Resolving interpersonal conflict (Final with solution)

“A genuine effort to understand another person goes a long way in the path to communication." 

 I would like to talk about member A’s character. Member A is a sociable person, however he is irresponsible when it comes to work and does his work last minute. Whenever he is questioned by his peers on why work is not done, he would come up with excuses but in actual fact he is always playing computer games. 

 This encounter happened during a project meeting, between member A and the rest of the team. The deadline of the project was in one week’s time and everyone was rushing to submit the results on time. Apart from that, we had assignments from other modules to complete. The objective of that final meeting was to compile all our findings and put them together to present it. However, member A was not only late but could not present his work to the team. This added pressure to the team as everyone wanted to finalize the project fast and continue with their other tasks. The team questioned the member on why he could not complete his part on time. He claimed that he did not have time to finish his part due to the other assignments. This led to the team being angry at him as the rest could finish despite having the same workload as him. As the tension rises, one of the team member started raising his voice. The meeting ended on a bad note. 

 From my perspective as a member of the team, I think that although we all had similar workload, member A did not prioritize his time properly and neglected what was supposed to be done first instead. Furthermore, he was late and did not inform beforehand. As for the member that raised his voice, I think he was harsh as he was worried about the submission.  

 The possible causes of such actions are from the pressure of the upcoming deadline and the behavior member A towards the task that was given to him. In the end, although the project was submitted on time, the relationships between the team members were strained.   

 After reading this scenario, what do you think should I have done instead? 

 I will be giving 2 solutions to this issue from the sources huffpost on 10 tips for resolving conflict and interpersonal conflict and effective communication. The first solution "9. Focus on what you can control and let go of the rest". (Marter, 2014) This sentence focuses on what I can do to make a difference in the relationship. As a member, I would constantly remind the team on what needs to be done and clear some of the workload as much as I can for the team. An example will be if there is an upcoming report submission, I would do up the format of the report and inform my team mates to insert the necessary information into the document. Also, I agree with what Alfin suggested where the team should create a group chat and discuss via online messaging. 

  The last solution "resolve conflict is by using power and influence to win at the other's expense." (Bellafiore, n.d). The team can make a difference by influencing member A to get work done. When the other team member are seen doing their part, it would cause member A to reflect on himself. "6. take responsibility for yourself" (Marter, 2014). Member A would feel pressurised and start taking responsibility on his role in the team. 

 All in all, from these actions, the relationship between the teammates and member A could turn out better rather than straining it. 

 Reference: 
Marter. J. (2014). 10 Tips for Resolving Conflict. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joyce-marter-/conscious-relationships_b_4504510.html 

Bellafiore. D. (n.d) Interpersonal Conflict and Effective Communication. Retrieved from http://www.drbalternatives.com/articles/cc2.html 

 (edited on 08/07/2017)

Comments

  1. Unknown27 June 2017 at 18:22

    Often people tends to think in their own perspective and neglected that people are not like them and can be very different from them. Person A might not be as good as the rest of the team and have trouble finishing his assignment, and he might not know the norm of informing everyone of the hiccups he have on the workload as he could come from a not socialize background. The teammates on the other hand could have instead offered helps since they are on the same assignment and remind person A that he should inform them or if similar situation arise inform his teammates, about him having trouble with finish the task before the agreed milestone check. The team should have created milestone check if they haven't to ensure that no work will be snowballed out of hand before reaching the finalization of their work. The team shouldn't simply assume that everyone can deliver their work on time without reminders and guidelines as, I mentioned earlier, that not everyone are the same and can be very different. All in all, person A should learn to ask for help when he is having trouble and mentioned earlier that he might not be able to complete his part on the project as his hands are full on finishing his personal assignments.

    I think the relationships between the team members weren't strained, it is more of a strain relationship between A with the rest of the team, especially the person who raised his voice.
    Also, possible word to use harsh is rather than rash.

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    Replies
    1. Syu Lynn2 July 2017 at 07:37

      Hi Locky Lee,

      Thank you for reading my post. I agree with you that it could have been member A's character where he did not inform the team on his workload. I would take your solution into consideration.

      Thank you!

      - Syu Lynn

      Delete
  2. Brad Blackstone28 June 2017 at 01:28

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brad Blackstone28 June 2017 at 01:29

    Thank you for your submission. This is a scenario that anyone who has ever done group project work can probably relate to. Your description is concise and fairly clear. However, since we have little information about the characters involved or their various motivations -- and in particular member A -- it might be hard for us to give a well informed response.

    There are also a few language issues to consider:

    1) throughout the passage some instances of inconsistent verb tense usage (mixing past and present tense incorrectly)
    2) the rest was able to finish >>>
    3) what do you think should the member A have done instead? >>> (incorrect noun clause/statement form)

    Most importantly, rather than frame the question with a focus on Member A, it might be better to ask what 'you' could have done to avoid this sort of last minute crash and burn of the team.

    If you edit this, simply write EDITED and the date of the edit at the bottom of the original text.

    I appreciate your effort.

    REPLYDELETE

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    1. Syu Lynn2 July 2017 at 07:31

      Hi Brad,

      I would like to thank you in pointing out that I need to take note in adding more information about my characters, also all my language issues and construct a solution that I could have prevented this situation. I will make amendments on them and update my blog. Thank you for taking time to read my post. :)

      - Syu Lynn

      Delete
  4. Unknown28 June 2017 at 05:54

    Everyone has different strengths and weakness. Team members and the leader can opt to focus on A's strengths or weakness. Is there a way to leverage on A's strengths so that the group can harmonious work with that strength rather then be distracted and discouraged by his weakness? Some people have different abilities to cope with high stress situations. I feel that A deserves more patience and a second chance from his members. It is possible that if A was helped now he might be more grateful and in the future he might be an even better team member. It is a desirable for teams to be able to work cohesively especially when trying to help weaker members. This will bring up the best in their personalities and help them become good managers and leaders in the future. Thanks so much on this scenario as this helps me reflects and realise what a good leader can do.

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    1. Syu Lynn10 July 2017 at 09:40

      Hey Stephan,

      Thank you for reading my post. I agree with you on leveraging the strengths of member A but it all depends on him to also help out with the team's workload. If he refuses to do so, the team would also end up with a strained relationship. This is my opinion on it. Nevertheless, I would still take your suggestion into consideration.

      Thank you!!

      -Syu Lynn

      Delete
  5. Unknown28 June 2017 at 09:04

    In a group project setting, the first thing a project leader can initiate is to know and understand everyone's learning style, strengths and weakness and also the "listing and tasking" of the workload according to their capabilities

    Well, in this scenario, the team should plan out a schedule of the task that needs to be delivered beforehand instead of meeting up one week before the deadline. The project schedule can indicate several small milestones so that everyone is updated on the team's current progress (whether or not the work is completed). Furthermore, the team can also create a group chat to communicate effectively and efficiently.

    If I am to be in member A's shoes, the first thing I would do is ask for the team members assistance on my part of the project by methods such as meeting with them face-to-face and also by online messaging. Now, the group members are well aware of the situation at hand and can at the very least help me out. The other solution member A should do is to manage his time wisely so that other modules would not be neglected which is similar to the story above. I believe that in a team, we need to learn how to cover each other's weakness and convert it to strengths to overcome the challenges ahead.

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    1. Syu Lynn10 July 2017 at 09:45

      Hey Alfin,

      Thank you for reading my post. I agree with you that there are other modes of communication other than face to face. Online messaging is a good platform to keep one another updated and to doing work together online. I feel that this is a good suggestion and I will take it into consideration.

      Thank you!

      -Syu Lynn

      Delete
  6. Unknown30 June 2017 at 08:55

    Hi Shu Lynn!

    The story you told was probably quite common in every group project. If I were in member A shoes, I would seek help from my group members as they are able to finish their assignments whereas I did not. However, I do not think that member A is entirely are to blamed. I feel that as group members, we should actually help out one another. The group members should also show a bit of sympathy as he might be struggling to do his other assignments rather than making the tension rise. When tension rises, things would actually get worse. Member A would not even want to commit in the group project anymore.

    However, if the group members do find out that member A is not interested in the project at all, then they should report it to the lecturer in charge about it. But I do hope that does not happen.

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    1. Syu Lynn10 July 2017 at 09:55

      Hey Azziz,

      Thank you for reading my post. I agree with you that we should first approach him to find out and if all else fail, we will approach the lecturer to solve this issue. Afterall, the lecturer needs to also keep track of our progression. I will take this into consideration.

      Thank you!

      -Syu Lynn

      Delete
  7. Brad Blackstone11 July 2017 at 23:38

    Thank you, Syu Lynn, for this fine addition to the interpersonal communication problem in the way of a detailed solution. You methodically explain your position. By including information from two sources, you have managed to present credible means of addressing the issue. Your solution would stand out further if you synthesized/referenced any ideas from your peer commentators. This would show that you took their thoughts into consideration.

    I have one other suggestion on how to strengthen this assignment further. That would be to rearrange the paragraph that you have placed at the start of the story, the one on A's character. It doesn't belong in front.

    As always, I appreciate your effort.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Syu Lynn16 July 2017 at 08:48

      Hi Brad, thank you for reading my post and noted with thanks on the feedback you have mentioned. I will amend them accordingly on including some of my peers comments and also rearrange my paragraph. Thank you for reading once again!

      - Syu Lynn

      Delete

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