create a team with clear structure, goals, direction and roles so that all the team

As the team begin to work together, they feel more at ease with each other. Some conflicts could then happen because the members feel more comfortable to express their opinions and possible disagreements.

The first stage is known as forming or project initiation. During the initial stage, members get to know each other and understand the scope of the project (Gray & Larson, 2014). They also get to know what roles they have within the team, how to behave with each other and who is in charge. The stage is completed once the members feel like they are part of the team (Gray & Larson, 2014).

If the team members can control their emotions and stay in charge of the situation they will be able to resolve the conflict. All members should avoid being overemotional