Introduction
In the modern world of business, companies have to engage in strict competition to survive in the market. For this purpose, the effective use of human resources is pivotal. Therefore, it is crucial to properly manage employees and organize effective teamwork. This paper provides several recommendations for resolving some conflict situations in the workplace and creating an effective team.
Motivation
In the given case, the motivation of the employees is low, which is evident, e.g., because they are late for work or leave early, and their general morale is poor. To improve the motivation of the workers, it is possible to utilize some methods suggested by Conner (2014). For instance, it might be useful to share the vision of the company with the workers, to show them that the company helps its clients. Employees may be motivated by treating them with care and showing them they are valued and respected, e.g. by providing them with gifts and some benefits, congratulating them on birthdays, recognizing their achievements, etc.
Leadership
To improve the teamwork, the representatives of the leadership personnel may use a variety of methods. For instance, it may be recommended to identify the problems which exist in the current team to be able to address them specifically. Also, the roles of the employees should be clearly defined; this ought to be done after identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each of the member of the team, which would allow the workers to use their strengths to the full extent, and to compensate for the weaknesses of one another. Also, is possible to create a system for recognizing the achievements of the team for their collaborative work, and for rewarding the team’s members.
Resolving Conflict With One Another
It is of paramount importance that the conflict between workers is resolved if the team is to work together effectively. First of all, it may be recommended to investigate the complaints about the harassment and to find out what exactly happened; it is possible that, due to diverse cultural backgrounds, what was perceived as harassment by victims was not viewed as such by the perpetrators. After that, it may be advised to clearly define the boundaries of acceptable behavior (Myatt, 2012) to avoid such problems in the future.
It should also be explained to the perpetrators what they did wrong and how it was perceived, and they ought to apologize. On the whole, many conflicts may be resolved similarly: by finding out the cause of misunderstanding, thinking it through, and learning from it (Myatt, 2012); the leader in these cases should work as a mediator between the conflicting parties (McKenzie, 2015).
Resolving Conflict With Customers
If there are conflicts with clients, the employees should be taught to address them. It may be recommended to teach the workers some conflict resolution methods; for instance, they should provide the clients with the opportunity to talk and express all their feelings; empathize with clients’ problems to demonstrate care towards these customers; avoid responding to angry statements, but listen and only answer helpfully when the client has had their say; purposefully make attempts to find what to agree with the client about; and so on.
Teamwork
There are five main stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning (Anderson & Bolt, 2014). During the forming stage, members of the team get to know one another (Anderson & Bolt, 2014). To help the team progress through this stage, it is possible to encourage communication between them. Also, objectives and goals for both the individual members and for the team, on the whole, should be defined.
During the storming stage, some team members may enter into conflict with one another (Anderson & Bolt, 2014). At this phase, it is paramount to strive to build good relationships and trust between the members of the team and to resolve the conflicts should they take place. Coaching activities aimed at teaching team members to resolve conflicts may be beneficial, as well as the elaboration of the stages of team development so that they would understand that it is only natural that conflicts occur.
During the norming stage, individuals accept one another and begin to prepare for reaching the goals of the team (Anderson & Bolt, 2014). They start understanding their roles and taking responsibility for them. To help the team progress through this stage, it is possible to arrange an event aimed at team-building.
During the performing stage, the team begins working towards the goal (Anderson & Bolt, 2014). Because at this point, the members of the team already know their tasks, responsibilities, and how to work with each other, little effort is needed to direct them. The leader might wish to delegate the tasks which need doing to the members of the team.
Finally, at the adjourning stage, the team has already completed the project, and it is now the time to close that project (Anderson & Bolt, 2014). It is possible to celebrate the success in the project and to review the performance, experiences, and various nuances of the teamwork which stimulated or hindered the process of doing the task.
Conclusion
On the whole, it should be stressed that high-quality teamwork is paramount if the workforce is to be effective, and the company is to be successful. To resolve the problems in the given case, the leader should work towards improving the motivation of the employees, resolving their conflicts, and successfully guiding the team through the different stages of team development.
References
Anderson, L. E., & Bolt, S. B. (2014). Professionalism: Skills for workplace success (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
Conner, C. (2014). 6 ways to increase employee morale and performance (without giving a raise). Forbes. Web.
McKenzie, D. M. (2015). The role of mediation in resolving workplace relationship conflict. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 39, 52-59.
Myatt, M. (2012). 5 keys of dealing with workplace conflict. Forbes. Web.