Team Dynamics& Conflict Resolution

Team Dynamics are the unseen forces that operate in a team between different people or groups. Team Dynamics can strongly influence how a team reacts, behaves or performs, and the effects of team dynamics are often very complex. Suppose in a small team of six people working in one office there are two people who have a particularly strong friendship. This friendship is a "natural force" that may have an influence on the rest of the team, and can be manifest in various ways, either positively or negatively. Other factors can also play an influence. For example, if a wall of cupboards were to be placed across the middle of the office, this would also form a 'natural force' that influences the communication flow and may separate the group into two further sub-groups. Sometimes, an "absence" of a natural force can also be a team dynamic. For example, if the leader or manager is permanently removed from the office, the group may be drawn into a change of behavior.

You [Word choice. "You" and "your" are second person pronouns that mean general humanity. In academic writing, replace second person (you and your) with a third person pronoun (he, she, it, one, and they) for more specific writing.] can recognize team dynamics by looking for the forces that influence team behavior. These forces might include:

Personality styles (eg: including or excluding people)

Team Roles

Office layout (eg: cupboards dividing teams into two)

Tools and technology (eg: email, bulletin board, information pool enabling hidden communication).

Organizational culture (eg: company cars acting as status symbols to separate groups of employees)

Processes/methodologies/procedures (eg: problem-solving methodology)

Etc [Word choice. "Etc." is a Latin abbreviation meaning "and the rest." To eliminate redundancy, eliminate repetitive words. Try introducing the series with "such as" ] .

You [Eliminate second person "you" and "your" in academic writing.] need to:

look for the team dynamics - the 'natural forces' at play

determine whether they are acting for good or ill,

make interventions to make the effect of those dynamics more positive.

For example, if a wall of cupboards is inhibiting communication within a group, that wall can be repositioned and the room layout designed to encourage communication (without making the environment too uncomfortable for those who value their privacy when working on individual tasks).

Practicing personal courage is necessary if you want to really ["really" is a weak word meaning "not imaginary." Use "truly" or another, clearer word] resolve conflicts at work. It ["It" must refer to a specific word in the sentence or the reader can become confused by the vague pronoun reference. Example - It demonstrated his recent achievement. (This usage is incorrect because "it" does not refer to a specific element in the sentence.) When Victoria received her diploma, she put it in a frame. ("It" clearly refers to the diploma.)] is much easier and much safer to ignore the necessary conflict and play ostrich. Unfortunately, unresolved conflict tends to escalate. It never really ["really" is a weak word meaning "not imaginary." Use "truly" or another, clearer word] disappears because it simmers just below the surface. Think of water that is coming to a boil. It burbles up in the pot sporadically and then [this is redundant, since "and" and "then" in this application have essentially the same meaning. Use one or the other] finally reaches the boiling temperature. At that point, a full blown rolling, constant boiling is seen on the surface of the water.

Conflict behaves similarly. The water may seem calm, but every once in awhile, usually at the worst possible times, the conflict burbles up to the surface once again. Unresolved conflict does not go away; unresolved conflict can turn into a full boil at any time.

Many people are afraid of conflict resolution.

They feel threatened by conflict resolution because they may not get what they want if the other party gets what they want. Even in the best circumstances, conflict resolution is uncomfortable because people are usually unskilled at conflict resolution. Finally, people can get hurt in a conflict and, at work, they are still expected to work together effectively every day.

The Benefits of Conflict Resolution

This century's workplace makes conflict resolution more important, but also, more difficult. Team or work cell environments create more conflict as people with different opinions must choose to work together, often in close quarters.

Empowering work environments, in which the traditional reliance on a manager to solve conflicts and make decisions, bring coworkers into more frequent conflict, as they [pronoun agreement: since the antecedent (manager) is singular, the pronoun (they) must be singular {he or she}] must work issues out for themselves. Conflict resolution also:

Causes people to listen to and consider different ideas.

Enables people to increase their alternatives and potential paths.

Results in increased participation and more ownership of and commitment to the decisions and goals of the group or person.

The goal of the people or the team is not to eliminate conflict but to learn how to manage conflict constructively.

These conflict resolution steps will help you reach this goal.

You've [Eliminate contractions (isn't for is not) in academic writing.] decided resolving the conflict is more important than all of [Unnecessary wording. Remove "all of" or use "all."] the reasons why people avoid conflict. Here are tips to help you practice less scary, less intimidating, more effective and successful conflict resolution, with an individual or a team.

Create an environment that is conducive to successful conflict resolution. Quiet, private settings work the best. Agree prior to sitting down together that the purpose of the meeting is to resolve the conflict. When you make this agreement, all parties arrive prepared.

Determine

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