Conflict Management in Student Teams

Enhancing and Assessing Team and Group Learning In Architecture and related Design Contexts
A Project Funded by Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT), 2012-2013

Project Leader: Assoc Prof Richard Tucker, richard.tucker@deakin.edu.au Project Manager: Dr Neda Abbasi, neda.abbasi@deakin.edu.au

Todays Lecture
UNDERSTANDING CONFLICT: What is Team Conflict?
Fundamentals of Team Conflict Defining Team Conflict Types of Team Conflict Causes of Team Conflict Problematic & Extreme Team Behaviours

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: How to manage conflict?

General Stages in Resolving Conflict Methods/Approaches to Face Team Conflict

Dealing with Problematic Behaviours

Effective Team Communication Managing Emotions in Team Conflict

Fundamentals of Team conflict

1. Conflict is INEVITABLE and NORMAL. 2. Team members come to the team with EMOTIONS and FEELINGS.

1. Conflict is INEVITABLE and NORMAL.

The team get to know each other, establish the ground rules, set up team goals and develop team project plan.

FORMING
The team may experience conflicts resulted by interpersonal & task-elated issues in this emotionally charged stage.

STORMING
This stage is characterized by conflict resolution, effective cooperation, communication and problem solving.

NORMING
The team achieve a synergy and perform efficiently. Team members experience a high level of satisfaction with teamwork.

PERFORMING
(Mcgourty & Meuse 2001)

2. Team members come to the team with EMOTIONS and FEELINGS.

Emotions follow you everywhere you go! Within relational contexts i.e. student teams/groups and work teams, there is a greater need to manage your emotions.

http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/File:Emotions3.jpg

Defining Team Conflict

When someone on the team feels bad about something related to the team[1] a struggle or contest between people with opposing needs, ideas, beliefs, values, or goals[2]

1. Conflict Resolution for Teams, (Mclachlan 2009), http://fr.slideshare.net/damclachlan/conflict-resolution-for-teams-updated 2. www.foundationcoalition.org

Types of Team Conflict

Distinguish between Constructive and Destructive conflict.

Causes of Team Conflict

Characteristics of Effective Teams [1] CONFLICT FACTORS
1. DYNAMIC EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION & RESOURCES - Lack of Efficient Communication i.e. effectively communicating and sharing resources and - Distrust & hostility among team members information.

2. COORDINATION OF TASKS

- Inefficient team meetings

- Unclarity about team goals - Non-committed team members - Dominating team members

3. INTERDEPENDENCE i.e. relying on each other to complete the team project/assignment.

- Lack of Efficient Collaboration - Lack of a clear team project plan - Non-committed team members - Dominating team members

4. ONGOING ADJUSTMENT TO CHANGES AND TASK - Lack of Efficient Communication DEMANDS - Inefficient team meetings i.e. discussing team dynamics and progress and planning - Unclarity about team goals to accommodate changes - Lack of a clear team project plan 5. SHARED AUTHORITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR TEAM - Non-committed team members OUTCOMES - Dominating team members
1. (McGourty and De Meuse, 2001)

Problematic & Extreme Team Behaviours

(http://archive.tlt.psu.edu/suggestions/teams/student/responsibility.html , 12/08/2013)

General Stages in Managing Conflict

Reflect and Review

Structure Discussion

Depersonalize Conflict

Understand conflict & map out solutions

Revisit Team Expectations

Methods/Approaches to Face Team Conflict

APPROACH AVOIDANCE ACCOMMODATING COMPETING COMPROMISING COLLABORATING
METHOD ATTITUDE BASIS NO WAY Evade Ill get out YOUR WAY Acquiesce Ill give in Ill yield to keep your friendship MY WAY Coerce Ill get him/her I Win You Loose HALF WAY Compromise Ill meet you halfway I will make a deal OUR WAY Collaborate I care and I will work with you I respect you & will resolve conflict

I always avoid conflict

VALUE

Safety & No People over Goal Goal over Risk People

Partial Value for Goal & People

High Value for Goal & People

http://fr.slideshare.net/damclachlan/conflict-resolution-for-teams-updated , accessed 21/08/2013

Dealing with Problematic Behaviours

Rule 1. Try to resolve the conflict within the team first. Rule 2. Approach the teacher first, if the team member
concerned is not reachable.

Step 1. Determine whether or not the behaviour is

problematic.

Step 2. Discuss the problematic behaviour with the

team member concerned.

TIPS. Discussing the problematic behaviour with the

team member concerned.

INSTEAD OF
Actor/Team Member Your Conclusion Presumptions/Judgements Advice/Answers Questions of WHY

FOCUS ON
Action/Team Problem Your Observation Descriptions/Information Ideas/Alternatives Questions of WHAT & HOW

Adopted from http://fr.slideshare.net/damclachlan/conflict-resolution-for-teams-updated

Revisit Your Attitude

LEAVE BEHIND
Your desire to win, punish, or control Your desire that everything be fair Your determination to be right Your assumption that it wont work Your tendency to think in black and white, right or wrong

FOSTER IN YOURSELF
A willingness to work this out

An understanding that perception is reality both for you and those around you A willingness to learn from situation A willingness to see and acknowledge your own contribution to the problem

Soft Skills World, http://fr.slideshare.net/rrsaha/conflict-management15451472 , accessed 21/08/2013

Effective Team Communication

FACE-TO-FACE communication
Practice to be a GOOD LISTENER Develop skills in clearly expressing yourself
(1) Choosing your words carefully; (2) Avoid the use of insulting and hurtful words; (3) being aware of your body language; and (4) keeping an eye on your tone of voice.

http://www.denniscummins.com/professional-speaking-public-speaking-seminars-workshops/killer-presentation-key-5-tone-of-voice/ , accessed 21/08/2013

Effective Team Communication

ELECTRONIC/ONLINE communication
Use Emoticons or "Communication Tags"

Never write when you are angry. (3) Re-read what you wrote before sending it. (4) Set out a time limit for responses. For major serious disagreements, meet or call your teammates.
(http://archive.tlt.psu.edu/suggestions/teams/student/communicate.html , accessed 21/08/2013

Emotions in Team Conflict

Difference in Individuals' Style
Difference in Individuals' Perception Difference in what individuals' want Difference in what individuals expect from each other

Personality Conflict

Perceptual Conflict Conflict of Interest/interestbased conflict Emotional Conflict

Your happiness relies on your emotional skills!

You dont get along with/even hate your colleagues/mangers/boss You start disliking your workplace/even your work You dont enjoy your work Your productivity is reduced and your career becomes endangered

Your happiness and emotional well-being is endangered

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Emotional Conflicts

I feel that my expectations are "immutable laws of the universe that can not be broken. My expectation is not met.

I experience disappointment as a kind of injustice.

One of the most common overwhelming emotions that I will feel is "anger.

1. The anger becomes EXPLOSIVE.

2. The suppressed anger and disappointment lead to resentment.

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Handle your ANGER!

http://oneinabillionconsulting.blogspot.com.au/2 011/02/be-motivated-series-managing-and.html

Hurt Loss Concern

ANGER

Connect with your primary emotions underlying the anger to get some information on how to resolve conflict.
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Turning HOT Emotions into COOL Emotions

1. DISTRACTION
- Count to ten - Think about something irrelevant - Use humour/try to remember a funny situation - Focus on your breathing

2. COPING
- Look at the situation from another person's perspective - Take a realistic look at the incident - Look at the situation as if it happened a long time ago - Focus on the situation instead of emotions - Be positive and optimistic
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http://en.paperblog.com/managing-emotions-beginwith-self-awareness-and-self-management-106230/

Emotional Intelligence
1. Being emotionally intelligent 2. Making emotionally intelligent choices

http://patkagmak.hubpages.com/hub/Emotional-Intelligence

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Managing Emotions in Team Conflicts

Learning how to work in a team is

about emotional maturity. The critical

early lessons about teamwork are associated with handling personality conflicts, swallowing personal pride,

negotiating divergent value systems

and developing a capacity of identify each persons potential strengths and weaknesses (Assoc. Prof. Michael Ostwald).

http://www.drjohnson.ca/emotionalintelligence.html

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