Wouldn’t life be just a drab if everyone turned out to be a yes-man! Don’t you think the best part of a debate is, not when the speakers go on ranting for or against the motion, but when the open house session begins, and everyone gets to participate and throw in his or her interjections and view-point? Basically, the point I’m trying to convey here is that every person is entitled to an opinion of their own and one must not be afraid to express it. Constantly going by what others say is not what we’d call “changing your mind, but not having a mind of your own”!
As I have mentioned in my previous posts, while working in a group environment, differences in opinion and ideas are bound to arise, leading to minor misunderstandings and eventually resulting in conflicts. But the fact that conflict exists, however, is not necessarily a bad thing: As long as it is resolved effectively, it can lead to personal and professional growth.
Thus I’d say, having conflicts and arguments is in fact good for the team because at least it will lead to an open discussion, if not an argument. As I have aforementioned, what is essential for a team to bring out its best, is that every member should contribute his or her bit to it, which is only possible if each idea is looked into and worked upon. Thus the possibility of a conflict or argument arising should not stop you from putting your point across.
And in the event of a conflict, some points that I found could prove useful are:
• Set your goal as your first priority and remember that each of you represent the team
• Get individual ego out of it
• Plan for and communicate frequently
• Be honest about concerns
• Discuss differences in values openly
However, if conflict is not handled effectively, the results could be damaging, quickly turning into personal dislike thus affecting the team’s group effort. Thus, it is not the conflict that one should be worried about, but how we approach it and what we learn at the end of it, that should be of importance .
Here’s a short amusing clip from the movie “The Little Rascals”, of how a simple apology can make amends and how little changes often lead to positive results!
Hey Sasha,
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree with you that each one of us should have our own set of thoughts and opinions rather than following the thinking of others blindly. However, I feel that we should learn to exercise a fair amount of discretion while verbalising our own thoughts to the team. While you said that conflicts can sometimes have a positive effect on a team, having a handful of unnecessary arguments can at times be really damaging to a team.
While it would generally be good when every member of the team input their own opinions, members should be cautious with their input if they might expect a potential backlash from the rest of the team, especially if the input might not be helpful. Why say something potentially offending if that something can be potentially useless? That said, it really depends on each individual’s ability to assess the situation and input their opinions at the appropriate time. Being tactful is the key here.
Regards,
Yifan