NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
... post with another team member. An example of this miscommunication festers in my office. Whenever we have a group meeting to exchange ideas, one member would always dispute a certain co-worker's suggestions. After digging further into the rift, it is not the ideas that this member is rejecting, it is a personal collision between these two colleagues.
Since we are now able to detect where the quandary is from, we can deal with it and move on. There are also contentions that have no redeeming value which a co-worker might not be able to overcome. Divorce, wars and fights can all be considered undesirable conflicts in the world because they never seems to end without people getting hurt. The same can take place within groups where there can be too much conflict preventing accomplishments. When this magnitude of disharmony occurs, it leaves a person feeling frustrated and disenchanted with the task at hand, Tubbs gives his own example of this by stating, " I don't even want to go to publication council meeting anymore. Every week it is just one hassle after another.
Nothing ever gets accomplished because every time we end up arguing" (Tubbs p. 280). Tubbs shows that no matter how important the task is, if there is only chaos, this affects all members of a group and leads to the group's losing sight of their goals and task. Another example is that of The Hunt for T-Rex which is a skill development simulation exercise. This exercise breaks the team into small units and has them answer questions to a hypothetical situation concerning the T-Rex situation. During the process of this, I found myself intertwined into a situation of undesirable conflict. I am in a group with a classmate who needs to feel like the leader; she dominates the group and hinders the actions by her incessant talking.
Because she is a controlling group member, we do not have time to answer several questions causing other members to leave feeling frustrated. I left that exercise feeling animosity towards this member which can never be rectified. When this type of conflict arises, peers seem to compete against one another. People always seem to confuse competition with conflict.
This is not always the case. According to Stephen R. Robbins: There existed rivalry between two or more parties to gain advantage over another person or group, but not with the ultimate aim of annihilating the rival. Can we then say that all competitions are conflicts or that all conflicts are competition? The terms are frequently used as synonyms for each other, which is erroneous.
There is a difference if all competitions were conflicts, we would be saying that all rivalries involved a form of opposition. Clearly, we can cite numerous examples in which this requirement is not met (Adult Learner Guide p. 40). I notice this in my work. Whenever there is an award to be given for performance, members of the team tend to stray away from the group's achievement goal and aim at their own objective. This is not a conflict, it just shows that human nature and the need for personal gratification override the needs of the team. However, conflict can stem from competition.
Robbins states, "Intense competition can lead to conflict. We can expect this to occur when competition is based on scarcity of a resource-where one gains at another's expense" (Robins p. 41). Working in the travel industry and having a passion for trekking around the world, I find that conflicts arise when an award is given to the highest sales person for that quarter. Conflict may come in the form of taking credit for another person's sale when they have done all the leg work. When this type of disunity arises, actions need to be taken towards resolving the contention. Working towards conflict resolution can be strenuous. "Two well-known psychologists (Blake & Mouton, 1970) have proposed a scheme whereby we can try to avoid win-lose situations and, when it is possible, apply a win-win approach" (Tubbs p. 281).
They call this a Conflict Grid. In this grid there are many different theories on how to handle conflict resolution. One mode for instance is called "hands-off" style (Tubbs p. 281). In this style the goal is to have an appearance of harmony within the group. This focus is towards people and does not really resolve any enigmas that might be plaguing the team. This style has a negative side that, if left to fester can develop into a critical situation.
For example, I work for an organization that often handles situations like this. In my office a situation might arise that an employee is unpleasant to co-workers and customers which leads to bad employee moral. One employee for instance is so nasty that she has a file of customer complaints that could lead to her termination. Customers along with fellow employees have expressed their concerns regarding her actions. Management, when confronted with this issue, proceeds to tell the customer and other team members that everything is fine and they will talk to her. By having this slothful approach it is quite clear that management does not want to create waves and proceeds to act in an unprofessional fashion.
This problem will continue until management comes to the realization that some disciplinary actions need to be taken. Finally they moved her out of the office, no not fired, they reallocated her to work out of her home. This decision now creates more uneasy feelings towards management. Nothing is accomplished, the problem is just covered up creating a facade of harmony within the team. The other approaches towards conflict resolutions on the Conflict Grid would include compromising and the bullhead approach. According to the Conflict Grid the best approach is to be person and result-oriented. "Conflicts are not ignored, but the individuals don't go around with a chip on their shoulder either" (Tubbs p. 282).
I find, when dealing with dilemmas, this is the foremost way of going about rectifying the situation. For instance, whenever I am in a disagreement with a co-worker, I do not let it linger. I confront the matter head on and face to face with the other person. Through dealing with predicaments in this manner, my peer and I are then able to come to an arrangement and no animosity is left lagging behind. Throughout our society, group work is becoming the norm in our everyday function.
When we are placed in a decision-making situation with other people with different personalities, ideas and beliefs in what the final outcome should be, conflict will arise. What we need to do is find out what the conflict truly is and deal with it accordingly. Our final goal as decision makers in a group is to work together to achieve the final purpose. Bibliography:
Free research essays on topics related to: arise, conflicts, conflict resolution, grid, t rex
Research essay sample on Conflict Resolution T Rex
