1. Stages of conflict

As the textbook states, every organization has an optimal level of conflict that can be considered highly functional as it helps generate positive performance. When conflict level is too low, performance can suffer. I completely agree with this and it proves to be true in my job. The first stage of conflict is perceived conflict, which is a cognitive awareness on the part of at least one group that events have occurred or that conditions exist favorable to creating overt conflict. Perceived conflict may or may not lead to felt conflict. Felt conflict is “felt” in the form of anxiety, tension and/or hostility. The final stage is manifest conflict. Manifest conflict is not only perceived and felt, but is acted upon.

At work I recently was witness to the progress of conflict in these three stages between two employees. One employee was very shy, quiet and kept to himself. On the other hand another employee was outspoken, rude and disrespectful. It was a known fact that conflict between the two existed, also known as perceived conflict. The loud employee one day said to the quiet “why don’t’ you ever talk or have friends.” The individual kept quiet but this type of action moved the conflict into the “felt” stage since obvious feelings such tension and hostility became present. Eventually, it moved into the manifest conflict stage. The quiet employee printed off a personal bank statement and went to pick it up at the printer and oddly enough the loud disrespectful employee was reading it and laughing. The quiet employee proceeded to punch the loud mouth in the back of the head several times. Needless to say, this is an example of manifest conflict. This is a type of conflict that should be avoided, especially in the working environment.

2. Stages of group development

The performance of groups depends on both individual learning and on how well the members learn to work with one another. The textbook refers to fives stages of development: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. The forming stage is characterized by uncertainty about the purpose, structure and leadership of the group. In this class, we have been placed in groups to work on the certain week case projects. The forming stage was very evident in our group. The first project everyone was confused about the structure of group and the project at task. In the following days and weeks, our group has moved from the forming stage to the storming and norming stages. The storming stage tends to be marked with conflict and confrontation. I think our group has done a good job of working together and have been very fortunate to not encounter much confrontation. The norming stage is marked by cooperation and collaboration. I think our group has moved nicely into the norming stage during the most recent project. Each member worked together by providing detailed unfinished sentences and in addition each member kept their word and completed their assigned task on time and in great detail. The performing stage is where the group is fully functional. In this stage the group structure is set and tasks become familiar. I can tell our team is starting to move into this stage, although we still have some work to do. The last group project will happen next week and that project will involve the adjourning stage. This stage involves the termination of group activities. This stage can be marked by very positive emotions centering on successful tasks. So far, I feel my team has done a great job of trying to motivate and work together to accomplish the tasks at hand. I foresee the adjourning stage to be one filled with positive emotions.

3. Case – L.E.S. Inc.

This case is obviously very complex and presents many problems. One of the biggest problems as far as I’m concerned is the lack of training provided by the company. Supervisors do not have to go through any training on how to manage employee conflict etc. Taking this into consideration along with the rapid expansion has caused major problems within the manufacturing plant. These problems have led me to reflect on how my current employer, State Street, compares and what would happen if half of our employees were new. First, and foremost, State Street has a 2-week new employee course followed by 2 more weeks of on the job training. Required classes happen everything 3 weeks until the individual hits the 1-year mark. State Street feels these classes are important enough that a section of the formal performance planning requires 20 hours of class per year; some classes required and some are personal preference. I can’t say I’m always excited about taking the time out of my already busy day to attend class but looking at the long-term success of the company, I think it makes sense. Something like this would have been very beneficial for this particular production plant. As I mentioned in my paper, I think employee motivation is also very important and that some type of rewards should be integrated into the future plans at L.E.S. plants. I see first hand at State Street how appreciated a $20 Applebee’s gift card is. I believe the $20 spent on the gift card will more then make up for itself by the hardworking employee.