I would like to share a situation that happened to me a few months back. The situation is about a misunderstanding between two group members during a project work. I’ll address the two people as “H” and “M”. The conflict started when “H” was giving a frank suggestion that our group should have done certain parts of the project earlier so we do not have to rush at the last minute. “M’ was angered by what was being said earlier as our hours in school were quite hectic and there was not much time for discussion. Furthermore, “M” claimed that he had already assigned some portion of work to be done to different members of the group. “M” also added that he already gave “H” a lighter load of the work due to him not coping well in class.
As I was the leader of the group, I tried to reduce the
misunderstanding between both by trying to state that “H” could contribute in
other aspects of the projects that “M” was weak in. I had to intervene the
matter quickly as we were losing productivity and precious time to complete the
project within the given time. I suggested that “H” and “M” to be understanding
for a short moment while the project is ongoing and I was thinking for the best
of the group because it would not be fair for the other group member who is not
involved. The cause for concern is also due to the high percentage of marks
being allocated just for the project. This, in turn, would ultimately affect
our overall grades and this was something that I wouldn’t want the group to be
affected by, even though it was a petty incident.
What would you do when you are facing a similar situation and
you hold a high position, would you rescue the team neutrally or would you side
with a person to remedy the situation?
Hi, Aziz, that was really a tough conflict you encountered there among your group members. It is true that conflict in the group might be inevitable as the team member have different personalities, goals, and opinions. However, there is steps to handle the conflict well so that everyone in your team able to progress and work well together to accomplish your group project.
ReplyDeleteIf I were in your position, I would apply the five steps to collaborative conflict resolution. The first step is to identify the source of the conflict. Recognize the main problems that need to be solved. The more information I have about the cause of conflict, the more easily I can help to resolve it. To get the information I need, I use a series of questions to identify the cause, like, “When did they feel upset?” “Do I see a relationship between that and this incident?” “How did this incident begin?” Being a group leader, I hold such responsibility to be a mediator, I need to give both parties the chance to share their side of story. Eventually, I would seek out and talk personally between “H” and “M”. As I listen to each disputant, say, “I see” or “uh huh” to acknowledge the information and encourage them to continue to open up to me. I would rectify the main issues that they faced between them and find a solution so that both compromised each other.
The next step is to explore underlying concerns. Look beyond the incident. Often, it is not the situation but the perspective on the situation that causes anger. The source of the conflict might be a minor problem but the level of stress has grown to the point when the two parties have begun attacking each other personally instead of addressing the real problem. I would find out what causes the conflict which for this instance the causes of conflict were a misunderstanding, differences of opinion and have values or goal differences among “H” and “M”.
The third step is to request for solutions. After getting each party’s viewpoint on the conflict, the next step is to get each to identify how the situation could be changed. Again, question the parties to solicit their ideas: “How can you make things better between you?”. As a mediator, you have to be an active listener, aware of every verbal nuance, as well as a good reader of body language. Just listen. I want to get my team members to stop fighting and start cooperating, and that means steering the discussions towards ways of resolving the conflict.
The fourth step is to identify the solutions both of my team members can support. I am listening for the most acceptable course of action. Point out the merits of various ideas, not only from each other’s perspective, but in terms of the benefits to the group.
Lastly, the final step is to find a mutually agreeable solution. As a group leader, you should not be taking sides. The outcome is horrible and disastrous. Instead, you should advise to “M” to do his work as his own paced and organize the workload in a to-do-list so that “M” would not be too pressured and overwhelmed by the task or workloads. However, do gently remind him to check on his work progress. On top of that, you should motivate “H” to communicate with whenever he faced problems or issues either with studies, group project task or among group member. Get both of them to shake hands and agree to one of the alternatives identified in the previous step. Regardless, do consider to have a short meeting to update the progress of the project at the end of the day or week. In this way, everyone can work, learn and improve together to achieve the same goal setting which is to score excellent for the high percentage project.
KhairulanwarAR
Hello Aziz,
ReplyDeleteIf I were to be the leader of this group, I would had interrupted and let one of them talk at a time to understand the problem better. After listening to both sides of the party, I as the leader will prompt some suggestions or ways to solve the problem that is on hand. Also as time is not in our favour, I would come to a simple and agreeable decision for both parties and continue with the task at hand as soon as possible.
Hi Aziz,
ReplyDeleteIf I were in your shoes, I would neutralize the situation. But before that, I would assess both parties situation and also find put the underlying issues that lead them to be such a way outside project time. It could be over lunch break or tea break. This is because sometimes there could be underlying issues that lead them to react such a way when contributing parts in the project that could be what you have mentioned that H was having difficulties in coping his studies. After that, I would bring them into conversation to have them talk out their issues or disagreements between them and sort out some arrangement that would make H feel that the work parts are not given at the last minute and M able to understand H better so as to handle the issue quickly with consideration of both parties feelings.
=)