Commnication Strategies for Effective Team Management and Conflict Resolution

Commnication Strategies for Effective Team Management and Conflict Resolution

  • Submitted By: olivsquirt
  • Date Submitted: 10/12/2008 4:46 PM
  • Category: Business
  • Words: 1128
  • Page: 5
  • Views: 5

Today's business culture is filled with a
variety of individuals with different cultural and emotional backgrounds. A team’s diversity can be one of its greatest assets, when understood and employed properly. However, what was intended to be a positive and, ultimately, a profitable team can be left “dead in the water” if the team is not able to communicate effectively. A solid understanding of a team’s different individual communication styles will lead to successful positive conflict resolution.

People communicate in various ways. One individual in a group may use a bold direct way of communicating, while another individual in the same group may prefer a more subtle way of expressing ideas. It is important to understand that neither way is always wrong or better than the other. They are simply preferences of different individuals. Learning the communication preferences of the individual group members can be one of the most successful conflict resolution tools that a group can possess. According to Rahim, there are five different communication or conflict styles. (Gross & Guerrero 2000)

One style of communication is called Integrating Style. (Gross & Guerrero, 2000)The individual with this style of communication faces conflict while engaging others in the resolution. For instance, this individual will try to find new and creative ways to solve a problem by making analytical statements or soliciting statements from other group members. Individuals with Integrating Style will try to find resolution to conflict by opening the lines of communication. This individual will also try to keep the team’s positive relationships intact for future group interactions. Often, people who use Integrating Style are thought of as facilitators of effective and cooperative resolutions to conflict. However, Integrating Style individuals may not be very effective when it comes to resolving production or organizational related goals.

Dominating Style is another method that...

Similar Essays