Duscussion Question

What are at least two effective techniques in preventing or resolving conflicts when working in groups? Support your choices with references to the readings and personal experiences.

One technique that effectively prevents conflicts is to make responsibilities and ground rules clear at the beginning. It is also best to discuss problems as they arise, rather than letting them fester until people explode. Keep in mind that despite the effort, some conflict is just the part of any group’s life. In the event where conflict does happen, expert, John Tropman recommends the “two-meeting rule” for emotional matters. Controversial ideas should be talked about in the first meeting, giving everyone a chance to air their point of view about the issue. The second meeting should be for making the final decision. This allows the time in between to be the cooling off period. Another technique used to resolve conflict would be to use “you-attitude”. When conflict arises because of someone in the group who isn’t pulling their weight, instead of blaming them for being the problem; just state what’s being done by you. For example, instead of saying, “you never do your share of the work”, you can say, “I feel like I’m doing more than my share of the work”. This method tends to get a better response from members of the group and takes a lot of the conflict out of it.

References

• Locker, K., & Kienzler, D. (2008). Business and Administrative Communication (8th edition). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.