Group Analysis Report: Conflict Management and Workplace Dynamics
Introduction
It is an accepted fact that changes are permanent, and cause a variety of modification and adjustments on the systems of business organizations and companies. Changes are being brought about by the dynamism and the interrelation of a variety of internal and external factors, which enable the business organization to adapt to the situation. Because of this dynamism, many conflicts or crises are being encountered, which lead many organizations to develop and improve their management and communication strategies, including roles, conflict management and group development. In relation to this, (1990) reports that conflict is a severe problem in modern organizations, which wastes valuable human resources that would be better directed to other activities, including the primary work of the organization. Nonetheless, although most of the time conflicts produce negative effects, its existence is distinguished as a means of generating major benefits as well, for conflict between individuals or groups within an organization often helps unveil persistent problems and undergo careful analysis. In this light, conflict serves as a means for effective and needed change, for facilitating communication and coordination (1990).
With the presence of conflicts and crises, it is essential to come up with efficient and effective management strategies to address problems. The proper application and utilization of concepts regarding conflict management and workplace dynamics can be used to address these, and with its use, the organization can continue to function effectively in the industry. The objective of this paper is to address the problems of a specific group in an organization, conduct group diagnostics, and relate its results to several concepts of conflict management and workplace dynamics.
Overview of Workgroup
The organization in focus in this paper is Criterion Catalysts and Technologies Company. It has been reported that in 1988, three major international catalysts businesses, namely, Shell Oil Company, Shell International Chemical Company, and American Cyanamid Company, merged and created a single company, and became the Criterion Catalyst Co LP ( 2006). The company became a leading supplier of refining and petrochemical catalysts, and with its more than 50 years of experience in developing, manufacturing, testing, marketing and servicing catalysts, its products and processes are being used in different types of hydroprocessing operations (2006).
Criterion Catalyst & Technologies is an international company that supplies catalysts, process technologies and catalyst services for a wide range of refining applications, and it offers a variety of process technologies, which can be packaged with catalysts, in creating a complete, optimized solution for any hydroprocessing problem or supplied independently (2006). Due to the company’s huge responsibility, it tries to live up to its goal in helping each customer realize greater value from one’s hydroprocessing assets by providing superior catalysts and customized technical advice. For Criterion to attain this goal, it sets its sights on building lasting relationships and a teamwork environment with each customer (2006). Moreover, to be able for Criterion Catalysts & Technologies to perform these tasks, responsibilities and goals, the company needs to have productive and efficient employees to be delegated the various work in the company. With the company’s aim to achieve the customer’s maximum benefit, it has a large number of highly skilled technical staffs located around the world. The company also has the world’s largest database of commercial performance results, computer models and pilot plant testing facilities to help the management analyze a group’s performance and develop the right plan to maximize financial benefits. In addition, the company focuses on sustainable development to integrate the economic, environmental, and societal aspects of the company, and establish objectives and plans to protect the workers and the environment, build the company’s reputation as a primary partner and supplier, and achieve sustained financial growth and success (2006).
Theoretical Discussion
In relation to the discussion above, although the company focuses on the sustainable development of its employees and the environment, some problems can still be encountered, such as in its engineering department. Due to the high demand of work in the company, many aspects in the development of employees are being neglected. One of these is the lack of the identification of specific roles in the team, which reduces the ability of the members to function effectively. Roles are important because they enable each member of the team to become responsible of doing specific tasks that would contribute to attaining specific goals. Roles are defined as sets of behavioral patterns adopted by and expected of individuals in a group (2006), wherein a group tends to come together for a specific purpose but members work independently, may have a leader, but the roles and functions of the other group members are not well defined (2002). In contrast, a team is defined as a living, constantly changing, dynamic force in which a number of people come together to work; a synergy, wherein the achievement of the team is greater than what the individual members of that team could produce on their own ( 2002). With the lack of specific roles, the engineering members can be regarded as a group and not as a team, which makes them dysfunctional and unproductive at the same time. Without these roles, the members of the engineering team will have difficulty working with each other, thus, resulting to less productivity and decrease in the quality of service. In addition, without proper designation, work will be duplicated, wasting time and efforts of each member, and leads to the ineffective and inefficient communication among the members, which results to the underdevelopment of teamwork and team interrelations.
In relation to team roles, (2002) reports of Belbin’s Team Roles, which indicate the respective roles of any individual in any team. These team roles include the Plant, the Coordinator, the Monitor Evaluator, the Implementer, the Completer Finisher, the Resource Investigator, the Shaper, the Teamworker, and the Specialist.
- The Plant – He or she is creative, imaginative and unorthodox. The person solves difficult crises and comes up with ideas but can ignore incidentals and is often too pre-occupied to communicate effectively.
- The Coordinator – This person is mature, confident, a good chairman, clarifies goals, promotes decision-making, delegates well, motivates others, and makes the best of team resources. Nevertheless, he or she can be seen as manipulative and may attempt to pass on personal responsibilities.
- The Monitor Evaluator – This person is serious, strategic and discerning, sees all options, judges accurately and good at decision-making, but lacks the drive and ability to inspire others.
- The Implementer – He or she is disciplined, reliable, conservative, efficient, turns ideas to practical actions and a good organizer. However, this person is inflexible and slow to respond to new possibilities.
- The Completer Finisher – This person is described as painstaking, conscientious, anxious, searches out errors and omissions, delivers on time and pays attention to detail, but is inclined to worry unduly and is reluctant to delegate
- The Resource Investigator – An extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative, adaptable, good at exploring opportunities and developing contacts, but can be over optimistic and can lose interest once initial enthusiasm has passed.
- The Shaper – This person is challenging, dynamic, thrives on pressure, is highly motivated, and has the drive and courage to overcome obstacles, but can be prone to provocation and offending the feelings of others
- The Teamworker – A teamworker is cooperative, mild, perceptive, diplomatic, a good listener, and good at building ideas or suggestions and averting friction, but can prove indecisive in crunch situations
- The Specialist – They are typically single-minded, self-starting, dedicated, and provide knowledge and skills that are in rare supply, but tend to dwell on technicalities and only contribute on a narrow front.
(2002)
Knowing these team roles is important for with this knowledge and information will be relevant for the team or group in assessing and performing their responsibilities. Knowing their characteristics and their roles would be easier for each member of the team to assume tasks. In addition, knowing their roles would overcome their problem regarding lack of communication, teamwork, and motivation, which makes the team function ineffectively. This affects the productivity of the team and the whole business organization as well. In relation to this are the team’s workplace dynamics and the manager’s style of leadership, which are factors to consider in addressing the team’s group cohesiveness or the degree to which members are attracted to one another and share group goals (). With team cohesiveness, conflict management and group development become relevant, for these concepts depend on the coordination and cooperation of the members of the team.
Lacking the ability to determine their roles, the members also have problems regarding conflict management. Conflict is a process that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect, something that the first party cares about, and is caused by incompatibility of goals, differences over interpretations of facts, and disagreements based on behavioral expectations (‘Understanding Conflict’ attachment). Two types of conflict are present in the operation of the engineering team, which include interpersonal and intragroup types of conflict. Interpersonal conflict exist between individuals because of differences in their goals and values, while intragroup conflict is a conflict that happens within a group or team (). These types of conflict can be resolved by using conflict resolution techniques, which include processes such as Avoiding, Compromising, Forcing, Collaborating, and Accommodating. Avoiding technique resolves conflicts by withdrawing from or suppressing them; Compromising technique resolves conflicts by each party giving up something of value; Forcing resolves conflicts by satisfying one’s own needs at the expense of another’s; Collaborating rewards conflict by seeking an advantageous solution for all parties; and Accommodating technique resolves conflicts by placing another’s needs and concerns above your own (). Any or the combination of these techniques will be useful in order for one or a team to address and manage conflicts.
Moreover, to be able for the engineering team or group to overcome their conflicts and problems, they must determine on what phase they belong in terms of their group development. The development of a group is dependent on its size, its frequency or interaction, its structural features, and many others (2003). and (1977) states that, group development involves five phases or stages, which include Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning (). The Forming stage involves obtaining information from one another, avoiding controversy and conflict, and focusing on the scope of the task and how to go about it. The Storming stage involves addressing important issues in the team or group, such as arising conflicts and assigning of roles and responsibilities. In dealing with conflicts, members may look for clarity in the structure of the group and rule implementation to lessen them. The Norming stage involves the establishment of rules in the group, including the scope, tasks, and responsibilities that each member has. From past arguments, at this point, they understand each other better, and can see one’s skills and abilities. They are now regarded as a cohesive and effective group. In the Performing stage, which is hardly achieved by most teams, members are proven to be interdependent and flexible, as each can work together and trust one another. At this point, the identity of the group, the loyalty and morale of the members are high, leading to the production of high energy that enables the team to work towards shared goals. The last stage is the Adjourning stage, which involves the completion and disengagement from tasks and group members, recognizing their accomplishments and times spent together (2001). These phases or stages must be recognized so that groups or teams will be able to realize on what stage does they belong for improvement and development of roles and tasks in the team. To analyze the roles, conflict management and group development of the engineering team, group diagnostics will be conducted to determine the reasons behind the group’s decline of performance in relation to teamwork, communication, role and group development, and conflict management, and to make recommendations regarding the problem.
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