Background for Discussion 2: Before beginning this Discussion, review the backgr

Background for Discussion 2:
Before beginning this Discussion, review the background materials on conflict management. Also view the following video on active listening skills.
MindToolsVideos. (2015, June 12). Improve your listening skills with active listening [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2z9mdX1j4A
You will need the concepts and principles from these sources to support your responses to the discussion question. You may also support your comments with information from outside sources. Be sure to cite sources used.
For Responses to Peers:
Review a post below and comment on how you, as an outsider, see the causes of their conflict. What are some suggestions you would have to mitigate or resolve their situation?
When people from different races, cultures, and religious beliefs exist together in the same environment, there is bound to be conflict. I took a summer job as a supervisor in a new restaurant a few blocks down from my house, and on my third day there, I had my worst experience with conflict. The restaurant owner hired another supervisor with whom I had to share responsibilities. As supervisors, we were responsible for training the employees, dealing with customer complaints, and ensuring compliance with health regulations. After working together for three days, my fellow supervisor and I argued over the importance of involving the staff in decision-making.
My fellow supervisor argued that we should let our employer make all decisions without considering the opinions of the staff, while I pleaded for their inclusion. I believe that all employees should play a part in the decision-making process. The worst part of the argument was that customers were witnessing our exchange, which we realized was getting out of hand, and went outside (HelpGuide.org, 2020). Eventually, we resolved it with the help of our employer after reminding us that we were causing a scene and explained to us the importance of working as a group.
I believe that applying active learning techniques would have helped solve this conflict before it escalated. If only we took a minute to first listen to the other and allow them to explain their perspective rather than speaking over each other (MindToolsVideos, 2015). The yelling made it difficult for us to hear and understand, and we both fought to respond instead of listening. It would have been easier to solve the issue if I had listened to what the other was saying and understood it first before expressing to them my view. Active listening is an essential factor in all scenarios of verbal communication.
References
HelpGuide.org. (2020). Conflict resolution skills. HelpGuide.org. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships-communication/conflict-resolution-skills.htm
MindToolsVideos. (2015). Improve your listening skills with active listening [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2z9mdX1j4A
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Module 2 – Background
MANAGING GROUPS AND TEAMS
Required Sources
Force Field Analysis
The Force Field Analysis model is one that has been widely used to address challenges in communicating with others, leading teams and managing conflicts. Its goal is to move opposing groups or individuals toward more effective cooperation. As its name suggests, this model analyzes the factors (or forces) that influence situations in which people are having trouble working together. By increasing the driving forces for more effective communication and cooperation and weakening the restraining forces against open communications and cooperation, one can create a working situation that is more collaborative and productive.
For a brief summary of the Force Field Analysis model, see:
Tutor2u. (2016, April 22). Lewin’s force field analysis model [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9ujAtYAfqU
Communication
We begin this module by building a foundation of knowledge about interpersonal communication. After all, communication is needed for effective group activities. In gaining this foundation, we will refer to Wikipedia for a “quick and dirty” overview of the topic. (Caution: Wikipedia is an unacceptable source for academic papers because it is a publicly edited site with information that can be incomplete, biased, or incorrect. However, to get a quick introduction to a topic, it can be a good place to start.)
Models of communication. (2016) Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Models_of_communication
Never discount the value of trust in strengthening communication and improving work relationships. One way to build trust is to maximize what we know about ourselves and wish to share with others. Conversely, we want to minimize aspects of ourselves we are not aware of but are readily apparent to others (our “blind spots”). This is accomplished through a combination of self-disclosure and feedback.
The Johari Window is an excellent model for improving communication effectiveness and therefore trust. Created in the 1950s by two guys named Joe and Harry (no kidding!), this model is still widely used in organizations to improve communication between coworkers, bosses, subordinates, and teams. Watch the following videos:
Leader Logic. (2018, February 5). Johari Window example in 5 minutes [Video file]. Retrieved from

Leader Logic. (2018, February 8). Johari Window for project scope development [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCw1wcSJ5V8
Then read:
Apricot Training Management Limited: Self Awareness. (2013) Understanding the Johari Window. Retrieved from http://www.selfawareness.org.uk/news/understanding-the-johari-window-model
Groups and Teams
The structure of modern organizations is continually changing and work is being done in teams more than ever. But teams are more than just a collection of individuals working on a single project. Team workers need a set of skills that exceeds those of individual workers to allow them to collaborate effectively. Often, employers do not train employees in these skills so it is a rare thing when teams live up to their potential. This is particularly true of teams in the United States, where the culture highly values individual effort and accomplishment.
In this part of the module, we will increase our ability to manage teams by learning what constitutes a team, how to handle conflict, and how to build a high-performing team. To get an overview of this topic, view this PowerPoint presentation on Group Dynamics and Conflict.
The Tuckman model of group development is one of the most widely used tools to understand the dynamics of team formation and development.
The following reading offers a concise explanation of this model and as a bonus, relates group development processes to the Johari Window (above) and the Situational Leadership model to be presented in Module 3:
Chapman, A. (2016). Bruce Tuckman’s 1965 Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing team-development model. Retrieved from http://www.businessballs.com/tuckmanformingstormingnormingperforming.htm
Most of us think about trust in teams as growing over time and with experience being with another team member. However, swift trust stems from an initial assumption of trust which is confirmed, or disconfirmed, over time. In this sense it is conditional and must be verified by the actions of team members. Read this blog about the factors that contribute to swift trust and how leaders can create it:
Swift trust—why some teams don’t storm (2011). In Management Pocketbooks. Retrieved from https://managementpocketbooks.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/swift-trustwhy-some-teams-dont-storm/
Here is an interesting example of organizational theory being used to solve practical business problems. This report is designed to help its analysts avoid group decision-making biases such as groupthink, polarization or “risky shift,” overconfidence, or composition bias. The practical application of theory demonstrated in this source may be helpful to you in preparing your case.
Mottola, G. & Utkus, S. (2009) Group decision-making: Implications for investment committees. Vanguard Investment Counseling and Research. This article can be found at http://agb.org/sites/agb.org/files/u16/Vanguard%206.pdf
Conflict Management
When working with groups, conflict is inevitable. Although conflict is often viewed as negative, this is not always true. As we learned in the earlier PowerPoint presentation, well-managed conflict can increase team performance and result in better output. One trick is to learn the differences between healthy and destructive types of conflict. Read the following for more information:
Issues Teams Face: Managing Conflict (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/54195_Chapter_7.pdf
Now that you can recognize the difference between good and bad conflict, take a few minutes to read about some techniques that can help you manage conflict between people at work (or even at home!) and keep situations from spiraling out of control:
Help Guide (n.d.). Conflict Resolution Skills. Retrieved from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships-communication/conflict-resolution-skills.htm
Optional Sources
Communication
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is the premier international knowledge network for professionals engaged in strategic business communication management. Examine their website which includes news, events, workshops, a bookstore, and a research foundation. Find out how you can become an Accredited Business Communicator:
International Association of Business Communicators. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.iabc.com/
Groups and Teams
This site provides library links to numerous topics in the field, a basic overview to group formation and stages of group development, and also information on team building.
Group dynamics: Basic nature of groups and how they develop. (n.d.) In Free Management Library. Retrieved from http://www.managementhelp.org/grp_skll/theory/theory.htm
Conflict Management
The following site includes library links, and various perspectives on conflict (e.g., dealing with conflict, conflict in organizations, etc.):
How to manage group conflict (n.d.) In Free Management Library. Retrieved from http://managementhelp.org/groups/group-conflict.htm
Click the link below for an extensive collection of conflict-related material. There are many interesting links to articles both academic and practical. You should spend some time browsing this site. Pay special attention to links dealing with conflict styles, conflict resolution, negotiation, integrative and/or distributive bargaining.
Bacal, R. (2016). Articles on communication and conflict management. The World of Work. Retrieved from http://work911.com/articles/indexcomcomm.htm
Interestingly, some teams skip over the “storming” phase, particularly when they need to come together quickly and produce output without having the time it normally takes to build trust. See the following to continue your learning about the phenomenon known as “swift trust”:
Meyerson, D., Weick, K. E., & Kramer, R. M. (1996). Swift trust and temporary groups. In R. M. Kramer (Ed.), Trust in organizations: frontiers of theory and research (pp. 166–196). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=A_8LbcsgrNMC&oi=fnd&pg=PA166&dq=Debra+Meyerson+swift+trust&ots=VoC6zx3jC7&sig=vmlH0YJ_gr1CeOmwNm7dkycljw4#v=onepage&q=Debra%20Meyerson%20swift%20trust&f=fa

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Before beginning this Discussion, review the backgr appeared first on Solved Students Assignments.