Coordinators, Team Building and Conflict. Recognizing conflict THE TEAM MEMBERS YOU ARE COORDINATING are different people with different social and psychological.

Coordinators , Team Building and Conflict

Recognizing conflict THE TEAM MEMBERS YOU ARE COORDINATING are

different people with different social and psychological realities. They see the world differently and want different things as measured in:

Beliefs, values, interests and principles.Frankly, you will be dealing with part time and full time

faculty and will be the main person on the line to represent management to faculty.

The desire and willingness to work on a Team and to understand how a team works will vary considerably.

So will teaching philosophies: attitudes towards students and perceptions of common good in regard to your institutions.

What actually causes Conflict? -Rubin, Pruitt and Kim in their text Social

Conflict state when underlying interests formulate into aspirations that are incompatible with those of another, we have a conflict.

- Differences alone do not create conflict where differences are tolerated with respect but where one opinion or set of interests seeks or needs to dominate to the exclusion of another, you will have conflict to work through.

As Coordinators think of:- Forces operating in the college system due to

current economic and educational needs, philosophies and values.

- Consider examples of:- 1) Situations where differing interests can coexist; - 2) Situations where interests and values are

actually incompatible, or - 3) Situations where they are simply perceived to be

incompatible but may in fact coexist..

-The act then of naming potential conflicts is crucial, to bring them into awareness, to discuss risks and to begin the search for mutually acceptable alternatives.

- The act of naming, claiming and blaming moves the conflict to the level of a dispute

John Paul Lederach in his book, Preparing for Peace, states we can: Understand conflict to be a natural, common

experience present in all relationships and cultures.

Understand conflict to be a socially constructed event which we create as part of our search for shared meaning.

As coordinators how do you find the limits of your power, the extent of each team member’s cooperation, the presence or absence of mutuality of direction in the development of courses.

Lederach continues by saying:Understand that culture is rooted in the shared

knowledge, and schemes created and used by a set of people for perceiving, interpreting, expressing, and responding to social realities around them.

Therefore understand as a coordinator that your program, faculty or group represent just such a culture and that the pursuit of shared meaning and joint activity is going to be constant and-

The conflict you experience is normal and natural.

Responses to Conflict can be from:- 1) Ignoring or yielding- To - 2) Contending: A) Through Power based approaches and B) Rights based approaches- To - 3) Cooperating through Interest based

approaches .

- Consider your most common responses when conflict arises within your team. What are the results?

Positions versus InterestsPower and rights processes are based on

perceived strength against the other party-they are both adversarial.

A position is a fixed and rigid response to a conflict which leads to a process of attack and defend and a win/lose result.

Interests are each parties legitimate needs, hopes, aspirations, fears or concerns .

If clarified and shared these can lead to win/win solutions.

Getting to win/winRecognizing there are different types of

conflicts and that each of these require different interventions;

Understanding process;

Developing skills.

Different types of Conflict- Chris Moore1) Structural Conflicts:Unequal control, ownership, or distribution of

resourcesUnequal power and authorityTime constraintsPossible interventions:Clearly define and change rolesEstablish a fair and mutually acceptable

decision-making processChange negotiation process from positional

to interest-based bargaining

Data Conflicts:Lack of information, misinformationDifferent views on what is relevantDifferent interpretations of dataPossible interventions:Reach agreement on what data are importantAgree on process to collect dataDevelop common criteria to assess data

Interest Conflicts:Perceived or actual competition over substantive

(content) interests; Procedural interests; Psychological interests.

Possible interventions:Focus on interests, not positionsLook for objective criteriaDevelop integrative solutions that address needs of

all partiesSearch for ways to expand options or resourcesDevelop trade-offs to satisfy interests of different

strengths

Value Conflicts:Different ways of life, ideology, or religionPossible interventions:Avoid defining problem in terms of valueAllow parties to agree and to disagreeCreate spheres of influence in which one set

of values dominatesSearch for super-ordinate goals that all

parties share

Relationship Conflicts:Misperceptions or stereotypesPoor communication or miscommunicationRepetitive negative behaviourPossible interventions:Clarify perceptions and build positive perceptionsImprove quality and quantity of communicationBlock negative repetitive behaviour by changing

structureEncourage positive problem-solving attitudes

In short, sometimes it is important to know what type of conflict exists to know what may be an effective means of intervention.

Understanding simple process- Coleman RaiderT0 avoid going adversarial try:1) Setting out all initial positions flexibly and

positively and create clear goals from the beginning of a session;

2) Seek and invite clarity of underlying interests involved in the potential conflict - as opposed to defending your position and attacking the others.

3) With a complete list of clarified interests reframe by asking the question “How can all interests be included in the outcome?”

4) Invite problem solving to seek most beneficial win/win results.

Developing skillsCreate a Positive Approach- be optimistic and use

some simple ground rules.Create a Future Orientation, past orientation

creates blaming, future orientation creates possibilities for next time.

Knowing and agreeing on goals from the outset.QuestioningListeningReflecting ReframingProblem solving.

Exercise  In groups of four hold a session in which you come to an agreement

on strategies you will employ on your return to your respective schools.

The issues you are considering should deal with: Gaining your group’s up front commitment to participating

throughout the year. Balancing and defining roles and expectations particularly in regard

to full and part time faculty. Establishing ground rules for ongoing use and reference with your

team.Look at the kinds of conflict you are likely to

confront and come up with four strategies that could empower you in holding your meetings and assignments next fall.