Creation, Building & Conflict Resolution
Creation, Building & Conflict Resolution
The need to cut costs, improve performance, and remain competitive are ones that have evolved the workplace environment from an atomized one to one in which teams are now the norm. Teams are a way of organizing work and tasks that many organizations utilize. There are several varieties of teams, including work, task, and management teams (Thompson, Aranda and Robbins, 2000). While much has been written about the benefits of using teams to achieve organizational goals, the reality is that teams are seldom as effective as promised. As Blau (2002) argues, ôOne of the defining characteristics of a team is that you have to be interdependent, but thatÆs rarely true of workplace teams. Part of the reason for recent interest in team-building is that these teams often arenÆt working properlyö (38).
One of the biggest reasons teams fail to work properly is conflict. However, as Thompson (et al, 2000) notes, ôAll conflict is not created equalö (218). Some forms of conflict are good for group progress and organizational goals, while other forms of conflict have a negative impact on each. Alper, Tjosvold and Law (2000) argue that teams, ôas they confront many issues and divisions, must be able to manage conflict to be successfulö (625). This research will review the different kinds of teams, methods of team building, types of team conflict, and ways of successfully managing team conflict.
There are three distinct types of teams within the organization: work teams, task teams, and management teams (Thompson, et al, 2000, 18). Each of these teams has a different set of requirements and issues to consider when being formed. Team design decision must be driven by membership, skill development, stability needs, and overall implications for the use of teams in the organization (Thompson, et al, 18). Each terms serves a different function and ...