Describe about the relationship between team performance and conflict management tools in an organization?
The research identifies the relationship between team performance and conflict management tools in an organization. For this purpose the researcher has chosen a small and medium sized organization in UK. Web Step is an IT solution provider and consultancy service company in UK. Survey has been conducted in the organization to assess the impact of conflict management tools on the performance of the organization. Quantitative analysis of the survey questionnaire has been done. On the other hand interview were organized gathering response of the managers at Web Step. Qualitative analysis of the interview was done. It is seen that conflict management tools in the organization has resulted in the improvement of the quality , productivity and cost savings of the organization.
Team work assists in leading to better decision, improved efficiency and enhanced quality through combined effort. Different sorts of conflicts are considered as natural part of the team procedures. People are responsible for handling conflicts in different manner for maintaining good relationship within the team. In the regular activities of a dynamic team, conflict is very common which needs to be resolved effectively. First of all it is very important for the team leader to identify the source of conflict and adopt efficient mechanism for managing it. The study aims to provide an insight regarding the impact of effective conflict management on the performance of team (Behfar et al., 2008).
Conflict has a positive or negative impact on the activities of team. However, the benefit or negative impact on work team is reliant upon the nature of conflict and the task of the team. Various research studies have been conducted for enhancing the effectiveness of the team work. According to Jeanquart Miles and Mangold (2002) it is evident that relationship conflict among the team members has a negative impact on the satisfaction level of the team member as well as the performance of the team. However, impact of the conflicts varies (Borek, 2011). In teams, task conflict may occur when the teams members are engaged in performing the non routine activities differ regarding the best approach. This type of conflict has a positive impact on the performance of the team. On the other hand, process conflict takes place when the people have different views regarding the management of regular activities along with co-ordination of the role assignments of the work group members. Process conflict can lead to disagreement among the team members regarding their activities and roles which is a significant issue for the team performance (Correia, 2007).
In the present business scenario, professional project teams are often involved in the non routine tasks. Especially at the time of decision making, conflict arises which clearly represent that the team members have diverse opinion. According to Tekleab, Quigley and Tesluk, (2009) sometimes the team gets significant benefit from the diversity though improvement of quality and creativity. However, when the level of conflict increases, the team will encounter severe consequences. It significantly affects the potential of the team to reach consensus and declines the acceptance of a decision by the team members. It has been observed that the social relation gets hurt due to intense conflict within the team which affects the productivity (Ayoko and Callan, 2010). Hence, it becomes very important to resolve the conflicts which might be detrimental for the team performance. There are various approaches for resolving conflicts which vary on the basis of the desire of the team members to be cooperative as well as assertive. This paper focuses on exploring how effective conflict management contributes in enhancing the team performance.
Research aims and objectives are outlined for guiding the researcher in a right and well defined direction so that a firm conclusion can be drawn at the end of the study. The research will be designed on the basis of the aims and objectives defined in this section. The major aims and objectives of the research study are listed below:
Research questions are developed for structuring the research study. The research questions for this study are presented below:
This section focuses on providing an overview of the different chapters of the study. This will help the reader to get an understanding of the flow of this study.
First chapter is introduction which provides an overview of the entire research. In this section, the background the study has been presented and may be referred to the problem identified. This chapter clearly outlines the major aim of objectives of the research study. Additionally, research questions are included in this section which frames the entire study. The chapter summary has presented the overview of other chapters included in this paper.
Second chapter will focus on conducting a literature review which will focus on providing an insight relating to the chosen topic. The second chapter will discuss the concepts of conflict and various techniques of conflict management in teams. The ideas will be extracted from the past research studies, books and journals for analyzing the relevant theories and framework which can be used as the basis of the study. The evidences found from the literature will assist in supporting the findings of the study.
Third chapter of this paper will discuss the research methodology in detail. In this section, the particular research design adopted for this study will be discussed and justified. Various research techniques are available for conducting management researches. In this paper, the chosen practices in terms of research philosophy, research approach, data collection method along with data analysis technique.
Fourth chapter is data analysis and it is associated with the analysis of the results and findings of the study. In this chapter various statistical methods and tools will be used for analyzing the gathered data and discussion of the data is done which will discuss the implications of the results and findings of the study. Additionally, it will link the findings with the objectives of the research.
Fifth chapter is conclusion which will summarize the major findings of this research study. Moreover, in this chapter, limitation of the present study along with the scope for further research will be identified.
Teamwork stands for quality improvement and cost reduction through innovation (Desivilya, Somech and Lidgoster, 2010). In the present dynamic business scenario, team work plays a crucial role in the organization for coping with the intensely competitive market environment. The management must focus on controlling team work in such a manner so that the benefits of team work are maximized. It is evident that organizations confront various issues regarding conflicts in team. The team members encounter difference in opinions which lead to internal conflict. According to Jehn and Bendersky, (2003), organizational teams which have confidence regarding the fact that they have the potential to deal with the conflicts have been more productive. Research studies have demonstrated that the weak conflict management capability of an organizational team demoralizes the team member which has a negative impact on the performance of the team. Effective conflict management helps in enhancing the productivity and improves quality (CurÅŸeu, Kenis and Raab, 2009). Various scholars have argued that conflict resolution plays a major role in determining the performance of the team. This section will focus on extracting the findings of various studies and discussing conceptual frameworks relating to conflict management in team.
Different Types of Conflict in Organizational Teams
Recent studies have demonstrated that the conflict is a natural part of the team procedure and conflict plays a significant role in influencing the activities and performance of the team as well as firm. Conflict has a positive as well as negative impact on the team members. For example, relationship conflict has a negative impact on the satisfaction level of the team member along with the team performance. Consequently, it is not desirable and appropriate approach must be adopted by the resolving the conflict. On the other hand, researchers have recognized process conflict as a common issue in organizational teams. Process conflict may lead to disagreement among the group members and they may refuse to perform their roles efficiently. According to De Dreu and Weingart (2003) it has been found that process conflict has a significant negative implication in terms of satisfaction of the team members and their performance. In the present dynamic and globalized business environment, professional project teams are encountering internal conflicts related to decision making as different opinions are presented. With the increasing level of conflict, the performance of the team declines as it takes longer time to reach consensus. Though the major objective of team work is to enhance performance, conflict leads it to a negative direction which is detrimental for the organization.
In case of the production as well as service team, task related conflict is predominant. It has been observed that, this type of conflict is reliant upon the nature of the task performed by the team members. Research scholars have demonstrated that the task conflict significantly contributes in disrupting performance while routine tasks are carried out. In case of the routine tasks, process conflict clearly indicates that the jobs are not well defined. Additionally, the team members are not willing to cooperate with each other. Conflict among the team members in this case do not provide desired results. On the other hand, in case of non-routine tasks, research studies have depicted that moderate level of conflict assist in enhancing the performance of team (Lehmann-Willenbrock, Grohmann and Kauffeld, 2011). The reason is in the non routine tasks conflict is considered to be natural and healthy part of the problem solving procedure.
Research studies have indicated that relationship conflict has a significant negative impact on the performance of the team (Kostopoulos and Bozionelos, 2011). Exploratory studies have demonstrated that relationship conflict is responsible for creating dissatisfaction in the team. Consequently, the team members start avoiding each other and less willing to work together. Success of the team work is reliant upon the cooperation and unity of the team members. If the team members are not assertive and cooperating the overall performance of the team declines and hurts the organizational culture as well. Conflict within the team facilitates disruption in the performance and declines the satisfaction level leading to negative feeling and stress (Tidd and Friedman, 2002). In most of the cases low level of conflict has been found to be effective in making rational decision for enhancing quality (Liu, Fu and Liu, 2009). However, with the increasing level of conflict, its effectiveness disappears and distracts people within the team.
Recent studies have focused on analyzing the roles of conflict within the team. Many cases have implied that relationship conflict and task conflict or process conflict may take place simultaneously. It has been found that the task conflict and relationship conflict has a significant association. It is evident that relationship conflict may influence the activities of person and lead to task conflict due to the negative emotions developed before. Task conflict and performance gets easily affected by the low level of trust among the team members and leads to relationship conflict (Simons and Peterson, 2000).
Organizational teams provide an interpersonal context in which conflict occurs. In case of the traditional organizations with well defined hierarchy, the employees and team members were supposed to inform their supervisors and managers regarding the problem and conflict (Marques Santos and Margarida Passos, 2013). However, in the present globalized business environment, most of the organizations are focusing on self management and believes in empowering the team. The team members are given the authority to resolve their conflicts on their own. The concept of self management has emerged in the early 20th century and has gained popularity. According to the theorists, the employees and the team members are very close to the root of errors as well as variances in the production and they have better credential to rectify those mistakes. The production management team must receive training in quality management for accelerating the productivity. Participation of the team members in resolving the issues assist in enhancing the commitment of the team members. Their involvement enhances and they implement their solutions spontaneously for achieving improved productivity. The major focus of the management is to empower the teams in order to benefit the organization in terms of increased productivity and better performance for ensuring sustainable growth in the intensely competitive global market place.
Various empirical as well as theoretical studies have been conducted for analyzing the role of intra-group conflict and its implications in terms of performance of the team. This section will concentrate on the importance of conflict management through estimation of three types of conflict and its impact on the performance of the group. Conflict management has been one of the most important aspects for ensuring achievement of the team objectives. Recent research papers have depicted that the three types of conflict are correlated and these conflicts have more or less similar implications for the group performance on the basis of the level of conflict. Studies have depicted that the conflict resolution strategies are related with the nature of the task or procedures of the team.
Research scholars have conducted several exploratory studies and concluded that the conflict management, especially resolution of the conflict is one of the critical factors for predicting as well as managing the performance of the team. Past research studies can be analyzed for assessing the importance of conflict management process in organizational teams. Previous research studies have suggested that techniques of conflict management have significance in terms of reducing the negative impact of different types of conflicts. The major aim of the conflict management is to restore the fairness within the team (DeChurch and Marks, 2001). Conflict management within the team emphasizes on enhancing the effectiveness of the process along with effective utilization of the resources. It has been found that improving the working relationship and enhancing satisfaction of the members can be achieved through conflict management techniques. For instance, a set of research scholars have argued that cooperative strategy of conflict management that permits the team to resolve the conflict in such a manner so that it will be beneficial for the entire group. Studying wide range of literature it can be found that conflict management assists in resolving the internal conflict fairly which generally leads to a desired result for the team. According to the group value model, team members set their status within the team o the basis of how the processes are applied to them at the time of team procedures (de Jong, Song and Song, 2011).
Conflict within the team can be overt or latent in nature. Often it has been observed that process based conflicts gets manifested in the form of passive aggressive activities such as tardiness, blaming others, power play etc (Greer and van Kleef, n.d.). According to Behfar et al. (2008), over the time the activities of a team is associated with the evolving group dynamics which makes the team prone to some degree of rigidity in management of various procedures, conflict spirals and chronic rigidity. It has been argued that performance of the team can be assessed and better understood if the selection of the conflict management strategies adopted by that particular team can be analyzed (Nevries, n.d.). The major reason is selection of the conflict resolution technique is critical in providing an insight to the potential of the team in learning as well as adapting task strategies for meeting the team performance criteria (Heinz, 2014). According to DeRue et al., (2008) if a team chooses an ineffective strategy for managing conflict, the team will be likely to have a continuous as well as escalating team conflict which has a significant negative impact on the team performance (Pazos, 2012).
Research studies have clearly identified that the conflict management process within an organizational team is consisted of large range of activities which include understanding the situation, dealing with the emotion of team members, problem solving and effective communication (Nair, 2008). It has been found that the conflict management strategies depend on the individual style and trait along with the personal behavioral orientation (Aritzeta, Ayestaran and Swailes, 2005). Task conflict and relations conflict needed to be managed differently so that the desired level of team performance can be achieved.
Research studies have emphasized on outlining different conflict resolutions approaches and implication of those on the team performance. Several techniques of conflict management has been adopted by various teams on the basis nature of task (Stewart and Barrick, 2000), personal behavioral orientation, specific situation or the social relations (Pearsall, 2006). The research scholars have analyzed the different approaches of conflict management on the basis of two dimensions: distributions and integration. Distribution is associated with the concern related to personal results (Huang, 2010). On the other hand, integration is associated with the concern regarding the consequence for other team members. Hence, it can be inferred that one technique focuses on being assertive so that they can get the best and highest advantage for themselves (Pettinger, 2010). In contrast, another approach emphasizes on being collaborative which makes them concerned about the benefits and problems of others. It has been found that these two dimensions are mutually exclusive and leaded to most common five approaches for resolving conflict in organizational team.
Avoidance approach can be applied in case of very minor conflicts which can be resolved over time in a natural way. This approach focuses on ignoring the issues and denies the fact there is a problem occurred within the team. It emphasizes on not confronting the conflict and the team members hope that it will get resolved by itself. In this strategy cooperativeness as well as assertiveness is estimated to be very low (Richardson, 1995).
Accommodation is another approach of resolving conflict among team members. In this approach some team members have to flexible and they have to give up their personal opinion or position in order to agree with other team members. In this strategy some team members are cooperative and their ideas and opinions are ignored which can be considered as the cost paid by the team for resolving the conflict (Pettinger, 2010).
Confrontation is highly associated with assertiveness. This approach encourages the team members to act in an aggressive manner. In this strategy, the team members focus on winning instead of making a rational decision for the team. Confrontation gives priority to the personal benefits over the mutual benefits (Eunson, 2007).
Compromise is considered to be the balanced approach for resolving conflict within a team. According to this approach it is important to balance the demand of each team members and value their opinions and ideas. Hence, this strategy focuses on making everybody happy through reaching a consensus or mutual agreement for satisfying little bit of all the team members (Ayoko and Chua, 2014).
It has been observed that sometimes, both side of a conflict has significant concerns and collaboration approach has been found to be the best approach for resolving conflicts in this situation. The organizational teams must focus on searching solutions which will be effective in satisfying al the team members. Adoption of this approach requires high level of cooperativeness (SCHIPPERS and HOMAN, 2009). Additionally, respect for other team members and valuing others opinion are essential aspects of collaboration approach in resolving conflict within the organizational teams.
In the above section, five different approaches of conflict management have been discussed in the above section. Research articles have provided insight to different implications of each approach that helped in comparing those. Various research studies have indentified some problems of the discussed approach by implementing those in the real life context. It has been observed that, avoidance is less effective in providing permanent solution to most of the problems in an organizational team. On other hand, confrontation as well as accommodation approaches are highly assertive. Hence these two approaches have leaded to the creation of winners and losers which differentiates the team members and hurt the unity of team. Consequently, it is observed that the efficiency and the overall team performance decline. Organizational teams which are trying to implement these two highly assertive strategies of conflict management encounter trouble in managing an issue effectively and the problem is likely to recur in future. On the other hand, researchers have argued that compromise strategy is found to better in comparison to the two highly assertive approaches. The major reason is adoption of this approach helps everybody wining little as well as losing slightly. Research scholars have argued that compromise approach significantly contributes in promoting fairness and equality within the organization. However, this strategy does not provide the outcomes of the optimal decision. Most of the theorists and research scholars have suggested that collaborative approach has been found to be very effective in resolving conflict within a team. It has been found that collaboration approach focuses on searching an alternative solution for managing conflict so that all the team members win (Puck, Neyer and Dennerlein, 2010). Additionally, study has revealed that collaborative style of managing conflict within an organizational team helps in encouraging creativity which leads to high level of commitment to decision. Collaborative approach significantly contributes in improving the relationship among the team members. However, it has been observed that adoption of collaborative approach may lead to a time consuming procedure for resolving conflict. The following diagram can help in representing the comparison among differ approaches on the basis of assertiveness and cooperativeness (Behfar et al., 2008).
Several research studies have provided evidence in support of the fact that conflict is a natural part of the tam procedures. Hence, the organizational teams must be prepared for confronting the conflicts and managing it effectively. Research scholars have suggested that organizational teams should focus on development of n atmosphere which will allow dealing with the internal conflicts without creation of a relationship or emotional issues (Ayoko, Konrad and Boyle, 2012). Present studies have also focused on the role of facilitators in managing conflict effectively though controlling communication along with development of trust. Additionally, it has been found that management of conflict required effective strategy for finding appropriate solution.
Analyzing various theoretical studies and frameworks, it has been found that teams have a natural tendency to avoid conflict instead of addressing those (Eunson, 2007). Consequently, it permits the conflict to grow and may transform into relationship conflict as those are kept unresolved. Several negative emotions are associated with the unresolved conflict and degrade the communication along with disrupts trust (Syna Desivilya and Yagil, 2005). Hence, it can be stated that the team must adopt a proactive approach in order to manage conflict in the organizational teams. According to Kostopoulos and Bozionelos (2011) it is important for the team leaders to develop a psychologically safe environment for resolving conflict so that effective communication can take place without indulging the emotional issues (Shapiro, Pilsitz and Shapiro, 2004).
It is evident that successful conflict management demands development of trust among the team members for negotiating efficiently. The facilitators can focus on gaining trust as it has been found to be an important aspect of the conflict management. It is very important to be careful regarding the communication medium, language and negotiation strategy for resolving particular conflict (Tinsley, 2001).
Effectiveness can be described as the confidence that can be used one’s potential for executing a course of activities that will be demonstrated in the performance. Various exploratory studies have demonstrated that the individuals who have a belief that they can execute the required action exert effort and are efficient as well as productive. On the other hand, those who have less efficiency are found to be unproductive. Consequently, they fail to take an initiative for contributing to the organizational performance. It has been argued that efficacy can take place at the team level and it has been suggested that task specific measures must be adopted (Eizen and Syna Desivilya, n.d.). Moreover, team efficacy has significant impact on the performance of the teams. Several researchers have argued that conflict management has been the principal task for the team members. It must be noted that conflict management is crucial in case of the self managed and empowered teams (Syna Desivilya and Eizen, 2005). It has been observed that team may lead to distinct conclusion regarding the efficacy in order to handle the situations of different opinions or conflict. Literature suggests that conflict efficacy can be defined as the belief of the team that the team has significant potential for dealing with various issues in order to manage the conflicts within the team efficiently (Tjosvold, Hui and Yu, 2003).
It is evident that the conflict is a major concern for the organizational teams and as a result of this, conflict efficacy has a significant potential for contributing to the overall performance of the team. It has been observed that the low level of conflict efficacy has leaded to demoralize the team members as the members doubt that whether they will be able in combining their ideas as well as pool the resources in order to find a the solution of a particular issue (Wood, Michaelides and Thomson, 2011). Therefore, it is evident that team members will not be able to perform efficiently (Weinkauf and Hoegl, 2002).
In order to effectively manage conflict, Deutsch’s theory of cooperation and competition can be applied (Tjosvold and Johnson, 2000). It has been found that according to this theory, conflict is described as an incompatible activity in which situation a person is engaged in creating obstruction or interference for making the activities or behaviour of others less efficient. According to Deutsch’s theory, the dynamic as well as consequence of conflict is affected by the way of handling conflict (Scott, 2003). There are two ways of handling conflict, cooperatively or competitively. The leaders may tend to focus on the cooperative objectives as one proceeds towards the achievement of goals. The leaders have a tendency to consider conflict as a mutual problem and hence common consideration and solution is important (Liu, Fu and Liu, 2009). In this context, leaders are found to be very confident regarding the fact that the team members will actively reciprocate as well as work together to find a solution which is mutually beneficiary (Yang and Mossholder, 2004). The leaders have understood that pursuing interest of the other team members will help in persuasion of the team’s interest. It has been observed that adoption of this strategy in conflict management and perception helps in leading to complete exchange of different ideas as well as perspective which are merged into effective as well as mutually advantageous solution. Research scholars have focused on analyzing the experiences of confirming the positive expectation of the leaders. It has been found that engagement in the flexible as well as mutually advantageous process for managing conflict can help in strengthening the effectiveness of the organizational team as they have the confidence of handling their conflicts successfully (SCHIPPERS and HOMAN, 2009).
Research conducted by social psychologists has implied that the appropriateness of the conflict management strategies varies with the situation. It has been observed that the choice or stress on the competitive or cooperative gaols changes on the basis of the consequence and dynamics of the conflict (DeChurch and Marks, 2001). Moreover, some research studies have also depicted a significant interdependence between the competitive and cooperative gaols generally. Presently, researchers are focusing on cooperative- competitive approach of conflict management in case of the organizational teams (Jeanquart Miles and Mangold, 2002). The analysis of team performance can also help in indicating the root of conflict. Hence, it is important to analyze the reason behind conflict before adoption of the right approach in order to resolve it (Schippers, West and Dawson, 2012). The team performance can achieve the benchmark of effective conflict resolution method is adopted by the team leader.
2.5. Conclusion
This section has provided an insight to the theoretical framework of conflict management in the organizational teams. Wide range of literature has been scrutinized in this section and findings of previous studies have helped in constructing this section. In the present dynamic business environment team work significantly contributes in improving performance and coping up in the intensely competitive market. From the research studies it can be implied that conflict is a natural part of the team procedure. Hence, the teams must be prepared to manage it effectively in order to maximize the benefits of organizational teams. Relationship conflict, process conflict and task conflict has significant correlations and impact of each are associated with declining the performance of the team. Conflict leads to disruption in the regular activities and develop negative feeling that enhances dissatisfaction of the team members. This section has indentified the importance conflict management for ensuring desired level of group performance. Research studies have depicted that conflict management style is influence by the personal traits and behavior of the leader. Theoretical frameworks have suggested different approaches in order to resolve conflict. Avoidance approach has been found to be very ineffective in most of the case. On the other hand, confrontation and accommodations approaches lead to creation losers and winners which make the team members dissatisfied. Compromise focuses on offering little satisfaction to all the members. Collaboration is the most balanced approach for resolving conflict in the organizational team. Effective strategy must be adopted in order to mange conflict efficiently which plays a significant role in enhancing the team performance to the desired level.
3.0 Introduction
The research methodology chapter provides a detailed description of the strategy, methods and approaches that has been followed by the researcher at the time of the study. According to Bernard (2011), the method of the research is crucial so that it can influence the success rate of the particular research study. The chapter of research methodology will highlight the philosophy of the research, approach of the research, design, collection of data, sample and boundaries so that it can involve the study along with proper justification (Jha, 2008).
The present research has used the philosophy of positivity. The inductive approach of the research has been followed and the design of the research is descriptive in nature. For the purpose of data analysis, both primary and secondary data has been used. The primary data has been categorized into the quantitative and the qualitative types of data (Berg, 2001). For the purpose of sampling simple random sample has been used for the purpose of quantitative data collection. The method of sampling is non probability purposive sampling (Kothari, 2004). This type of sampling method has been used for qualitative data collection process.
Positivism philosophy has been maintained throughout the research. The research deals with impact of conflict management in team performance. The research will identify the correlation between conflict management and performance of the team. Cameron (2009) has opined that the philosophy of positivism supports the idea that has been based on real life scenario and it is justified with real facts and figures. According to Lancaster (2009), the scientific ideas are supported by the philosophy of positivism (‘Essentials of research design and methodology’, 2006). Likewise, the present study is based on the positivism philosophy. The research involves quantitative and qualitative form of data analysis which has been done using scientific evidences. However, positivism philosophy has been used by the researcher in the entire study (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994).
The researcher generally applies the two widely used approaches i.e. the inductive approach and the deductive approach. In the present research, deductive approach has been used by the researcher. The inductive approach is involved in the development of the new theories but the deductive approach involves testing of the theory (Amaratunga, Baldry, Sarshar & Newton, 2002). The effect of conflict management on the performance of the team has been already supported by existing theories and literature (Thomas, 2006). For this reason, a deductive approach has been used by the researcher. In the present research, the researcher has used the waterfall model which starts from evaluation of the theory followed by the testing of the theory with data which is relevant. The relevant data is analyzed which is supported by the deductive approach (Hyde, 2000).
The descriptive design of study has been used in the research. The descriptive design of study will evaluate the back ground information related to the domain of the research (Creswell & Creswell, 2013). The descriptive design of the research enables the researcher to find the solution to the various questions of the research (Creswell, 2003). It helps the researcher to conduct the research in a detailed manner to get solutions to the research area (Reviews, 2013).
The type of data that has been used for the study is both primary and secondary in nature. According to Saunders et al. (2009), the analysis of the data can be conducted in a detailed manner by using a blend of the primary and the secondary data. The primary data can be classified into two types. It is the quantitative category and the qualitative category. The opinion of the employees of the organization (Hox & Boeije, 2015) .The opinion of the employees and the managers of the organization has been measured by means of quantitative data (Bryman, 2006). On the other hand the review of the managers of the organization has been evaluated by qualitative analysis (O’Leary & O’Leary, 2010).
The process of data collection that has been applied is divided into two phases. The primary data has been collected via conducting questionnaire survey engaging the employees of Web Step. The responses gathered from the employees and the manager has been analyzed (Groves et al., 2009). On the other hand the qualitative data has been collected by evaluation of the descriptive questionnaires. The questionnaires have been sent to the managers of the Web Step via email (Rea, Parker & Wallace, 2014).
The outcome from the analysis of the data is dependent on the sample that has been chosen by the researcher. 65 employees of Web Step were chosen as the sample and the quantitative analysis of the data was done. Out of the 65 candidates chosen as the sample only 80% of the employees completed the response. The response of 52 employees has been analyzed in the present research using quantitative analysis. For the purpose of qualitative analysis, 5 managers of Web Step were chosen where 2 were HR managers, 2 operational manager and 1 general manager.
According to Brannen (2009), the choice of the sample is important for the relevancy and the accuracy of the research. It is useful for the purpose of data analysis. In the present research, simple random probability sampling method has been applied. The response collected from the samples is used for quantitative analysis of data. This technique of sampling has been chosen as it provides equal opportunity to the respondents who are selected for the present research. On the other hand the process of sampling used for qualitative data analysis is probability purposive sampling method. According to Toloie-Eshlaghy et al. (2011), the errors can be minimized using purposive sampling method and the deviation involving the data that has been collected can be controlled. Since the managers of Web Step are considered as experts in their domain , the qualitative data that has been collected is considered to be authentic.
The ethical standards have to be maintained while conducting the study. It is maintained in order to maintain the acceptability of the study. According to Ellis and Levy ( 2009) , it is crucial to maintain the ethics while conducting the study as it will make the study acceptable to the entire society. The questionnaire is prepared by the researcher keeping in mind that it does not affect the emotional aspect of the respondents related to the human feeling, background and the belief of the employees. The details of the respondents have been kept private along with the feedback that is received. During the time of interview or conducting the survey, the researcher has provided the assurance that the data collected from the study can be used for academic purpose only. The data collected from the study is used for commercial purpose only.
The flow of the research has been positive. But there has been certain complexity that has appeared while conducting the research which has impact on the overall findings of the research. The primary data has been collected via questionnaire survey. There is doubt regarding the authenticity of the primary data. The authenticity of the data is questionable. The data for qualitative analysis has been collected from the managers of the organization which may be biased. The primary research has been conducted for a short span of time which will influence the accuracy of the process of data analysis.
4.0 Introduction
The data analysis chapter will provide a detail analysis of the role of effective conflict management tools for improving the performance of the IT organization Web step. The real life practices of the organization will be considered while undertaking the analysis. The researcher has collected the primary as well as the secondary data for conducting the study. The researcher has conducted quantitative analysis of the survey questionnaires. The direct response from the employees has been analyzed which is backed by secondary data. The manager of Web step has been interviewed. The response gathered from the manager has been analyzed qualitatively. The secondary data has been used to support the primary data.
4.1.1 Quantitative Analysis: Questionnaire survey
Conflict approaches
Question 1: Individual team members treat conflict as a win loose contest.
|
Options |
Response number |
Percentage |
|
|
1 |
Strongly agree |
8 |
15% |
|
2 |
Agree |
10 |
19% |
|
3 |
Neither agree nor disagree |
12 |
23% |
|
4 |
Disagree |
15 |
29% |
|
5 |
Strongly disagree |
7 |
13% |
|
52 |
100% |
The responses gathered from the employees at Web step show that maximum percentage of the employees disagreed to the fact that conflict is taken by them as a win loose contest. Out of the 52 candidates, 29% of the candidates disagreed that conflict is not taken by them as a win lose situation. 13% of the employees strongly disagreed to the fact. Out of the 52 candidates, 15% of the employees considered conflict as a win lose situation and 19% of the employees strongly agreed to the fact. On the other hand 23% of the employees did not express their views about the situation. On analysis of the response it is seen that the maximum employees at Web Step disagreed to the fact that conflict is taken by them as a win lose situation.
The study shows that if one consider conflict as a win-lose contest then it induces competitive interest within the team where one succeeds while the other person moves away from the attainment of the goal. This reduces cohesion and bonding amongst the team members. The expectation of some of the team members increases while there are some employees in the team whose expectations tend to fail (Posthuma, 2012). These doubts give rise to communication which is biased in nature and creates inflexibility. The win lose situation gives rise to a more powerful protagonist. Thus competitive way of management of conflict creates skepticism which tends to reduce the team work and thus conflict cannot be dealt in an effective way. Thus in order to enhance the performance of the team it is essential the organization to implement ways in which conflict can be managed effectively (Tjosvold, Law & Sun, 2006).
Question 2: Do you generally seek a solution that will be good for the whole team?
|
Options |
Response number |
Percentage |
|
|
1 |
Strongly agree |
13 |
25% |
|
2 |
Agree |
17 |
33% |
|
3 |
Neither agree nor disagree |
9 |
17% |
|
4 |
Disagree |
8 |
15% |
|
5 |
Strongly disagree |
5 |
10% |
The responses gathered from the employees at Web step show that maximum percentage of the employees agreed to the fact that they generally seek a solution that will be good for the entire team. Out of the 52 candidates, 33% of the candidates agreed that they generally look for a solution that will be good for the entire team. 25 % of the employees strongly agreed to the fact that any kind of conflict situation is solved by seeking a solution that will be best for the entire team. Only 10% of the employees of Web Step strongly disagreed to the fact. Out of the 52 candidates, 15% of the employees disagreed that conflict is managed at their organization that will be beneficial for the team while 17% remained silent to the fact. They did not express any view. Thus it can be said that maximum number of employees at Web Step agreed to the fact that conflict management at their organization takes place with the aim of managing the whole team. They seek for solutions that will be beneficial for the entire team.
Social psychological research has documented that the outcomes of the conflict can vary according to the goals which may be either cooperative or competitive in nature. The approach of cooperative and competitive approach of conflict has been extended to a considerable extent. The increase in efficacy of the team towards conflict makes them work together in an effective manner which increases the productivity of the team (Fao.org, 2015). Conflict resolution gives rise to positive power which creates empowerment and trust among the participants. This strengthens the notion of conflict partnership. Positive power among the team members creates a positive self image which helps to apply positive communication skills for the process of resolution of the conflict. The cooperative approach to conflict management leads to promotion of the mutual goals which helps to resolve the conflict for mutual benefit (Jehn & Chatman, 2000).
Question 3: Conflict is treated by team members as a mutual problem to solve.
|
Options |
Response Number |
Percentage |
|
|
1 |
Strongly agree |
20 |
38% |
|
2 |
Agree |
17 |
33% |
|
3 |
Neither agree nor disagree |
10 |
19% |
|
4 |
Disagree |
4 |
8% |
|
5 |
Strongly disagree |
1 |
2% |
The responses gathered from the employees at Web step show that maximum percentage of the employees agreed to the fact that they consider conflict as a mutual problem. Out of the 52 candidates, 38% of the candidates strongly agreed that they take conflict as a mutual problem which can be resolved by mutual discussion. 33 % of the employees agreed to the fact that any kind of conflict situation is considered as a mutual problem and it is resolved by effective team work. Only 2% of the employees of Web Step strongly disagreed to the fact. Out of the 52 candidates, 8% of the employees disagreed that conflict is managed at their organization considering it as mutual problem while 19% remained silent to the fact. They did not express any view. Thus it can be said that maximum number of employees at Web Step agreed to the fact that conflict management at their organization takes place considering it as a mutual problem. This shows that team work is the best way to solve a situation of conflict.
The conflict can be either considered as a task or it can be relational. For this reason the researcher has focused on the perception, goals and actions of the people. In cooperative conflict people feel that their goals are linked positively so one moves towards the goals in a cooperative manner. On the other hand in case of competitive approach results in one sided one imposed decisions that result in relationships that are fragmented in nature (De Dreu & Weingart, 2003). It is upsetting for the team members at the organization to work in cohesion with one another. Conflict results in disharmony among the team members and they are not able to function in an effective manner. A cooperative approach towards conflict resolution helps to deal with the disruptive issues in an effective manner and the value of the organization increases (Jehn & Chatman, 2000).
Question 4: Team members tend to overstate their position to get their own way.
|
Options |
Response Number |
Percentage |
|
|
1 |
Strongly agree |
5 |
10% |
|
2 |
Agree |
7 |
13% |
|
3 |
Neither agree nor disagree |
8 |
15% |
|
4 |
Disagree |
21 |
40% |
|
5 |
Strongly disagree |
11 |
21% |
The responses gathered from the employees at Web step show that maximum percentage of the employees disagreed to the fact that the team members overstate their position to get their own way. Out of the 52 candidates, 40% of the employees disagreed that the employee’s tendency to overstate their position to get their work done. 21 % of the employees strongly disagreed to the fact that the employees do not overstate their position to get their own way. Only 10% of the employees of Web Step strongly agreed to the fact. Out of the 52 candidates, 13% of the employees disagreed that the employees overstate the problems and position to get their work done while 17% remained silent to the fact. They did not express any view. Thus it can be said that maximum number of employees at Web Step disagreed to the fact that the team members overstate their position at Web Step to get their own way. This shows that team work is the best way in which work is done at Web Step.
In competitive approach towards conflict, the conflict is resolved in a one sided manner where the decisions are imposed and results in fragmented relationships. The competitive approach affects the outcome of the conflict (Montoya-Weiss, Massey & Song, 2001). The underlying assumption to the competitive approach is that they are negatively related and the successful attainment of goal cannot be achieved. Thus in the competitive approach towards conflict tend to change the behavior of the employees. They have the tendency to overstate their position so that they can be benefitted from the conflict. But such type of approach tends to reduce the team performance. The reduction in the team performance reduces the effectiveness at work place and disrupts the productivity at work place (Bell, 2007).
Question 1: Do you believe that your team members could successfully manage the different situations of conflict in your organization?
|
Options |
Response Number |
Percentage |
|
|
1 |
Strongly agree |
20 |
38% |
|
2 |
Agree |
17 |
33% |
|
3 |
Neither agree nor disagree |
10 |
19% |
|
4 |
Disagree |
4 |
8% |
|
5 |
Strongly Disagree |
1 |
2% |
The responses gathered from the employees at Web step show that maximum percentage of the employees agreed to the fact that their team members can effectively resolve any situation of conflict. Out of the 52 candidates, 33% of the candidates agreed that their team members generally look for a solution that will be good for the entire team. They can successfully address to situations of conflict.38 % of the employees strongly agreed to the fact that any kind of conflict situation is solved by the team members in an effective way. Only 2% of the employees of Web Step strongly disagreed to the fact. Out of the 52 candidates, 8% of the employees disagreed that conflict is managed by their team members in an effective manner while 19% remained silent to the fact. They did not express any view. Thus it can be said that the employees at Web Step are aware of the ways in which conflict can be managed in an effective manner and they manage the situation of conflict effectively.
UK shows relationship oriented and collective culture. They have strong desire for harmony at work place. It is important to preserve the interpersonal harmony among the work group which will help to override the concerns and increase the production. Thus the orientation among the team members is crucial for the success of the team performance (Tjosvold, 2007). It is often assumed that relationship orientation results in avoidance of the situation of conflict. Thus one can value the relationship with the team members and enhances the usefulness of the co-operative approach towards conflict resolution. Thus it is able to deal with the situations of conflict without harming the relationship with the team members at work place. Thus in order to address to the various issues of conflict in the organization, it is important to work in a collective manner that will enhance the performance of the team(Deutsch, Marcus & Coleman, 2006).
Question 2: There is enough tension between you and your group.
|
Options |
Response Number |
Percentage |
|
|
1 |
Strongly agree |
5 |
10% |
|
2 |
Agree |
7 |
13% |
|
3 |
Neither agree nor disagree |
8 |
15% |
|
4 |
Disagree |
21 |
40% |
|
5 |
Strongly Disagree |
11 |
21% |
The responses gathered from the employees at Web step show that maximum percentage of the employees disagreed to the fact that there is enough tension between the employees and their team members. Out of the 52 candidates, 40% of the candidates disagreed that there is enough tension between the employees and the group members. 21 % of the employees strongly disagreed to the existence of tension between the employees and the team members. Only 13% of the employees of Web Step strongly agreed to the fact. Out of the 52 candidates, 10% of the employees agreed that conflict exists between the team members while 15% remained silent to the fact. They did not express any view. Thus it can be said that since maximum number of employees disagreed to the fact that there is no tension between the team members it can be said that conflict is managed effectively at Web Step.
Tension among the group members disrupts the performance of the team which reduces the team productivity. Although conflict is a major aspect of team performance in an organization, but it has both positive and negative aspect on the team members. It creates tension among the group member which reduces the quality of work. For example relationship conflict ha negative impact on the level of satisfaction among the team members. It reduces the quality of work and leads to reduction of the team performance (Tjosvold, 2005). Co-operation among the team members improves the quality of work and the productivity of the organization increases. Thus it is important for every organization to implement effective tools of conflict management for increasing the productivity of the members of the organization. Thus a desirable approach must be considered in order to resolve the conflict so that harmony can be achieved among the team members (Tjosvold, Hui & Law, 2001).
Question 3: Team members will combine the options for solution in the best possible way to make an effective decision.
|
Options |
Response Number |
Percentage |
|
|
1 |
Strongly agree |
13 |
25% |
|
2 |
Agree |
17 |
33% |
|
3 |
Neither agree nor disagree |
9 |
17% |
|
4 |
Disagree |
8 |
15% |
|
5 |
Strongly Disagree |
5 |
10% |
The responses gathered from the employees at Web step show that maximum percentage of the employees agreed to the fact that the team members at Web Step combine the various options in the best possible way in order to arrive at the desired solution. Out of the 52 candidates, 33% of the candidates agreed that team member’s work together to arrive at the desired decision. 25 % of the employees strongly agreed to the fact that team members arrive at the desired conclusion by combining the best possible option. Only 10% of the employees of Web Step strongly disagreed to the fact. Out of the 52 candidates, 15% of the employees disagreed that team members does not work together to arrive at the desired decision while 17% remained silent to the fact. They did not express any view. Thus it can be said that maximum number of employees at Web Step agreed to the fact that team members combine the options in a best possible way to arrive at the desired decision. This has been beneficial for Web Step in undertaking decisions that will be beneficial for the entire team.
The team members have to be assertive and cooperating in nature in order to improve the performance of the team. The success of team work will depend upon the cooperation and unity among the members of the team (Tjosvold, Yu & Hui, 2004). The overall performance of the team will decline if the team members are not cooperative and it will hurt the culture of the organization. The increase in the level of conflict will lead to disruption in the team performance which will reduce the level of satisfaction. It will ultimately lead to negative feel and stress among the team members (Khol, n.d.). It is seen that when the level of conflict is low it assists in rational decision making which enhances the quality. But with the increase in conflict the effectiveness of the team performance tends to decline which distracts the performance of the people within the team (Mohammed, White & Prabhakar, 2009).
Question 1: Conflict management increases the productivity of the team.
|
Options |
Response Number |
Percentage |
|
|
1 |
Strongly agree |
19 |
37% |
|
2 |
Agree |
20 |
38% |
|
3 |
Neither agree nor disagree |
8 |
15% |
|
4 |
Disagree |
4 |
8% |
|
5 |
Strongly Disagree |
1 |
2% |
The responses gathered from the employees at Web step show that maximum percentage of the employees agreed to the fact that the management technique to resolve conflict improves the productivity at work place. Out of the 52 candidates, 38% of the candidates agreed that the productivity of their team increased as a result of effective management of conflict. The bonding amongst the team members increased as a result of effective management of conflict.37 % of the employees strongly agreed to the fact that effective management of conflict improved the productivity of the team. Only 2% of the employees of Web Step strongly disagreed to the fact. Out of the 52 candidates, 8% of the employees disagreed that the productivity of the team increases as a result of effective management of conflict while 17% remained silent to the fact. They did not express any view. Thus it can be said that maximum number of employees at Web Step agreed to the fact that conflict management at their organization results in increase in the cohesiveness of the team and productivity of Web Step has increased as a result of team work and lack of conflict between the team members.
Conflict management has been considered as one of the important aspect for ensuring that the team objectives are obtained. The strategies of conflict resolution depend on the nature of the task or the kind of procedures that are taken up by the team (Wrench, 2004). The major objective behind conflict management is to enhance the effectiveness of performance of the organization. It has been found that management of conflict increases the effectiveness of team performance with the effective utilization of the resources (Klijn & Koppenjan, 2000). This can be achieved by improving the working relationship by enhancing the satisfaction with the team members by effective techniques of conflict management (Tams, 2013).
Question 2: The quality of work improves as a result of team work via effective conflict management.
|
Options |
Response Number |
Percentage |
|
|
1 |
Strongly agree |
20 |
38% |
|
2 |
Agree |
17 |
33% |
|
3 |
Neither agree nor disagree |
10 |
19% |
|
4 |
Disagree |
4 |
8% |
|
5 |
Strongly Disagree |
1 |
2% |
The responses gathered from the employees at Web step show that maximum percentage of the employees agreed to the fact that there is improvement in the quality of work as a result of team work. Team work can be successful via effective management of conflict.Out of the 52 candidates, 33% of the candidates agreed that there is improvement in the quality of work via effective team management. Team can be managed effectively by reducing the number of conflicts.38 % of the employees strongly agreed to the fact that any kind of conflict situation is solved effectively it results in increase in the quality of work. Only 2% of the employees of Web Step strongly disagreed to the fact. Out of the 52 candidates, 8% of the employees disagreed that the quality of work improves as a result of team work which is achieved by reducing the number of conflicts whereas 17% remained silent to the fact. They did not express any view. Thus it can be said that maximum number of employees at Web Step agreed to the fact that the quality of work improves as a result of effective management of conflict. Team work improves the quality of work which can be achieved by effective conflict management tools.
The effective conflict management strategies improve the quality of work in the team. A conflict management strategy which is ineffective will result in escalation of the team conflict with significant negative impact on the performance of the team. The strategies of conflict management depend on the individual style and trait along with the orientation of the personal behavior (Tjosvold, Hui & Yu, 2003). There are various approaches for resolution of conflict and it depends on the nature of conflict. Among the various ways of conflict management, the major approaches of conflict resolution are avoidance of conflict, accommodation of conflict, confrontation with conflict, compromising with conflict and collaboration with conflict (Rafferty, Ball & Aiken, 2001). The approaches of conflict management are assertive in nature which thrives at promoting fairness and equality in the organization (ciber.business.uconn.edu, 2015).
Question 3: Team effectiveness results in cost savings for the organization.
|
Options |
Response Number |
Percentage |
|
|
1 |
Strongly agree |
13 |
25% |
|
2 |
Agree |
17 |
33% |
|
3 |
Neither agree nor disagree |
9 |
17% |
|
4 |
Disagree |
8 |
15% |
|
5 |
Strongly Disagree |
5 |
10% |
The responses gathered from the employees at Web step show that maximum percentage of the employees agreed to the fact that team effectiveness results in cost savings for Web Step. Out of the 52 candidates, 33% of the candidates agreed that they generally look for a solution after taking suggestion from the entire team. This helps to find out the effective solution. It also results in cost savings for the organization. 25 % of the employees strongly agreed to the fact that team effectiveness results in cost savings for the entire organization. Suggestions from the team have helped to deal with difficult situations. The effectiveness of the team has increased. Only 10% of the employees of Web Step strongly disagreed to the fact. Out of the 52 candidates, 15% of the employees disagreed that team effectiveness results in cost savings for Web Step while 17% remained silent to the fact. They did not express any view. Thus it can be said that maximum number of employees at Web Step agreed to the fact that team effectiveness results in cost savings. The suggestions from the team gives rise to solutions that will be beneficial for the entire team. This increases the effectiveness of the team and saves time and cost to a considerable extent.
The effectiveness in the performance of the team increases the productivity of the team. This saves the cost of the organization. On the other hand the less efficient team is found to be less unproductive which increases the cost of the organization. In order to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost it is important to undertake task specific measures. The level of efficacy of the team has positive impact on the performance of the team. Conflict management is an important tool to manage the empowered teams. It helps to make the team more productive and handle the different opinions or conflict(Sallis, 2002).
Question 4: Team members show high commitment towards meeting their goal.
|
Options |
Response Number |
Percentage |
|
|
1 |
Strongly agree |
17 |
33% |
|
2 |
Agree |
20 |
38% |
|
3 |
Neither agree nor disagree |
10 |
19% |
|
4 |
Disagree |
4 |
8% |
|
5 |
Strongly Disagree |
1 |
2% |
The responses gathered from the employees at Web step show that maximum percentage of the employees agreed to the fact that they show high commitment towards meeting their goal. Out of the 52 candidates, 38% of the candidates agreed that they work as a team in their organization. 33 % of the employees strongly agreed to the fact that any kind of conflict situation is solved by team work and there are various situations that has been managed by working as a team. Only 2% of the employees of Web Step strongly disagreed to the fact. Out of the 52 candidates, 8% of the employees disagreed that conflict is managed at their organization by team work. But they comprise of small percentage of the entire population while 19% remained silent to the fact. They did not express any view. Thus it can be said that maximum number of employees at Web Step agreed to the fact that conflict management at their organization takes place via team work. The employees at Web Step agreed that they work as a team and team work has been the strength in resolving all major issues in the organization.
High level of commitment among the members of the team increases the productivity of the team. The team members are able to handle the conflict situation with ease. It increases the belief among the team members that the team has significant potential in dealing with the various issues so that they can manage the conflict situations with efficacy (Spencer, 2015). Efficacy among the group members to handle conflict has significant potential in contributing to the overall performance of the team. The team members are demoralized when the level of team performance is low. This reduces the productivity of the organization(Rahim, 2007).
Question 5: Are you satisfied with the way your team manages the work?
|
Options |
Response Number |
Percentage |
|
|
1 |
Yes |
37 |
71% |
|
2 |
No |
15 |
29% |
The responses gathered from the employees at Web step show that maximum percentage of the employees agreed to the fact that the team leaders were satisfied with the way the work is being managed by their team. Out of the 52 candidates, 37 candidates responded that they were happy with the way the team work is managed. It comprises 71% of the total respondents. The positive response from the employees showed that employees worked as a team and any kind of conflict is managed easily. The overall benefit of the team is given priority in Web Step. On the other hand 15 employees at Web Step disagreed to the fact that they were satisfied with the way the work is managed by the team. It comprises 29% of the total employees surveyed. It shows that the percentage of candidates who disagreed to the fact is miniscule compared to the percentage of employees who agreed to the fact. This shows that team work is the strength of Web Step and conflict is managed effectively by the organization.
Conflict management reduces the level of stress among the team members and it increases the productivity of the team. In the dynamic business environment it is important to improve the performance of the team so that it can thrive in the highly competitive market (Floyd & Lane, 2000). Thus the team must be highly prepared so that they can maximize the benefits of the organizational teams (Rahim, n.d.). This increases the level of satisfaction among the team members and they perform in an effective manner. The reduction in the level of stress among the team members has significant correlation with the performance of the team (Tekleab, Quigley & Tesluk, 2009).
The findings of the research have been evaluated by the researcher in this chapter which depends on the theoretical aspect of the research. The relationship between the team performance and the management of conflict has been studied in the UK based organization, Web Step. The data has been gathered by interviewing the managers of the organization. The managers of the organization include the HR manager, operational manager and the general manager.
The data has been collected from the five managers which include the operational manager, HR manager and the general manager. Interview was conducted in order to analyze the qualitative response from the candidates. The questions along with the responses are discussed below.
Q-1). What are the various conflict management practices in your organization?
According to the response of the managers of Web Step it is seen that there are various ways of conflict management in the organization. The managers of Web Step concentrate on profound established causes as opposed to shallow impacts when surveying clashes. The managers of Web Step enter into regular gatherings to regularly in order to resolve the issues with the conduct of collaborators or the result of organization strategies and work methods; however these issues are likely being created by something deeper. Endeavoring to determine the contention by tending to surface issues will seldom make important change or enduring arrangements. The managers look deeper to address the reasons that episodes occur. The employees are given contention of an equivalent voice, paying little respect to their position, length of administration or political impact. The clash between the members can get to be opposing on the off chance that they feel they are being minimized or are experiencing a procedure prompting a foreordained result. It can be enticing to take the expression of directors over cutting edge workers, or to take the expression of a dedicated worker more than another representative, yet recall that the most trusted partners are not so much dependable. The managers basically give everybody an equivalent opportunity to talk; give their contentions an equivalent weight in your psyche when intervening a conflict. They accept conflict as a regular development process which impacts the organization and society so that the task is managed in an effective way. Conflict can be an advantageous for the business in the event that it is taken care of legitimately. It can help the association gain from its missteps and recognize ranges of the required change. Development can be roused from inventive answers for inward or outside conflict, and better approaches for speculation can develop (Combined response of the Managers).
Q-2). Do you think that the effective conflict management strategies has been able to enhance the performance of your organization?
According to the managers, circumstances of conflict ought to be either determined or utilized usefully. Conflict can have constructive or adverse impacts for the association, contingent on the earth made by the administrator as she or he oversees and directs the management of the conflict. Games can be utilized to direct the demeanor of individuals by giving focused circumstances which can free pressure in the conflict gatherings, and in addition have some stimulation esteem. In associations where individuals take an interest in choice making, question are generally minor and not intense as the closeness of individual’s conservative’s aggressive and decisive conduct into minor differences, which minimizes the probability of real battles. At the point when two gatherings whose regard towards one another face a contention circumstance, the contention determination procedure may help in clearing up the certainties and empowering a quest for commonly adequate solutions. When two or more gatherings are in conflict, the execution and attachment of every gathering is prone to move forward. In a conflict resolution circumstance, a rival’s position is assessed contrarily, and gathering fidelity is firmly strengthened, prompting expanded gathering exertion and cohesion. In a contention circumstance, the relative capacity or force of the gatherings included can be distinguished and measured. The effective strategies of conflict management by the managers working across the various departments of the organization have been able to deal with the situations of conflict effectively. This has increased the cohesiveness among the team members which has created a positive working environment at Web Step (Combined response of the Managers).
Q-3). Do you think that team work produces better quality of work?
According to the manager at Web Step, team work is essential to improve the productivity of the organization. When the team works as a unit they are able to accomplish work in a better way that the individual members can performance. It results in outcomes which are high in quality and more efficient. The productivity of the organization increases as a result of team work. The work done by the members is more thoughtful and effective in generating positive results. The individual team members benefit from the team work. The team members provide mutual support to one another which creates a great sense of accomplishment among the group members. The efficiency of the group increases and it results in effective utilization of the resources. The major benefit of team work is that the organization can achieve an outcome which is not possible to achieve without team work. The team work results in effective utilization of the resources and results in the production of richer ideas. It increases efficiency of the team. The team will be able to achieve the goals faster and easily. It gives rise to ideas that are more thoughtful and increases the productivity of the organization. This has been achieved by effective management of conflict in the organization. The roles of the individuals are segregated in team work which helps the employees to address to the issues effectively. The employees of the organization can arrive at the desired conclusion by accomplishing the tasks via team work. It improves the quality of work and at the same time it results in cost savings for the organization. Since there are many contributors for a single task, the team is able to complete the task in less time (Combined response of the Managers).
Chapter 5 Conclusion and Recommendations
The research has tried to establish the correlation team performance and the conflict management tools of the organization. The researcher has tried to prove the validity of the research by conducting a survey in an UK based IT organization. It is a small and medium sized organization in UK. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis has been performed. The researcher has been able to draw a connection between the objectives of the research with the main findings of the research. It has been discussed in the conclusion chapter.
Objective 1: The study focuses on exploring various types of conflict management in teams.
The research study has identified the various types of conflict management in the teams of Web Step. The survey shows that the organization has implemented various types of conflict management tools for resolving the conflict in the organization. The analysis of the survey via quantitative analysis shows that the employees at Web Step work as a team and they are content with their team members. It is known from interviewing the managers of the organization that the company has adopted various techniques of conflict management techniques to resolve the conflict issues. This comprises of regular gathering of the management with the team members to discuss the conflict issues of the organization and resolving them via face to face conversation. The managers give each employees equal opportunity to express their views regarding any kind of conflict issues. This helps to resolve the issue quickly and preserves the cohesion amongst the members of the team. It is evident from the survey that the conflict management techniques in the organization have been effective to resolve the conflict issues at Web Step. The conflict management techniques in the organization have improved the performance of the team. The productivity of the team has improved and at the same time there has been improvement in the quality of work. The organization provides information technology related consulting services. Thus it is important for the organization to work as a team in order to provide highest quality business solutions to their clients. This has been achieved via efficient conflict management tools in the organization. The conflict management tools at Web Step have been able to derive the necessary solutions for the organization. The team performance at Web Step has improved rapidly.
Objective 2: The study aims to examine different conflict management practices and its implication.
The analysis of the survey shows that the conflict management tools at Web Step has been able to improve the productivity of the organization. There has been improvement in the quality of performance at the organization. It is evident from the survey that the team members at the organization are happy with the way the conflict are resolved in their organization. It is evident from the survey that the conflict resolution tools in the organization have been able to improve the effectiveness of the organization. The team members seek for solution that is beneficial for the entire organization. This has increased the binding between the team members. The solution implemented by the team is equally beneficial for the team members. It is evident from the survey and the interview conducted with the managers that the quality of work in the organization has improved as a result of team work. It has also resulted in cost savings for the organization. The time is utilized by the team members in an effective manner which has reduced the expenditure of the organization. The managers of the organization are satisfied with the way in which the team members of Web Step are performing. Since the conflict is considered as team issue, it is resolved by a team approach. This gives rise to innovative ideas which makes the resolution of the conflict easier and faster. The co-operative approach towards conflict benefits each member of the organization. However the competitive approach towards conflict resolution resolve the conflict with a one sided approach. One of the parties is benefitted from the competitive approach. Thus this approach towards conflict resolution does not improve the effectiveness of the organization. The cooperative approach towards conflict resolution has been adopted by the organization. This has helped the organization to resolve the conflict issues in the organization and enhance the performance of the team.
Objective 3:
Research will be conducted for estimating the role of effective conflict management in enhancing the performance of the team through analysis of the gathered information
The survey conducted at Web Step shows that the measures of conflict management has been effective to enhance the performance of the organization. The analysis of the survey has shown that maximum number of employees of the organization agreed to the fact that the team would work together to resolve any conflict. The conflict was resolved in a way that will benefit the employees of the organization. A cooperative approach towards resolution of conflict was adopted. This has improved the performance of the organization. It is evident from the survey that the team performance of the organization has improved as a result of effective conflict resolution tools adopted by the organization. Thus the organization has been able to maintain a secured position as an IT consultancy providing organization. The analysis of the survey and the interview shows that the managers of the organization are content with the performance of the team.
Web Step can introduce innovative approaches towards resolution of conflict. This will further improve the performance of the organization. It is evident from the research that the conflict resolution approach of the organization has been effective to improve the team performance of the organization.
The study is based on Web Step which is an UK based small and medium sized IT organization. The researcher has faced difficulty while conducting the survey as most of the employees were not reluctant to express their personal views on this issue. The research is only restricted to the small and medium sized sector in UK whereas the global scenario of conflict management has not been focused.
The research can be conducted on a vast scale in the future involving more than one company in order to obtain a large overview of the topic. The major issues of conflict can be highlighted from the study in the future.
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