Question

Imagine being part of a team of two other coworkers experiencing negative task conflict as they try to finalize the design of a new toy before an imminent deadline. One team member is focused on making the toy of maximum quality and the other is focused on the conflicting goal of making the toy at the lowest cost. One of the team members is getting frustrated and feels that the team should be making better progress. The coworker asks you if there is anything the team can do to be more effective. What do you say or do?

Discussion Questions

1. What types of conflict is the team experiencing in the challenge video?

2. What aspects of the negotiation process would best resolve the conflict and why would this work?

3. What conflict resolution behaviors would you use as a manager to address this situation? Explain your answer.   

one page or more

Answer 1

As per the Harvard business school theories, there are three types of conflicts in workplace, and of them i see that the above discussion is related to Task conflict, it arises due to clashes o opinion in the on going work or any task allotted to them as a team. The task conflict can be negotiated by the manager by taking considerations about the values and identifying the deeper interests underlying parties’ positions. This can successfully completed by interview methods and even active listening too. When parties develop solutions together, rather than having an outcome imposed on them, they are more likely to abide by the agreement and get along better in the future.

I provided the answer to all the above questions briefly in one paragraph so that you can understand and analyze it better, if you find it useful please leave a thumbs up to this answer, it is highly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Answer 2

Conflicts are evident in a team regarding any task due to the different thinking processes of the team members. Being a team member, I have experienced a healthy team conflict from my coworkers. One is focusing more on the quality of the product, and the other is focusing on the low-cost product. However, the reasons behind their points are pretty much valid and acceptable. Now being a third one in the team, I have to solve the conflicts in an effective manner so that the progress of the task cannot be hampered. It is essential to discuss various viewpoints in detail before decisions are taken. Being a team member, I must maintain the team balance and turn conflicts into positive outcomes.
The team is experiencing positive conflicts as team members share different ideas for the benefit of the organization. Decisive conflicts are functional and healthy as constructive disagreements are observed in this regard. However, it would be challenging if the team is arguing on irrelevant matters. Personal conflicts are challenging for the team as it is based on personal ego and disagreements.
Several negotiation aspects need to be considered to resolve team conflicts. It is essential to acknowledge both the reasons which create disagreements. Acknowledgement is necessary as it improves the relationships and bonding within team members. In the second stage, team members must discuss the impacts of the conflicts in detail. It will help to find if there are any third and practical points. Everyone in a team must communicate openly and clearly. It may help to identify the problems more comprehensively if these steps would not be beneficial than team members must inform their leaders for final decisions.
As a manager, I should focus on the conflict points and try to understand the impacts. I should discuss with the team members to understand their situation and standpoints. It would help me to be clear about the rationality of the conflicts. I can guess which point has more valid outcomes based on the situations. Finally, at the time to reach an agreement, I must develop an effective idea of keeping their ideas in mind.