Transcript Lecture 8
COMM11003 Professional & Technical Communication Lesson 8 Teamwork, Negotiation, and Conflict Resolution Essence of Teamwork • A team is a collaboration of individuals, all of whom may come from a different social, cultural, ethical viewpoint. • Well-managed or organised teams are often more productive than individuals. • Teams can be formal or informal. • Teams can be self-managed or formally managed. Essence of Teamwork • Teams: • Operate within a charter • See themselves as having specified roles • See the team as accountable for achieving specific organisational goals (Dwyer, 2002, p.433) • Successful teams have strong leadership (managed) or clear direction (selfmanaged). Small Group Communication • Small groups consist of different personalities who may take on specific roles. • Roles can be: • Group task • Group building and maintenance • Self-centred (Seiler and Bell, 2002) Negotiation • Negotiation is “a process in which two or more parties try to resolve differences, solve problems, and reach agreement” (Dwyer, 2002). • Often seen as Win – Win or Win – Lose. • Only successful if all parties want agreement. Negotiation • Good negotiators are good communicators. • Different styles of negotiation: • Competing • Accommodating • Avoiding • Collaborating • Compromising • Need a collaborating or compromising style to result in win – win. Managing Conflict • Conflict is part of life. • It is not necessarily a bad thing, and if managed well, can be very positive for relationships. • Groupthink – risk of failing to see alternatives when the price on agreement is too high. • Conflict can be produced by a range of factors, and can come from unexpected sources. Skills for Conflict Management • Conflict is negative – ‘addressing the issue’ is a positive way of looking at a potential conflict scenario. • Need to decide: • Whether to confront • When to confront • How to confront (Dwyer, 2002) • How important is the relationship vs the issue? Readings • Business Communication: Building Critical Skills • Module 7 – Positive Emphasis • Module 11 – Negative Messages • Module 18 – Working and Writing in Teams Exercise 8 This week, you should observe a group and analyse the dynamics of group interaction. Submit two pages, answering the questions posed in the study guide. See your study guide for more details.