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CONFLICT IN WORK TEAMS: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
Brittany Sikes, Florida Institute of Technology Robert D. Gulbro, Athens State University Linda Shonesy, Athens State University
ABSTRACT Conflict is almost certain to occur in work teams due to the fact that they are comprised of different people possessing different perceptions, personalities, and behaviors. Although incredibly effective, work teams may stumble upon barriers which must be overcome to allow for growth and continuation towards the common goals of the group. It is quite possible that a work team may perform without the presence of conflict, but oftentimes certain measures have been implemented to prevent such conflict from occurring. Occasional conflict, if managed appropriately, can lead to creativity, better decision-making, and improved results. However, too much conflict can lead to a decrease in performance and group cohesion. In global organizations there is an opportunity for cross-cultural differences that may increase conflict. Contained herein are both the positive and negative consequences of conflict, as well as courses of action to understand, prevent, and resolve conflict that occurs within work teams or groups. THE VALUE OF WORK TEAMS A work team is defined as an organized group, committed to the individuals within the group, whose members share the same intent of accomplishing a common goal. Managers have become more inclined to utilize work teams when presented with missions involving problem solving, solution development, and decision making. One advantage a team has over an individual is its diversity of resources, knowledge, and ideas (Townsley, 2009). Teams allow for greater creativity due to the eclectic styles of thinking that collaborate when groups are formed. Benefits derived from using teams include quality improvements and enhanced productivity gains obtained by bringing individuals with complementary skills together (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, 2005). Teams enable better outcomes since there is a combination of multiple experiences and knowledge bases joining together to resolve issues and make decisions. An example would be the development of a new car line by a major dealership. In order for the dealership to make the best decision possible, it should utilize members from all departments: marketing, finance, legal, production, engineering, etc., in order to develop the best overall plan for the company. This allows management to have knowledge obtained from every area within the organization that is potentially involved in determining the success or failure of the new product line. From the organized work team, all necessary information is provided and analyzed in order to effectively create the new line. As problems arise from a specific area, the team will be able to resolve issues more effectively by the input provided from the various departments. On the contrary, if the company were to choose a single individual to create the plan for the new line, he or she is unlikely to be capable of making such decisions alone. In most circumstances, work teams tend to be more successful at formulating these types of decisions because they use input from team members who may be experts in that field.

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CAUSES OF CONFLICT IN WORK TEAMS Despite the recognizable improvements in the proficiency of organizations through the use of teams, there is also an increase in the likelihood of conflict occurring due to the presence of overall differences among members of a team. When individuals come together in work teams there are differences in terms of power, values and attitudes, and social factors that all contribute to the creation of conflict. Conflicting factors such as these may cause deviation from the key goals of the group and may generally fall into three categories: communication factors, structural factors and personal factors” (Townsley, 2009). Communication factors are often the primary source of disagreement among individuals. Barriers to communication can result from misunderstanding of information, differences in interpretation and perception, cultural differences among the team, as well as poor listening. Different communication styles, if not interpreted correctly, might also prove to be problematic. For example, problems arise when value judgments are made on the basis of different communication styles. If team members disagree and one represents views and feelings forcefully with a raised voice, another more restrained team member may see that as arrogant and aggressive. The same 'arrogant' team member may conclude that the restrained team member is untrustworthy because eye contact is not maintained (Ford, 2001). Such misinterpretation can easily trigger false opinions of the sender or receiver’s intent. The second category, structural factors, can stem from elements such as the background of the team members, infrastructure issues, participation levels (within the team), or possibly the size of the team. Personal factors that could also promote the chance for conflict within a team include: individual values and goals, needs, self-esteem, or individual motives (Townsley, 2009). Furthermore, an individual’s perception of the situation that is significantly different from that of another team member’s may also bring about conflict. With the increase in the globalization of organizations, a new source of conflict can come, not from just cross-functional team members, but cross-cultural members as well (Northouse, 2010). here are two cultural factors to keep in mind when considering conflict-causing factors. The first is internal group culture. There will always be variation within a group. However, “the majority of a group culture will conform to a dominant set of beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. But, there will be members of the cultural group that differ in significant ways from the norm” (Ford, 2009). Despite the internal group culture established, there may be individual cultural factors affecting differences among the group. These cultural differences may result from individuals within the team who come from different nationality groups, religious groups, ethnic groups, and organizations. Although the team has an inherent culture that is formed, the team must be cognizant of external cultural factors that differ from the norm of the team, or else conflict may occur. For instance, “the dominant culture in the USA, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand is individualistic, while collectivism predominates the rest of the world” (Ford, 2009). Therefore, countries such as the USA, Canada, and Australia are going to place more emphasis on autonomy, creativity and authority in decision making. Meanwhile, other countries focus more on a collectivist culture where group conformity and commitment are preserved at the expense of personal interests. These types of cultural differences can greatly impact the dynamics of a work team and must be understood and respected in order for the team to function successfully. CONSEQUENCES OF CONFLICT IN WORK TEAMS Conflict can produce either positive or negative results within work teams. An effective team is one where members are capable of handling conflict and drawing out the knowledge gained from disagreements to arrive at a better decision. However, negative consequences occur whenever conflict is not resolved by the team members. If conflict is not properly managed, the effects can be damaging to the team, as well as the organization. Oftentimes a work team may consist of individuals or groups of individuals from different areas within an organization. Thus, those groups
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within the work team depend on one another for information to make the best possible decisions. Whenever there is conflict among these groups, it can either be classified as functional or dysfunctional. Positive functional conflict is a confrontation between groups that enhances and benefits the organization’s performance (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, 2005). For instance, in the example mentioned previously about the dealership and its implementation of a new car line, individuals from the finance department may disagree with individuals from the marketing department on how to implement the marketing plan for the new line. As long as they are able to work through the conflict to derive the most optimum decision, then this can be considered functional conflict. Positive consequences of functional conflict include: awareness of problems, search for solutions, positive change and adaptation, as well as innovation. Thus, the absence of functional conflict in organizations might inhibit change from ever occurring and could cause a team to become stagnant and unproductive (Ivancevich, et al 2005). Dysfunctional conflict is confrontation between groups that harms or hinders the goals of the organization (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, 2005). At this point functional conflict can lead to disruption of activities and extreme dissention among the team members when the conflict becomes dysfunctional. If the individuals within the team are not able to successfully resolve such conflict, it could prove damaging to the morale, relationships and goals of the group and the organization. Further consequences from a work team’s inability to properly resolve conflict may include decreased group cohesiveness, damaged communication channels, a decline in innovation and idea creation, project cancellation, and possibly extreme profit loss. Hopefully, in order to prevent the occurrence of negative consequences from dysfunctional conflict, teams will practice good conflict resolution skills and will be well-prepared and properly trained on how to handle such disagreement within the team. However, if such is not the case, then conflict may become a direct cause for team failure instead of a positive influence in achieving optimal outcomes. RESOLVING CONFLICT IN WORK TEAMS Conflict resolution is an integral part of effective teams and organizations. Conflict is inevitable but the important takeaway is not necessarily knowing how to eliminate conflict all together, but to eliminate the problems before they begin or be prepared deal with the conflict as it is presented. There are several recommendations that prove effective in managing and resolving group conflict. The leader of the group should develop a strategy for training and preparing team members for group process, in particular, training to proactively manage or avoid conflict. Conflict management and resolution training is a great way for an organization to coach employees on how to prepare for resolving conflict when working in teams. It provides awareness of how conflict may arise and different methods of managing conflict to maximize effectiveness of the team. Such training allows the organization and its members an opportunity to develop strategies to effectively tackle conflict before it even occurs. If the conflict can be traced to cultural differences between two or more group members, obtaining cultural synergy may be necessary (Adler, 2008). Cultural differences should be embraced, and used to enhance group performance. Ethnocentrism should be discouraged, as it tends to lift up one culture at the expense of another (Northouse, 2010). Open communication is necessary to resolve differences in perception and interpretation. Some sort of compromise between individuals or sub-groups may be necessary in order to move beyond the situation. Commonalities between members of different cultures should be emphasized and differences minimized. At times facilitators should be designated to assist with managing and resolving group conflict. Implementing the use of a group facilitator can alleviate many problems resulting from conflict because he or she can coach the team(s) through dealing with conflict openly and successfully. This person can facilitate effective communication by intervening in conversation to allow for disagreements to be approached in a methodical and rational manner. Facilitators may also
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help to resolve conflict in situations where members develop different conceptualizations of a conflict situation or event in the group. For instance, individuals may have unique internal frames of reference which cause them to interpret conversation differently than someone else (Mitchell, 2006). In addition to the implementation of conflict management training and the use of facilitators, other processes exist to aid in the practice of conflict resolution. In an article written by Dr. Thomas Capozzoli, six processes are discussed that can be used when practicing conflict resolution. The first states that the group should explore the reasons for disagreement and if emotions are still high, continue only after emotions have calmed. Only at this point can groups make decisions rationally based on logic and thoughts verses emotional deterrents to communication. Within the first process, Capozzoli emphasizes the need for active listening and he also discusses the importance of refusing to criticize the perceptions of other group members. The second process deals with recognizing alternative solutions presented by different sides of the group, but only after the disagreement has been fully identified. Third, all the reasons for why each solution is appropriate should be explored. Then negotiations should begin to determine which solution seems most practical. Once the solution has been identified, it should be implemented with each party understanding its responsibilities. Once the fourth process has been completed in resolving conflict, the fifth one states that the group should thoroughly evaluate the chosen solution to ensure that it is most successful in solving the disagreement (Capozzoli, 1995). If the solution does not appear to be adequate in resolving the disagreement, another solution should be evaluated. The final step presented in the conflict resolution process is to continue practicing the conflict resolution process. This will enable team members of the organization to be more equipped when handling future conflicts. Five generic approaches are mentioned when resolving intergroup conflict: dominating, accommodating, problem solving, avoiding, and compromising. The dominating approach requires that one group holds a balance of power so that it can force its resolution on the other group. This can be a successful approach when differences need to be resolved quickly or when unpopular actions need to be taken such as imposing new policy. The accommodating approach involves one group meeting the needs of another over its own. This can be beneficial when the issue is more important to the other group or when preserving peace is more important than maximizing one’s own interest. The third approach, problem solving, involves collaborating and working together to maximize results for all involved. Out of these five intergroup conflict resolutions, problem solving is probably the ideal approach due to the collaboration of parties and the merger of insight, experience, knowledge and perspective. Avoiding conflict, the fourth approach, is only effective when used as a temporary method. Sometimes avoiding the conflict is necessary when other issues are more important, parties need an opportunity to cool down from a heated disagreement, or when additional time is needed to gather more information. Avoiding can be useful as long as it is used for a particular reasoning and not as a permanent solution to the conflict. When utilizing the fifth approach, known as the compromising approach, usually the resolution reached is not ideal for either group but a resolution is achieved through negotiation. Compromise is the middle-of-the-road approach and is a good backup strategy when other approaches fail at resolving conflict (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, 2005). Each of the five mentioned approaches could prove effective in resolving conflict in teams, depending on the situation. CONCLUSIONS Organizational work teams will inevitably encounter conflict whether the conflict exists among the individuals within the work team, or among multiple teams working together. Regardless, a good understanding of how conflict occurs, the consequences of conflict, and how to manage conflict, may allow groups to arrive at better solutions for the team and the overall organization. Learning how to manage and resolve conflict requires training and preparation, active
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listening, open communication, as well as an understanding of the perceptions, personalities, and behaviors shared among the group. Leading a group requires an understanding of different cultural factors, both internal and external, are also helpful in managing conflict within a group. But most importantly, adopting good practices and approaches to conflict resolution will allow conflict to enhance the behavior of the group members and the work performance of the group. References are available from the authors.

Proceedings of the Academy of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 15(1)

New Orleans, 2010