Background
The team has a representative of each of the four main conflict styles. Mr. A is a textbook example of an Avoider. Not only is he not concerned about his colleagues, but he also does not show any passion for accomplishing the task. Mr. A is important to the project because he accomplishes the job as long as there are no complications to him personally, whether interpersonal or professional. However, both the team and the result suffer once obstacles arise.
Ms. B differs from Mr. A in her attitude towards the colleagues. Unlike him, she expresses desire to help others to the detriment of her efficiency. Ms. B may be an asset to the team for her communicative abilities, but her incompetence hinders the project. Ms. B is an Accommodator, which manifests in her surrendering to the colleagues’ opinion, regardless of whether it is a proper course of action.
Mr. C is a Competitor, who is passionate about the project at the expense of the interests of others. His most distinguishing characteristic is assurance in his competence. Mr. B disregards other people, who have a different opinion, and pursues the course of action he deems the most appropriate. Mr. C hampers the psychological climate of the team, although his assertions may be beneficial to the project.
Ms. D is a Collaborator, who acknowledges the conflict between the colleagues and aims to resolve it to negate the negative effect on the project. In essence, Ms. D is an improved version of Ms. B. The team benefits from Mr. B because she values their opinions. The project benefits as well, because she is concerned about the result.
Mr. E is a Compromiser, which manifests in his willingness to agree with other people only if they make certain concessions on their part. Mr. E can have a positive influence on the team, if they are willing to make compromises. However, he was ready to reject his idea, which had most potential. As a result, the Compromiser’s mindset may cause more problems for the success of the project, even if does help the team ameliorate their differences.
Strategy to Resolve Conflict
The main step in the conflict management plan is achieving understanding on a communal level. The team should understand that it is in everyone’s interest to complete the project on time (Beebe & Mottet, 2016). Therefore, a meeting will be called, where the work perspectives will be outlined. A necessary part is asking each team member individually whether they understand and are interested in completing the assignment.
Once the team realizes its commitment to the project, specific tasks will be assigned. The first stage of the PUGGS model is the description of the problem. It will be given to Ms. B, who is an Accommodator. Her willingness to talk with other people can help her structure the proper sentences on the PUGSS pamphlet. This task will be relatively easy for her, as she will be required to formulate questions that she already asks daily.
The second stage will be given to Ms. D, who follows the style of the Collaborator. She is invested enough to communicate with the team, while being concentrated on the accomplishment (Matsudaira, 2017). Ms. D will provide insight into the strategies that she uses to achieve understanding. She is most suited for this part of the pamphlet, as it requires most flexibility, which Mr. D possesses.
The third stage is identifying goals, which demands a person, who is willing to put the least amount of effort. Mr. A is the most suitable person for this task. Being the Avoider, he either does not attach much importance to the task, or is willing to leave the most responsible decisions to other members. However, he can easily identify goals, which should be achieved, which constitutes the reason for his choice for this part of the pamphlet.
The fourth stage will be assigned to Mr. C, who is simultaneously the Competitor. Mr. C is the most problematic team member in terms of communication, yet he can ascertain the exact action, which needs to be done, even if it disregards the opinions of others (Matsudaira, 2017). Mr. C will write down the most important and effective statements for achieving the identified goals in the pamphlet, which correspond to his personality.
Finally, selection of the best solution will be given to the Compromiser. Mr. E is capable of balancing between his interests and the interests of other team members. His compromising mindset allows him to find the most appropriate statements and recommendations for finding the best solution, which is why he will write the final part of the pamphlet. Overall, the delegation of responsibilities will effectively isolate each member in their task, thus preventing any conflict.
Summary of the Pamphlet
The PUGGS model is a model of conflict management, which structures the process of conflict resolution into five stages (Beebe & Mottet, 2016).
Describe the Problem
Understand the cause of the conflict. If the worker underperforms, the manager can describe their vision of the situation to the worker and ask what the cause for their inefficiency is.
Achieving Understanding
Ensure that all sides have a clear overview of the situation. For example, if a worker wants a raise and a manager wants more work to be done, they should state these intentions clearly to each other (How to keep compliance and ethics on target, 2017).
Identify Goals
Ask the other side what they seek. In the case of the underperforming worker, the manager can ask what will motivate them to work harder.
Brainstorm Solutions
Find ways of fixing the issue. If a worker wants a raise, the manager can grant it to them. If the manager wants more work to be done, they can order the worker to work longer hours.
Selecting the Best Solutions
Find the solution, which appeals to both sides. For instance, the manager can offer to pay the worker a premium for extra work they do, which also satisfies the worker’s desire to earn more money.
References
Beebe, S. A., & Mottet, T. P. (2016). Business and professional communication: Principles and skills for leadership (3rd ed.). Pearson.
How to keep compliance and ethics on target. (2017). Journal of Accountancy, 223(1), 29–30. Web.
Matsudaira, K. (2017). Resolving conflict. Communications of the ACM, 60(1), 42–44. Web.