Conflict Resolution and Conflict

Team Conflict Development and Team Dynamics

Organizational tasks are becoming increasingly complex and more involved; teams have become valuable for easier and more effective accomplishment of tasks (Chekwa & Thomas, 2013). Teamwork has turned out to be a crucial driver of organizational productivity in the contemporary workplace (Breugst et al., 2012; Martinez-Moreno et al., 2015; Lee et al., 2015); this to a large extent explains why employers are ever more looking for individuals with outstanding teamwork abilities. Nonetheless, owing to differences in needs, objectives, opinions, interests, priorities, values, and beliefs between different members of a team, conflicts are bound to emerge often (Brown et al., 2011). Lack of proper handling of the conflicts, individual and team productivity can be significantly hampered (Fusch & Fusch, 2015). This paper provides of review of literature relating to conflict management in teams. The review particularly pays attention to team development and dynamics, team conflict and conflict resolution, the role of the team leader in resolving team conflicts, as well as the importance of developing an ethical and diverse culture within the team setting.

Team Development

Team development essentially denotes the process of mobilizing a group of people and motivating them to achieve a defined goal or objective (Raes et al., 2015). Accomplishing tasks in teams has become important due to the associated advantages: greater synergy, quicker and more effective execution of tasks, better problem-solving, increased morale for work, as well as improved organizational productivity (Chekwa & Thomas, 2013; Jiang et al., 2014). Towards achieving developmental goals, however, the right fundamentals must be put in place. These fundamentals include: effective selection of team members, clear communication of team goals and objectives, proper allocation of tasks and responsibilities, continuous training and learning, and effective leadership and conflict management (Chekwa & Thomas, 2013; Raes et al., 2015). Successful team development also calls for effective motivation of team members via both financial and non-financial techniques, an atmosphere of inclusive and participatory decision-making, as well as involvement in activities that foster team spirit and healthy interpersonal relationships (Chang & Lee, 2013). These processes occur across the various stages of team development, which include forming, storming, norming and performing (Raes et al., 2015).

Team Conflict, Conflict Resolution, and Dynamics

Whereas the significance of teamwork cannot be overemphasized, conflicts are usually inevitable (Brown et al., 2011). According to Fusch & Fusch (2015), team conflict in the workplace has been on the rise due to the increasingly complex nature of work structures and relationships. The structures and relationships have become more sophisticated, intense, and unfortunately, fractured; thereby placing greater demands on workers. three sources from which team conflicts can mainly emerge are task, relationship, and process (Fusch & Fusch, 2015). Task conflicts are conflicts which arise from the objectives and content of the task at hand (Canelon et al., 2015). For instance, a task may be characterized by immense pressure and interdependence (Lee et al., 2015). Process conflicts originate from the manner in which the task is accomplished (Canelon et al., 2015). For instance, different team members may have different opinions about how to go about a certain task. Inadequate understanding of each other's responsibility and scope of work can also lead to conflict (Brown et al., 2011). Relationship conflicts, also known as interpersonal conflicts, are conflicts between individuals (Canelon et al., 2015). This may be due to differences in personality, values, and cultural background (Eiser & Eiser, 2016).

Though research in this area has reported mixed results, conflict between team members can be costly both at the individual and organizational levels, particularly in terms of creating dissatisfaction with work, increasing absenteeism, as well as hampering individual performance and organizational productivity (Breugst et al., 2012; Martinez-Moreno et al., 2015; Canelon et al., 2015; Lee et al., 2015). These negative outcomes often emanate from the interpersonal aggression, hostility, threats, and sabotage created by conflict (Fusch & Fusch, 2015). Nonetheless, conflict may not necessarily be bad or negative (Miller, Balapuria & Sasay, 2015). For instance, differences in opinions about how to execute a given task may result in the evaluation of different perspectives, ultimately leading to the choice of the most appropriate course of action.

Whether a necessary evil or not, team conflicts must be properly and effectively handled whenever they arise. The five major approaches for resolving team conflict include: competing (prioritizing one's interests over others); collaborating (working together to find a mutually beneficial solution); avoiding (ignoring the conflict); accommodating (placing one's interests below those of others); and compromising (sacrificing something so as to get a solution) (Martinez-Moreno et al., 2015). While collaboration tends to be the most appropriate conflict resolution approach, it may not always be feasible -- some situations may require compromising, avoiding, and accommodating (Chekwa & Thomas, 2013; Chang & Lee, 2013; Yazid, 2015). All the same, regardless of the approach, conflict resolution is crucial for team cohesion, effectiveness, satisfaction, and productivity.

Though the above approaches can be useful, it is important to note that resolving team conflict is often not a straightforward undertaking. Barriers such as workload, lack of time, lack of recognition of conflict situations, perceived lack of authority, fear of confronting others, and lack of enthusiasm for dealing with conflict can hinder conflict resolution (Brown et al., 2011). Conflict resolution may further be hampered by geographical distance between team members (Martinez-Moreno et al., 2015). In today's technologically advanced world, teams are ever more geographically dispersed, linked by modern information and communication technologies (Chekwa & Thomas, 2013). This geographical separation may often present unique challenges to conflict resolution (Wakefield, Leidner & Garrison, 2008). Understanding these barriers can lead to more effective resolution of team conflicts.

Leader's Role in Conflict Management and Resolution

The team leader plays an instrumental role in resolving and managing conflicts within the team. In fact, leaders should spend about 20% of their work time addressing conflict (Chang & Lee, 2013). They should serve as mediators in resolving conflicts that can potentially hinder individual, team, and organizational productivity (Fusch & Fusch, 2015). This argument particularly stems from the leader-member exchange theory, which highlights the role of leadership in motivating followers (Fusch & Fusch, 2015). Leaders can motivate their followers by reinforcing positive behaviors, taking disciplinary action on negative behaviors, facilitating and fostering effective communication, enforcing trust, cultivating inclusivity and fairness, providing individualized support, as well as emphasizing the importance of harmony and reconciliation (Chang & Lee, 2013; Fusch & Fusch, 2015).

The role of the team leader with regard to conflict resolution also involves establishing and implementing basics for team interactions, providing feedback to each team member on their behavior and its impact on others, enforcing the team's conflict handling protocols, as well as getting team members to take part in conflict resolution (Brown et al., 2011; Eiser & Eiser, 2016). The implication for leaders in conflict resolution is that they must possess certain characteristics: effective communication and negotiation skills, emotional intelligence, authoritativeness, excellent problem-solving skills, integrity, and accountability (Brown et al., 2011; Fusch & Fusch, 2015; Miller, Balapuria & Sasay, 2015).

Development of an Ethical and Diverse Culture

Cultivating a culture of ethics and diversity can also be crucial for managing conflicts within the team setting. Ethics in this case may relate to aspects such tolerance for each other, personal accountability, respect, adherence to team rules, and ethical decision-making (Raes et al., 2015). When team members are bound by a shared ethical culture, conflicts are less likely to occur (Miller, Balapuria & Sasay, 2015). For instance, when every team member has full acknowledgment of their responsibility in making the team a success, there would most likely be no conflicts over specific roles and responsibilities.