Hi am looking for someone to help me read and respond to each teams GCCMS plan attached. just a paragraph or two.
A part of your individual grade you will post your review of the plans developed by other teams and posted in Week 10/11. Review other team’s plans, and provide a brief peer review of each plan posted (just a paragraph or two). attached is team 2, 3, 4, 5
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Mission Statement 4
Introduction 4
GCCM Plan 4
Communication – Brittany 4
Spirit of the Team – Brittany 5
Management – Danial 5
Leading – Danial 5
Conflict Management – Gabby 6
Problem Solving – Gabby 6
Argumentation – Danielle 6
Negotiation – Danielle 6
Interpersonal Skills – Mike 7
Ethics – Mike 7
Implementation Assessment 8
References 9
Appendix A 21
A. Mission Statement
Mission Statement:
Team Orioles has developed and outlined a unique planning experience for group norms, by providing the best project management communication and conflict guidelines.
B. Introduction
Groups are formed to accomplish tasks and projects. The synergy of multiple individuals is much larger than the sum of all members individually. When groups work together, they can help each other accomplish more via collaboration, suggestions, debate, conflict resolution, and decision making. This plan will document processes and steps that the Oriole team has agreed to follow in order to accomplish our project. It will document the communication style that has been agreed on and steps to take in case of conflict within the team.
C. GCCM Plan
a. Communication – Brittany
i. Recommendation One: Perfect the act of active listening. Because people are poor listeners, it is essential to train groups on how to practice active listening. The steps in active listening are to be fully present, listen with heart, discern mixed or unspoken messages, extend ample air space, and practice RASA. RASA stands for receive, appreciate, summarize and ask. Reference: Kelly, L. (2014). Perfecting the art of active listening. Personal Excellence, 19(6), 5-6.
ii. Recommendation Two: Study Group Communication. Group communication is important to be studied to determine between a social or task oriented group. It can also provide hidden insights into groups and help figure out why some decisions are made and others are not. Thus, it provides better understanding of cooperation, decision making, how to influence members, and how to accomplish goals as a group.
Reference: AAKHUS, M. (2002). Group Communication. Encyclopedia of Communication and Information (Vol. 2, pp. 372-376). Retrieved from: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3402900116/GVRL?u=umd_umuc&sid=GVRL&xid=20a528f5
b. Spirit of the Team – Brittany
i. Recommendation One: To be open-minded. In Listening with spirit and the art of dialog, Levin examines whether there is a such thing as chemistry within a group (Levine, 1994). Based on his research, any group can develop chemistry or harmony by carrying out his steps. The first is to acknowledge that there is a difference between dialogue and discussion. Dialogue is said to be a creative, open-ended and probing conversation searching for possibility.
ii. Recommendation Two: Practice fairness to develop an atmosphere of positivity. In Listening with spirit and the art of dialog, the next step is remove the need to perform or impress, so that a traits of selflessness, detachment, and receptivity emerge. This is where a common spirit of a group or collective creativity emerges (Levine, 1994).
c. Management – Danial
i. In order to achieve maximum group outcome, management needs to organize, monitor, and enhance the relationships between all stakeholders. Management needs to identify the needs, requirements, goals, and expectations of all stakeholders and come up with the proper techniques to keep all of them informed with the right amount of information to enable them to perform the work optimally.
Recommendation One: Prioritize the needs of multiple and diverse stakeholders. Corporations and managers need to account for the needs of all stakeholders. According to Dempsey (2009), corporations have to look into their social responsibility, and understand how to accomplish desired managerial outcomes.
ii. Recommendation Two:
d. Leading – Danial
i. Recommendation One: Provide a workplace conducive to collaboration and communication with others. Based on Maslow’s hierarchy, social needs follow physiological and safety needs. Ensuring that the environment in which the employees are working promotes collaboration and communications with others will fulfill the social needs of the maslow hierarchy.
ii. Recommendation Two: Recognize effective performance. During the performance appraisal meeting, the manager should recognize effective performance through praise. (Motivating Employees). The meeting should start off with some positive comments to establish a better mood and acknowledge what the employee is doing right. Ask about accomplishments and opportunities for improvement, then follow up with help to reduce performance problems.
e. Conflict Management – Gabby
i. Types of conflict
1. Task Conflict
2. Relationship Conflict
3. Value Conflict
4. interdependence Conflict
ii. Resolution strategies
1. Identifying the conflict
2. Do not avoid conflict
3. create an avenue to talk about your differences
4. agree on next step
5. have forgiving spirits towards coworker
f. Problem Solving – Gabby
i. Decision making
1. involve the right people
2. define the problem
3. encourage critical thinking
4. expect and manage disagreement
5. create realistic deadlines
g. Argumentation – Danielle
i. Framework for Argumentation-There are three elements that make up argumentation. They are a claim of a position, data of a claim and a connection between the claim and the data. Group decision making is influenced by the actions and goals of the group. A structured, argumentation to be able to handle more complex group decisions. Using GASS, a group argumentation support system uses a frame based structure so be able to support the decision making process.
ii. Use an arbitrator-In order to be able to effectively navigate through disagreement, an arbitrator should be utilized to settle any differences. An arbitrator is a third party that seeks to help sort out a disagreement between two parties. Identifying and establishing systems to manage potential business disagreements on construction projects can help parties avoid delays and resolve disputes that could threaten an entire project (Espinosa, D., 2008).
h. Negotiation – Danielle
i. Practice a five step process-The first step is I would recommend negotiating taking a five-step process. It starts at the beginning of with investigation. Next, is BATNA which stands for the best alternative to a negotiated agreement. This step would be the group exploring the alternatives. The third step is the Presentation. The presentation involves gathering the information needed to support your position. Fourth, is the bargaining. In the bargaining, each party will share with the group their goals so that the groups can come to a final decision. The final step is the closure. This ends the negotiations, and the group has either made a final decision or found the offer unacceptable.
ii. Negotiation mistakes-There are several mistakes that can be made when negotiation. One is not being prepared. If you state what your goals are, then there is nowhere to go during negotiations. These goals should then be prioritized to make sure needs are met. Not having a realistic timeline will hinder the advancement of the negotiations. An unrealistic timeline will have
i. Interpersonal Skills – Mike
i. Recommendation one: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Business Communication. Understanding self-concepts to prepare individuals to deal with their needs. One process is to use social penetration theory which involves looking at many layers of self-disclosure. This will give individuals an understanding to help deal with conflict management. Some strategies involve avoidance, defensiveness, empathy, and controlling emotions. McLean, S. (2010). Chapter 16 Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Business Communication. In Business Communication for Success. doi:https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_business-communication-for-success/s20-intrapersonal-and-interpersona.html
ii. Recommendation: Enabling and maintaining trust on multicultural projects. Teams to be successful need to build credibility. This is done by using integrity, honesty, intent, personal capabilities, and proven results. Some of the ways to measure this is using frameworks that help build trust. Once there is an understanding in the team it can help improve in conflict management, managing risk and culture sensitivity. Woerner, B. (2011). Enabling and maintaining trust on multicultural projects. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2011—North America, Dallas, TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
j. Ethics – Mike
i. Recommendation one: Ethics and Cross-Cultural Negotiations. Negotiations can vary based on different social and cultures around the world. It is important to understand your audience so it is advisable to learn the culture and ask for clarification when there is a miscommunication. There are common ethical practices that relate to all cultures. These involve being honest, keep promises, and use the golden rule of treating others the way you would want to be treated. Dias, L. (2013). Human Relations. Minneapolis: Open Textbook Library. doi:https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_human-relations/s13-05-ethical-and-cross-cultural-neg.html
ii. Recommendation two: PMI Project Manager Code of ethics and Professional conduct. “This Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct describes the expectations that we have of ourselves and our fellow practitioners in the global project management community. It articulates the ideals to which we aspire as well as the behaviors that are mandatory in our professional and volunteer roles.” (PMI,n.d.) The code lists the responsibility, standards, personal respect, honesty, and loyalty of the organization. PMI. (n.d.). PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/ethics/pmi-code-of-ethics ?v=6af21906-e593-4b63-8cee-abeb4137f41d&sc_lang_temp=en
D. Implementation Assessment
There are some topics like fallacies that were eliminated from the GCCM Plan, because there was a consensus on including information that seemed to influence the various facets of communication more strongly than others.
E. References
References
AAKHUS, M. (2002). Group Communication, Decision Making and. In J. R. Schement (Ed.),
Encyclopedia of Communication and Information (Vol. 2, pp. 379-382). Retrieved from:
Ayman, R., & Hartman, E. (2004). Situational and contingency approaches to leadership. In G.
R. GoethalsG. J. Sorenson, & J. M. Burns (Eds.), Encyclopedia of leadership (Vol. 1, pp. 1430-1436). Retrieved from: https://www-doi-org.ezproxy.umgc.edu/10.4135/978141295
2392.n327
Chinese Consumer Connection. (2013). Business negotiation part six: distributive negotiation
tactics. Retrieved from:
Chinese Consumer Connection. (2013). Business negotiation part six: integrative negotiation.
Retrieved from:
Communication Systems. (2007). In Encyclopedia of Small Business (3rd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 198-
202). Retrieved from:
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2687200118
/GVRL?u=umd_um
uc&sid=GVRL&xid=affebcb4
Conflict Management and Negotiation. (2009). In Encyclopedia of Management (6th ed., pp.
https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/eds/ detail/detail? vid =0&sid=4a248921-e989-429c-8e57-c883ddb2d50d%40sessionmgr 101&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=1595320&db=nlebk
Reinsborough, B. J. (2007). Meeting Management. In B. S. Kaliski (Ed.), Encyclopedia of
Business and Finance (2nd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 509-511). Retrieved from:
Williamson, O. (n.d.) Refutation. Utminers. Retrieved from:
http://utminers.utep.edu/o
m
williamson/engl1311/Refutation.htm
Wright, D. (2012). The toulmin model of argumentation. Retrieved from:
https://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=D-YPPQztuOY&feature=youtu.be
F. Appendix A
WEEK #
READING ASSIGNMENTS
PERSON/READINGS
Summary
JUSTIFICATION
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Brittany
1. PMBOK: CHAPTER 9.4.-DEVELOP TEAM: IMPROVING COMPENTENCIES, TEAM INTERACTION AND ENVIRONMENT IS WHAT DEVELOPING THE TEAM IS. THE BENEFIT IS MOTIVATED TEAM MEMBERS, IMPROVED INTERPERSONAL SKILLS, AND BETTER PROJECT PERFORMANCE. ALSO, IT STARTS WITH A PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN AND TUCKMAN LADDER. THE TUCKMAN LADDER IS FORMING (WHERE MEMBERS MEET AND LEARN ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES), STORMING (WHERE GROUP BEGINS TO ADDRESS ISSUES), NORMING (GROUP ADJUSTING TO HELP SUPPORT GROUP), PERFORMING (A WELL FUNCTIONING GROUP, AND ADJOURING (CLOSE OF THE PROJECT).
2. INTERCULTURAL/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION: ETHNOCENTRISM IS A MAJOR OBSTACLE TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION. STEREOTYPYING AND ASSUMPTIONS MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO LEARN ABOUT CULTURAL DIFFERENCES. BUT, ALL PEOPLE HAVE CULTURES. IN ORDER TO SUCCESSFULLY WORK INTERNATIONALLY, PREPARATION IS ESSENTIAL.
3. OPTIONAL READING
4. NON VERBAL DELIVERY: IT CAN BE PERCEIVED BY BEHAVIOR TO THE WAY ONE DRESSES. NON VERBAL CAN SUBSTITUTE, REPEAT, CONTRADICT, COMPLEMENT, ACCENT, AND REGULATE VERBAL COMMUNICATION. IT COMES FROM BOTH CULTURE AND BIOLOGY. AND EXAMPLE OF CULTURE IS “VEDA” IN INDIA. AN EXAMPLE OF CULTURE IS ABOUT THE PEACE SIGN USING YOUR FINGERS IN AMERICAN. THE SAME SYMBOLISATION UPSIDE DOWN INDICATES AN INSULT IN THE UK.
5. LISTENING WITH SPIRIT OF THE ART OF TEAM DIALOUGE: Levine’s article, Listening with spirit and the art of dialog, examines whether there is a such thing as chemistry within a group (Levine, 1994). Based on his research, any group can develop chemistry or harmony by carrying out his steps. The first is to acknowledge that there is a difference between dialogue and discussion. Dialogue is said to be a creative, open-ended and probing conversation searching for possibility. On the other hand, discussion is more focused and has the purpose of determining choices. The next step is remove the need to perform or impress, so that a traits of selflessness, detachment, and receptivity emerge. This is where a common spirit of a group or collective creativity emerges. The article also had several variations of this process. In the client-centered psychotherapy, traits of the common spirit came from active listening. In the participation-observation roles of ethnographic fieldworkers, the recipients of the informant’s stories where to suspend their cultural holdings. In the phenomenological observation, it was required for the phenomenon to be free to reveal itself. Finally, in detached objectivity, listening is considered to be a spiritual act or “goethean observation”. There was an observation of several groups, and one stood out due to the group’s openness to learning. This openness was fused with spontaneous and simultaneous dialogue. This openness to learning seems to get to the root of what makes a group function more effectively. It is so significant that it is applicable to any group setting, such as groups within this class, professional settings or personal relationships.
6. TIME AND CULTURE: THE MEANING/VALUE OF TIME VARIES BY CULTURE. FOR EXAMPLE, IN AMERICA, TIME IS MONEY AS WORKERS CAN BE PAID HOURLY AND LAWYERS CAN CHARGE BY THE MINUTE. UNITED STATES AND JAPAN HAVE THE LONGEST WORKING HOURS WITH EYROPE HAVING MORE OF A BALANCE B/W WORKING AND LEISURE. CALENDERS ARE DIFFERENT ACROSS THE WORLD. FOR EXAMPLE, PERU HAS A TEN DAY WEEK, WHEREAS A WEEK IN A COUNTRY IN COLOMBIA IS THREE DAYS.
7. OPTIONAL READING
8. NON-VERBAL DELIVERY: IT IS FLUID AND FAST. IT CAN ADD TO OR REPLACE VERBAL COMMUNICATION. IT COMMUNICATES FEELINGS OR ATTITUDES SO MUCH SO THAT PEOPLE TEND TO BELIEVE THEN OVER VERBAL COMMUNICATION.
9. OPTIONAL READING
10. OPTIONAL READING
11. PERFECTING THE ART OF ACTIVE LISTENING: PEOPLE ARE POOR LISTENERES DUE TO (1) LACK OF FORMAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, (2) WE POSSESS THE ABAILITY TO SPEAK FASTER THAN WE THINK, (3) WE PRACTICE LAZY AND INATTENTIVE LISTENING SKILLS, (4) WE LOSE OUR LSITENING SKILLS AS WE DEVELOP, AND (5) WE FALL VICTIM TO LISTENING ROADBLOCKS. TO BE ACTIVE LISTENERS WE HAVE TO (1)BE FULLY PRESENT, (2) LISTEN WITH HEART, (3) DISCERN MIXED OR UNSPOKEN MESSAGES, (4) EXTEND AMPLE AIR SPACE, AND PRACTICE RASA- (R)RECEIVE, (A)APPRECIATION, (S) SUMMARIZE, AND (A) ASK.
12. POWER BEHIND THE PEN: MEETING RECORDER CAN INFLUENCE THE BIAS OF THE NOTES AND WHAT IS DISCUSSED THE NEXT TIME. THE RECORDER GUIDES THE MEETING’S PROGRESS, SUMMARIZES, AND IDENTIFIES DECISIONS, PACE OF THE DISCUSSION AND EQUAIZING PARTICIPACTION. THE RECORDER IS NOT TO BE LOOKED DOWN UPON AS A POSITION AND THEY SHOULD WORK CLOSELY WITH THE FACILITATOR.
13. GENDER COMPOSITION ON TEAM PERFORMANCE AND DECISION MAKING: THREE WOMAN TEAMS WITH MBAS AND UNDERGRADUATE LEVELS UNDERPERFORMED. ALL WOMEN TEAMS SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERPERFORMED THAN ANY OTHER COMPOSITION. THE BEST COMBINATION IS TWO MEN AND ONE WOMAN BOTH AT THE UNDERGRADUATE AND MBA LEVELS.
14. WHAT MAKES AGE DIVERSE TEAMS AFFECTIVE: A POSITIVE CLIMATE THAT APPREICATE AGE DIFFERENC SETS THE TONE FOR EFFECTIVENESS WITHIN A GROUP. TO FURTHER SNYERGY, THE GROUP NEED TO COME UP WITH NEW SOLUTIONS ON HANDLING CONFLICTS. IF THERE IS NEGATIVITY, THE GROUP CAN STILL WORK IT OUT AMONGST THEMSELVES AND LEAD TOWARDS BEING AN EFFECTIVE TEAM.
15. AGE DIVERSITY AND TEAM OUTCOMES: AGE DIVERSITY CAN BE A POSITIVE THING IN TERMS OF AN EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION. THE DOWNSIDE IS THE DISCRIMINATING OF THE OUTGROUP. AGE DIVERSITY CAN ALLOW ORGANIZATIONS TO FORM SEPERATED GROUPS WITHIN THAT DON’T WORK TOGETHER.
16. OPTIONAL READING
17. OPTIONAL READING
18. HOFSTEDE-CULTURAL DIMENSIONS: THIS ARTICLE IS SHOWCASING HOW CULTURE CAN INFLUENCE THE WORKPLACE. THIS IS BROKEN DOWN WITH BY THE FOLLOWING: (1) POWER DISTANCE INDEX MEANS THAT POWERLESS PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT POWER IS DISTRIBUTED UNEQUALLY, (2) INDIVIDUALISM VERSUS COLLECTIVISM PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE LOOSER RELATIONSHIPS AT WORK AND TIGHT-KNIT FAMILIES AT HOME, (3) MASCULINITY VERSUS FEMINITY IS TOUGH VERSUS TENDER, (4) UNCERTAINITY AVOIDANCE INDEX IS SUGGESTING THAT SOCIETY FEELS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH UNCERTAINTY, (5) LONG TERM ORIENTATION VERSUS SHORT TERM ORIENTATION MEANS THAT SOCIETY HAS TO PRESERVE LINKS TO THE PAST WHILE DEALING WITH THE FUTURE, (6) INDULGENCE VERSUS RESTRAINT MEANS THAT SOCIETY HAS TO HAVE A BALANCE BETWEEN WITH HAVING FUN AND THE RETRAINTS OF SOCIAL NORMS.
19. OPTIONAL READING
SIMPLFYING LEARNING AND COMMUNICATING CONCEPTS: FEYMAN LEANING TECHINIQUE MEANS TO TAKE A TOPIC THAT YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT. WRITE ABOUT IT AS IF YOU ARE TECAHING SOMEONE ELSE. IF THE WORDING IS CONFUSING, IT WAS PROBABLY NOT UNDERSTOOD FULLY. THIS METHOD IS HELPFUL IN RETAINING CONCEPTS FOR A LONG TIME.
All essential for communication purposes from multi-cultural, group, non-verbal, etc.
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1. Identifying the stakeholder is an ongoing process. It starts with the business charter, business documents, project management plan, project documents, agreements, environmental factors, assets, expert judgment, data gathering, data analysis, stakeholder register, change requests and updates. The purpose of all of this is to keep engagement with the stakeholders high and to make the project as successful as possible
2. Project communication management is about determining the best way to communicate with stakeholders and for organizational or project needs. This should be developed early on in the process and modified as needed. The way that messages are stored and retrieved should be considered. Lastly, the plan covers all things such as ethics policies, procedures, communication requirements, historical information, and stakeholder data from previous projects.
Essential for bottom line and relationships with stakeholders.
The first step of a project manager is to decide what channel communication must take to be able to be received. No matter what form of communication a team decides to take, it should always be ethical and well planned out. It is important to establish a communication plan to be able to establish protocol with stakeholders on the methods and forms of communication. Values, interests, state of mind and learning style can influence how they deliver and receive communication, so it is crucial that the communication plan be explicitly designed to do so. With more channels of communications increasing, there will be more opportunities for teams to exchange information. These new forms will create different sets of norms and each offer pros and cons.
Alongside traditional mediums of communications, interactions need to be strategic and specific so there will be little to no confusion. This will allow for more effective and meaningful communication. As project size increases, the need for a clear plan of communication will need to be discussed as information can be received in a variety of ways. Consistency in a communication plan will allow teams a more organized and clear mediums regardless of formal or informal communication. Formal communication requires a more formal management and informal communication requires more competency and maturity.
Important on developing a plan when considering various facets of an organization.
Communication planning is all about making sure that everyone on the team is up to date and it entails the type of information that would be delivered and who will receive the information and the format in which it would be communicated. Communication has many methods which includes written reports, email, conversation, status report etc. There are 2 types of communication: synchronous communication which includes live meetings, conference calls, audio and video conference, computer assisted conference and texting. The other type of communication is asynchronous communication which includes mail and package delivery, Fax and email. Communication has a template plan. In order to create a communication template plan, it is important to identify the following: Identify your stakeholders, Identify stakeholder expectations, Identify communication necessary to satisfy stakeholder expectations and keep them informed, Identify time-frame and/or frequency of communication messages, Identify stakeholder’s preferred method of communication and Identify who will communication each message
Project stakeholders play a significant role in a project’s success. A project manager needs to understand their expectations as they interpret success. The project manager needs to keep the client abreast by educating them from the beginning. Keeping the client involved throughout the project allows for feedback and contributions towards problem-solving. Expectations should be documented to ensure that both the team and the client understand the requirements clearly. When clients find errors in documents, the project manager should look for innovative ways to find a solution without increasing costs, so the client feels that they were treated fairly. If a project needs to be delayed, offer alternatives to the client and let the client decide. Inform the client of milestones, so the client is aware that the project is on time, or delays are taking place.
Explains how communication from start to finish is crucial.
Stakeholder is a broad term that describes and identifies human or nonhuman actors who hold legal and financial interest in an organization’s functioning. From a business perspective, an organization is accountable for its stakeholders, employees, suppliers, and customers. Based on Freeman’s model of stakeholder management, organizations must have the ability to identify respond, and take interest in attending to multiple stakeholders. Three stakeholder theories that resulted from Freeman’s idea of the stakeholder approach includes descriptive, instrumental, and normative uses. Descriptive, utilizes stakeholder theory to identify characteristics and behaviors of existing organizations. Instrumental, identify accomplished desired outcomes and Normative Uses identify the ethical vision of organizations. Furthermore, the stakeholder theory includes corporate social responsibility, natural resources management, public health, and sustainable development. It also touches on various subject areas such as policymaking, nongovernmental organizations, community-based organizations, and activists.
Although the Stakeholder theory gained in popularity, it was not without controversy. Some controversial issues include stakeholder identification since there are various definitions across academic disciplines. In general, identifiable stakeholders include individuals, groups, systems, and nonhuman agents. Another controversy involves stakeholder salience the prioritization of needs among multiple and diverse stakeholders with conflicting interests. The overall identifier includes stakeholder power of influence, legitimacy of stakeholder claim, and urgency of claim. The Stakeholder theory also expands into environmental, health, and the development of communication. Academics utilize these Stakeholder methods to study processes of communication, dialogue, and various exchanges that occur between organizations and stakeholders.
Although some of the information is repetitive, the article highlights the importance of identifying stakeholders.
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1.
https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_principles-of-management-v1.1/s14-leading-people-and-organizatio.html
Leadership is influencing others to work towards a goal and leadership exists at all levels within a company. There are two main types of leaders, which are formal and informal leaders. Formal leaders use their authority and personal power to motivate others. Informal leaders do not have an authority but influence others with personal power. It is essential to make clear that leaders do not rely on force and punishment. When discussing leadership, effectiveness is an important concept. An example of effective leadership is through the case study of Indra Nooyi. Nooyi is liked as a leader, because she listens to the input of those around her and she infuses humor when providing negative feedback. Also, she seems to display the traits that are associated with leadership, which are intelligence, self-esteem and integrity.
Leaders tend to be either task oriented or people oriented. Task oriented leaders provide direction and focus on performance goals, while people oriented leaders show care for employees. When it comes to decision making, leaders are either authoritarian (decision making alone), democratic (employees participate), or laissez-faire (emploress left alone to make decisions). In the path-goal theory, employees are motivated when they believe their efforts will lead to high performance, their performance will be rewarded or the rewards they receive will be valuable to them. The path-goal theory states that directive leaders can be less effective with employees that have high levels of ability, supportive leaders are particularly helpful with employees under stress, participative leaders are motivating when employees feel discussions are relevant to them and achievement oriented leaders are effective with employees that have high ability and motivation. The most effective leadership is transformation because of trust. Servant leadership has positive effects on employee commitment due to ethics.
2.
https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_principles-of-management-v1.1/s18-motivating-employees.html
Motivation is the intention of achieving a goal, but is determined by ability or skill set. The common question is what motivates employees or why some go the extra mile. The answer is based on the following equation, which is performance=motivation x ability x environment. According to Maslow, people have needs that are ranked with the top being self-actualization. The ERG theory proposes that the most basic human needs are existence, relatedness and growth. Herzberg approached motivation by simply asking what satisfies or dissatisfied a person. McClelland’s theory suggests individuals have a need for achievement, affiliation, and power. The equity theory suggests individuals are motivated by a sense of fairness. The expectancy theory is determined by effort x performance x rewards. The reinforcement theory is a cause and effect theory based on consequences. Overall, job design has more motivation power than job salary.
Goal setting is influential in motivating, but it’s downside is that it is linked to making money. The goals should be SMART or specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Moreover, receiving feedback is key to doing a job well by seeking regular feedback from superiors, genuine desire to learn, developing good relationships with managers, finding trustworthy colleagues, and being gracious with unfavorable feedback.
16.
https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/politics-leadership-relating-project-team-7276
Project managers are expected to lead while taking in consideration cultures and subcultures within an organization. Politics is persuasion to affect the outcome of an event, discussion or strategic direction. This can be both positive and negative. Examples of positive politics are creating a positive impression, positioning, cultivating mentors, lining up the ducks and developing your favor bank. Negative politics include poisoning the well, faking left while going right, deception, and entrapment. In project management, the biggest political challenges come in dealing with others. To help, project managers must acknowledge the environment, understand and acknowledge the importance of conflicts on projects, and to learn how to influence and persuade.
These articles showcase on how to lead others and how to motivate others. But, not essential for communication plan.
Intrinsic rewards are internal rewards that employees get from performing their work well. As any issues in a job subside, people will begin to look inward for motivation. BY self-managing, employees are tasked to be innovative, problem solvers and to improvise to meet a customer’s needs. improvising to meet the conditions they encounter to meet customers’ needs. There are four types of intrinsic rewards. The sense of meaningfulness is when there is realization that there is value in the things being accomplished and the path taken is going in the right direction. The sense of choice is next, and it is when there is a freedom in what is being accomplished as well as how it is being done. Then there is the sense of competence that states the performance of work meets personal standards of pride and satisfaction. Finally, the sense of progress is the encouragement that the direction taken is going to get things accomplished. There are three levels that these intrinsic rewards fall in. The high range scores intrinsic rewards most intensely. The middle range feel those rewards to be engaging and energizing but can still feel less satisfied than hoped for. Low range are unsatisfied with work and feel as if the work completed has no meaning. There are seven guidelines to build a high -engagement culture. They are begin with meaningful purpose, build intrinsic motivation and engagement into management training and executive coaching, Focus conversations on meaningfulness, choice, competence and progress, focus conversations on meaningfulness, choice, competence and progress, engage the “middle”, measure intrinsic reward levels, provide missing building blocks for intrinsic rewards that you need to bolster, and Adopt a change and implementation process that is itself engaging.
Thomas, K. W. (2009). The Four Intrinsic Rewards That Drive Employee Engagement. Ivey Business Journal, 73(6), 9.
5. Extrinsic motivation is the type of motivation that involves a reward from an outside source. It usually involves a person completing tasks that are uninteresting to them but the reward for the task is fulfilling. Customers are offered extrinsic rewards for their loyalty by reward cards, coupons, or airline miles. Extrinsic motivation can be a limited motivational resource as the behavior is not addressed for a continual change. In most cases, once the reward is taken away, the behavior will not continue.
Sullivan, L. E. (2009). Extrinsic motivation. In The SAGE glossary of the social and behavioral sciences (pp. 196-196). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://www-doi-org.ezproxy.umgc.edu/10.4135/9781412972024.n979
These articles touch on how employees are motivated, but not needed for the communication plan.
Intrinsic Motivation refers to an act of willingly doing something without expecting some sort of reward or payback. In other words, morale would decrease when external rewards are given for completing a given task. In this case, a student would be intrinsically motivated when he or she is willing to learn and excel in higher studies especially those that found joy in the learning process and motivated or passionate for good grades. Intrinsic motivation is the bedrock to good achievement.
Larry E. Sullivan, (n.d). Intrinsic motivation. Retrieved from:
http://sk.sagepub.com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/reference/behavioralsciences/n1368.xml
7. A leader can be referred to as “influencer” to other who work towards achieving the same organization or group goal. Leadership theories seek to explain how and why certain people become leaders. There is a difference between leadership and management. Management involves planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling, and a manager is someone who performs these functions. Leadership, by contrast, primarily deals with influence. A manager may or may not be an effective leader. A leader’s ability to influence others may be based on a variety of factors other than his or her formal authority or position. A leader is someone who knows how to motivate and boost the moral a team, while a manager only manages the team.
Gale, a Cengage Company. (n.d). Leadership Theories and Studies. Retrieved from: https://go-gale-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3273100155&v=2.1&u=umd_umuc&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=80253e55d687813dd502dd3992c7b89f
More defintions on motivation and leadership, but not needed.
“Leadership is one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth”. Contingency approaches to leadership models try to explain the relationship between a situation and a leader. They mostly focus on a leader’s internal state and traits, or a leader’s perceived behaviors. The contingency model of leadership effectiveness splits into two groups: task oriented leaders who are more effective in low and high control situations, and relationship oriented leaders who are more effective in medium situational control. Leaders’ orientation is assessed by the Least Preferred Co-Worker (LPC) scale. Lower scores are indicative of task orientation, and higher scores are indicative of relationship orientation. The three aspects of situational control are a team’s climate, the leader’s task structure, and the leader’s power position.
Cognitive Resource Theory examines intelligence and experience of a leader in predicting effectiveness. The theory predicts that in low-stress situations reliance on intelligence is more effective, and in high-stress situations reliance on experience is more effective. In a normative decision-making model a leader uses “decision” aids in learning to assess the situation. The leader may involve the group in helping to make a decision, but due to time constraints of larger groups, autocratic decisions will be made by the leader. The path-goal model is a theory that specifies a leader’s style to achieve a goal. That goal is to increase members’ motivation, empowerment and satisfaction in order to clear the path for them to achieve the goal. Situational Leadership Theory predicts that a leader’s effectiveness depends on the subordinates’ task maturity and psychological maturity. Based on those maturities, the four leadership behaviors are: telling, selling, participating, and delegating. Most of the theories and models in the contingency approaches consider the situation as the contingent factor that interacts with the leader’s characteristics. The article summarizes that “Contingency factors can manifest in various
ways through particular traits, skills, or behaviors, depending on the person, the method of assessment, and
the leadership situation. Therefore, if we want to really understand the leadership phenomenon, contingencies
must not be ignored.”
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Motivation theory is concerned with the processes that explain why and how human behavior is activated. Some researchers focused on internal drives as an explanation for motivated behavior. Content theories focus on factors internal to individuals that energize and direct behavior. Major content theories are Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Alderfer’s ERG theory, Herzberg’s motivator-hygiene theory, and McClelland’s learned needs theory. Maslow suggested that needs exist in a hierarchy consisting of physiological
needs, security needs, belongingness needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. According to the implications of the hierarchy, individuals must have their
lower level needs met by, for example, safe working conditions, adequate pay to take care of one’s self and family, and job security before they will be motivated by increased job responsibilities, status, and challenging work
assignments.
Alderfer’s ERG Theory suggests that there are only three categories of needs: existence, relatedness, and growth. ERG Theory doesn’t suggest that lower-level needs must be completely satisfied like Maslow suggests.
Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory argued that meeting the lower-level needs (hygiene factors) of individuals would not motivate them to exert effort, but would only prevent
them from being dissatisfied, and that only if higher-level needs (motivators) were met would individuals be motivated. To motivate workers, managers should enrich employees’ autonomy and their opportunities to take additional responsibility, gain recognition, and develop their skills and careers.
McClelland’s Learned Needs Theory suggests that individuals learn needs from their culture. The primary needs are affiliation, power, and achievement. potential to motivate behavior that leads to its satisfaction.
The main point of the learned needs theory is that when one of these needs is strong in a person, it has the potential to motivate behavior that leads to its satisfaction
Major process Theories focus on conscious human decision processes as an explanation of motivation. Expectancy Theory suggests that individuals choose work behaviors that they believe lead to outcomes they value.
Equity theory suggests that individuals engage in social comparison by comparing their efforts and rewards with those of relevant others. While research suggests that under reward motivates individuals to resolve the inequity, research also indicates that the same is not true for over reward. Individuals who are over-rewarded often engage in cognitive dissonance, convincing themselves that their efforts and rewards are equal to another’s.
Goal-Setting Theory suggests that goals are the most important factors affecting the motivation and behavior of employees. Empirical research supports the proposition that goals that are both specific and challenging are more motivational than vague goals or goals that are relatively easy to achieve.
Reinforcement Theory suggests that Behavior that is reinforced is likely to continue, but behavior that is not rewarded or behavior that is punished is not likely to be repeated.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a personality survey. The test analyzes four traits, and this information enables managers to tailor their communication approach according to the personality preferences of each individual
15. Leadership is the process of guiding the behavior of others toward an organization’s goals. It’s accomplished through the use of effective communication. Leadership based on traits is the theory that a leader’s abilities and dispositions necessary to make a good leader are inborn and are not capable of being developed over time. To explain leadership success or failure, researchers looked into what good leaders actually do, and found that leaders can be described by their job-centered behavior or employee-centered behavior. Behaviors and patterns of thinking that contribute to ineffective leadership include lacking knowledge and skill related to the main activities of the organization and leadership. Organizational situations are so complex that different leadership styles may work in one situation, but prove ineffective in another. With contingency theory, managers use the if-then mentality. If this type of situation is present, then this type of response should be appropriate. Challenges to using contingency theory is accurately assessing the actual situation and choosing the correct response for it. Organizational theorists in the 1960s came up with two theories. Theory X which suggests that people don’t like to work , like to be directed by others, have little ambition and need to be coerced by others. In using the contingency model, factors of major concern are leader-member
relations, task structure, and the position power of the leader. The leader has to analyze these factors to determine the most appropriate style of response for meeting overall work-unit and organizational goals. Of all the skills that a manager/leader needs, none is more important than managing the conflicts that inevitably
arise in any organization.
Decision making is a part of communication. It should be included in the GCCM.
Project Manager Competency Development (PMCD) Framework is applied to desired skills used by project managers through The PMI Talent Triangle which focuses on three key skills: Technical project management, leadership, and strategic and business management. Technical project management include knowledge, skills, and behaviors that are related to project specifics, program, and portfolio management. Leadership include knowledge, skills, and behaviors that would guide, motivate, and direct a team. Strategic and business management involves the various knowledge organization and industry expertise that improves performance (Project Management Body Of Knowledge, 2017).
In today’s competitive global market, organizations are seeking skills in leadership and business intelligence as these skills support strategic objectives that contribute to the bottom line. Thus, project managers need a balance of three skills sets for success. Technical project management skills require project management knowledge to achieve desired outcomes. Strategic and business management skills require the ability to provide an overview of the organization, negotiate, implement decisions, and demonstrate actions. It aids the project manager in accessing business factors that must be considered for specific projects (Project Management Body Of Knowledge, 2017).
The project manager should also collaborate with other members of the organization such as the operational managers since his or her expertise could include familiarity of previous work performed and the project will affect overall business plans. To ensure a project is in alignment with the organization, the project manager must align projects with strategy, mission, goals, objectives, priority, tactics, products, and or services. Leadership skills require the project manager to possess the ability to guide, motivate, and direct a team which include negotiation, resilience, communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills. Leadership skills must also be applied when working with stakeholders, project team, steering team, as well as project sponsors(Project Management Body Of Knowledge, 2017).
Furthermore, the project manager could adopt various leadership styles such as Laissez-faire, Transactional, Servant leader, Transformational, Charismatic, and Interactional. More so, some personality characteristics of a project manager could include Authentic, Courteous, Creative, Cultural, Emotional, and Intellectual to list a few (Project Management Body Of Knowledge, 2017).
Reference
A Guide to the PROJECT MANAGEMENT BODY OF KNOWLEDGE (2017). Open Minds. Multiple Approaches. One Goal.
Retrieved from https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgxwLsSVFfLXzfHWDhvwXjKGfTGjv?projector=1
14. PMBOK Guide (6th ed.): Section 3.4, Project Manager Competencies
Project Manager Competency Development (PMCD) Framework is applied to desired skills used by project managers through The PMI Talent Triangle which focuses on three key skills: Technical project management, leadership, and strategic and business management. Technical project management include knowledge, skills, and behaviors that are related to project specifics, program, and portfolio management. Leadership include knowledge, skills, and behaviors that would guide, motivate, and direct a team. Strategic and business management involves the various knowledge organization and industry expertise that improves performance (Project Management Body Of Knowledge, 2017).
In today’s competitive global market, organizations are seeking skills in leadership and business intelligence as these skills support strategic objectives that contribute to the bottom line. Thus, project managers need a balance of three skills sets for success. Technical project management skills require project management knowledge to achieve desired outcomes. Strategic and business management skills require the ability to provide an overview of the organization, negotiate, implement decisions, and demonstrate actions. It aids the project manager in accessing business factors that must be considered for specific projects (Project Management Body Of Knowledge, 2017).
The project manager should also collaborate with other members of the organization such as the operational managers since his or her expertise could include familiarity of previous work performed and the project will affect overall business plans. To ensure a project is in alignment with the organization, the project manager must align projects with strategy, mission, goals, objectives, priority, tactics, products, and or services. Leadership skills require the project manager to possess the ability to guide, motivate, and direct a team which include negotiation, resilience, communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills. Leadership skills must also be applied when working with stakeholders, project team, steering team, as well as project sponsors(Project Management Body Of Knowledge, 2017).
Furthermore, the project manager could adopt various leadership styles such as Laissez-faire, Transactional, Servant leader, Transformational, Charismatic, and Interactional. More so, some personality characteristics of a project manager could include Authentic, Courteous, Creative, Cultural, Emotional, and Intellectual to list a few (Project Management Body Of Knowledge, 2017).
Reference
A Guide to the PROJECT MANAGEMENT BODY OF KNOWLEDGE (2017). Open Minds. Multiple Approaches. One Goal.
Retrieved from https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgxwLsSVFfLXzfHWDhvwXjKGfTGjv?projector=1
More focused on the project manager skills, but not essential for GCCM.
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1. Project managers must attempt to have a high performing team by using open and effective communication, creating team building opportunities, developing trust, managing conflicts constructively, encouraging collaborative problem-solving, and encouraging collaborative decision-making. These steps will take a group through the processes of forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. When dealing with conflict, a project manager can employ withdraw/avoid style if a situation should be postponed, smooth/accommodate style if there is a need for harmony, compromise/reconcile style if a temporary solution is needed, force/direct style if a situation is emergent, and collaborate/problem solve if there is a need to incorporate multiple viewpoints. When making a decision, the project managers need to have emotional intelligence. And, the project manager should proceed to focus on goals, follow decision-making processes, study environmental factors, analyze information, stimulate team creativity and account for risk.
2. Conflict is defined as an expressed struggle between interdependent parties. Also, conflict involves clashes of what people want or the route to achieve what is desired. There are different types of conflicts, which are conflicts of substance, conflicts of value, conflicts of process and conflicts of misperceived differences. The dangers of conflict start with individuals feeling bad, to outgrowth, to dividing a group, and to physical violence. Conflict can be cancerous, which destroys the group. On the contrary, conflict can be friction, which can motivate the group as long as it’s handled well. There are also styles of conflict. The first is non-confrontational, which has obliging and integrating styles in its subgroup.There is also a controlling conflict style with dominating and avoiding in its subgroup. The last conflict style is cooperating or a compromising conflict style. Another factor to consider is face-detracting strategies which challenges the integrity of a person. However, face-saving does the opposite and protects the credibility of someone else.
The leader of a group is important in terms of managing conflict. The leader is responsible for motivating, delegating and structuring. It is important for managers/leaders to lead with empathy, put first things first, paraphrase, and SLACK (sit, listen, ask, compromise, kiss).
These article steps showcase the brain-storming processes of a group. Thus, this is influences communication and should be included in GCCM.
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3. Although conflict is often viewed as negative, when used correctly, it can have a positive effect on relationships.
The goals of conflict management are to:
· utilize the positive aspects of conflict;
· resolve organizational and interpersonal conflict;
· minimize the impact of conflict on objectives. (n.a., 2012)
In project management, because teams are together for a short amount of time, there is more of an opportunity for conflict. Some areas for conflict include conflicting work styles, miscommunication and differing personal values. Conflict should be anticipated, so certain behaviors should be presented to be able to deal with differences. Conflict should not be avoided as conflict can help a learn from the experiences to become better. Conflict can come on quickly and prevent the effectiveness of the team. It creates tension and delays the progress of the team. Conflict is better examined by the facts and figures rather than relationships.
When dealing with conflict there are some elements that help with its resolution.
· careful choice of venue – a neutral, comfortable and accessible space;
· clear time management, guidance on acceptable conduct and objectives for each session;
· identification of facts and distinguishing assumptions;
· recognising the different levels of power and influence among the participants;
· assessing the potential impact of personal values and opinions;
· reflecting perspectives, expectations, antagonisms and emphasizing areas of agreement;
· defined escalation routes if resolution is not possible (n.a., 2012)
A difficult part of conflict resolution is making sure the right technique is being used. There are types that are better suited depending on the situation. The more complicated the work becomes, the more complex the conflict becomes. There will be more time spent on conflict. This will influence stakeholder management, teamwork, and risk management. There will be some coordination amongst the program and portfolio management to ensure conflict is being addressed.
4. There is a model that will help effective communication. This concept, the A-E-I-O-U approach, uses positive intentionality as its communication method. Positive intentionality is used to signify that you understand that the other person is not trying to create more conflict or other issues.
5. A-Acknowledge that you recognize the other person is focused on problem solving
6. E-Express that you recognize the intent and how you are feeling
7. I-Identify your objectives and intentions.
8. O-Outcomes of what will happen if the other person were to agree to change their behavior
9. U-Understanding what is being said by getting feedback during the interaction to confirm what is going to be worked on.
Essential for GCCM plan, because conflict can break or make communication.
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Gabby
5. New dynamic are put in place whenever a group of people come together. The climate within the group is affected by the impassion we form about the group. When something is cohesive, it sticks together. the cohesion within a group helps establish an overall group climate. There are 2 types of cohesion, Task and Social cohesion.
Task cohesion means the commitment of group members to the purpose and activities of the group. While social cohesion means the attraction and liking among group members. The benefit of cohesion within a group is huge and can be addressed through specific group character or behavior. Group socialization refers to the process of teaching and learning the norms, rules, and expectations associated with group interaction and group member behaviors. In other to help govern a group, there must be some motivating force present within the group. Generally speaking, some people would accept rules and norm than others which could influence the interaction and potential for conflict within the given group. External pressures in the form of group policies, rewards or punishments, or other forces outside of individual group members also exert conformity pressure. Conformity pressure can also stem from external forces when the whole group stands to receive a reward or punishment based on its performance, which ties back to the small group characteristic of interdependence. Although these pressures may seem negative, they also have positive results.
Reference:
Lardbucket.org
. (n.d). 13.3. Small Group Dynamics. Retrieved from:
https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s13-03-small-group-dynamics.html
6. Conflict means disagreement or incompatibilities which results from some form of interference or opposition. There are many strategies to resolve conflict within a team. For decades, managers have been taught to view conflict as negative force. However, In fact, conflicts can be either functional or dysfunctional. While dysfunctional conflict is damaging and contributes to lower productivity, functional conflict can actually promote greater work effort and assist in the execution of tasks.
A variety of options for managing organizational disputes have been developed and proposed by management theorists. A conflict-handling grid comprised of five conflict management types focused on two dimensions was defined by Thomas and Kilmann: assertiveness and cooperativeness. Assertiveness is an individual’s desire to accomplish his or her own ambitions, goals, and performance, whereas cooperativeness measures the ability to encourage or assist the other party to achieve its objectives or results.
Reference:
Gale a Centage Company. (n.d). Conflict Management and Negotiation. Retrieved from:
https://go-gale-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3273100051&v=2.1&u=umd_umuc&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=69be1ce87d3651018c3899b26771d754
This is essential, because if there is a barrier within a group, it can break down communication.
Conflict involves a situation in which what people care about appear to be incompatible. Five conflict styles based on being assertive and cooperative characteristics are: competing, accommodating, avoiding, collaborating, compromising. Managers with compromising, accommodating and avoiding styles were less likely to be promoted vs. managers with collaborating and competing styles. Conflict styles of men report higher level of competing, and females higher levels of compromise. Women score equal to men on collaborating. Women score significantly higher on compromising, avoiding, and accommodating. There is a great deal of style variation among individuals of a given gender at a given organizational level. The above findings are used in training to explain and teach the differences in styles.
Women are more reluctant than ment to use overtly competitive tactics is salary negotiations for themselves, settling for significantly lower salaries. But negotiating for others, they were as competitive as men. A 2001 Society ho Human Resource Management study showed that women were rated higher than men on 42 of 52 executive competencies, including influencing and negotiating. Downside to women’s lower competing scores causes women to end up with lower pay and fewer promotions, which contribute to higher turnover.
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Group cohesiveness is a social process in which members interact with each other closely. Cohesiveness has two dimensions: emotional (personal) and task-related. Emotional is when the group enjoys interacting with each other, and task-oriented is when the group works together as one unit to accomplish a common goal. Individuals that share similar characteristics such as age, ethnicity, values, and attitudes feel closer. Similar backgrounds such as group objectives, communication styles, and type of desired leadership also help. The more agreements between individuals in a team, the greater the trust and less conflict. Smaller groups are more cohesive than larger groups. The more elite the group is perceived to be, the more motivated members are to belong and stay in it. Group success increases the value of group membership. External threats are faced better when group cohesiveness exists. Cohesive groups contribute to positive group processes and task performance. Members interact more with each other, develop supportive communication climate, friendlier and cooperative with each other, and have greater influence over each other.
Yes, essential to GCCM plan. Conflict can derail communication.
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10. Group cohesiveness is the interpersonal dynamics among group members. As cohesiveness describes the community within a group, its impact is influential. Although being committed to a group dose not mean that the group member is committed to the group’s members, the feelings of the factual performance of the group depends on individuals within the group. Cohesiveness is strongest when an individual is attracted to both the group and its members. However, cohesiveness is affected by many things. Cohesion is least within a group where there is instability such as frequent member mobility in and out of the group. There are some groups that cohesion is important for such as flight crews as conformity is higher within cohesive groups (Park, 2004). Furthermore, cohesiveness impact the stability of group composition regardless of type of group. When there is less cohesion, group members are more likely to move to other groups when opportunity arise. To enhance cohesion within groups, group size reduction, groups with members who have common goals and few differences in member status improve cohesion. There are situations where group leaders must balance the desire for cohesion with group composition issues. In such situations the group leader must choose between breadth of skill or harmony within the group. Group leader must analyze the dynamics within the group to determine if high levels of cohesiveness could lead to decreased productivity (Park, 2004).
Reference
Parks, C. (2004). Group cohesiveness. In G. R. Goethals G. J. Sorenson, & J. M. Burns (Eds.), Encyclopedia of leadership (Vol. 1, pp. 618-620). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://www-doi-org.ezproxy.umgc.edu/10.4135/9781412952392.n137
11. Group think is the process leads a capable group to make decisions with disastrous results. There are many precursors to groupthink however, structural faults, high cohesiveness, and external pressures are some of the main factors. Sometimes, there are flaws that the group inherent which affects decision -making process. These faults include outside opinions, toleration of options that have not been analyzed and lack of team members with diverse viewpoints. While high cohesiveness can be effective in groups, it could also suppress criticism and dissension within groups (Parks, 2004).
More so, external pressures could cause group members to favor quick decisions without careful analysis. Groupthink occurs when members develop the tendency to rationalize, develop false perception of consensus, interpret silence as agreement as well as invulnerability. Group leaders play an active role in groupthink. To avoid disastrous decisions in a group the group leaders must tolerate dissent, actively encourage discrepant viewpoints, and support critiquing of one another’s ideas. Although this does not guarantee a quality decision, it helps to avoid abject disasters. Overall, preconditions of groupthink does not guarantee its occurrence (Parks, 2004).
Reference
Parks, C. (2004). Groupthink. In G. R. GoethalsG. J. Sorenson, & J. M. Burns (Eds.), Encyclopedia of leadership (Vol. 1, pp. 636-639). SAGE Publications, Inc.,
https://www-doi-org.ezproxy.umgc.edu/10.4135/9781412952392.n143
14. Impressions of people likeability and the purpose of a group depends on group climate created by its members. Pressure to conform to norms are more powerful in group situations with positive and negative results. In general group conflict increases as members accomplish a task or achieve a purpose. Cohesion within a group establishes a group climate which is the tone and quality of group interaction. Task cohesion involves commitment of group members while social cohesion involves attraction and liking among group members. It is important for groups to establish a balance between task and social cohesion. Cohesion can be assessed through specific group behaviors and characteristics. Appropriate levels of group cohesion creates a positive group moral, since group moral is affected by members’ satisfaction (Small Group Dynamics, n.d.).
Group socialization is the process of teaching and learning the norms, rules, and expectations within a group. Information exchanged during socialization includes technical and social knowledge. Technical knowledge introduces through orientations, trainings, manuals, and documents. On the other hand, social knowledge learned from observation. When someone is corrected from braking rules and norms, it serves as a reminder for all members as rules and norms provide a sense of predictability that helps reduce uncertainty and increase a sense of security (Small Group Dynamics, n.d.).
Groupthink is a negative group dynamic that creates uncritical acceptance of decisions or suggestions of action to accomplish a tasks and goals. Group conflict can appear in indirect or direct forms within group interaction. Procedural conflict cones from disagreements or trouble with the mechanics of group operations. Substantive conflict focuses on group members’ differing beliefs, attitudes, values, or ideas on the purpose of the group. Interpersonal conflict is between individual members of the group. Whereas procedural conflict deals with how a task is accomplished within the group (Small Group Dynamics, n.d.).
Members of a group first experience primary tension at first. Small talk and politeness help group members manage primary tensions. After the forming stage secondary tensions arise as conflict occurs over member roles, differing ideas, and personality. Complete lack of conflict in a group indicates a lack of activity or lack of commitment of the members. Conflict, when properly handled, could lead a group to a better understanding of the issues. Group cohesion can also increase because of well-managed conflict. Occasional tension and unrest followed by resolutions creates a sense of accomplishment. Poorly handled conflict could lead to decreased cohesiveness. Mishandled or chronic conflict could also lead to destruction of a group or a loss in members as people weigh the costs and rewards of membership (Small Group Dynamics, n.d.).
Reference
Small Group Dynamics (n.d.). Section 13.3 A Primer on Communication Studies (v. 1.0). Retrieved from https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s13-03-small-group-dynamics.html
Yes, this is important to include in the GCCM plan. Cohesion helps with the flow of communication.
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Brittany
The process of problem solving involves thoughts, discussion, actions and decisions. The types of problems are varied, but the most common are budget funds, raising funds, addressing customer complaints, planning events, creating products, raising awareness about causes and supporting members. The text also mentions that all problems have three common components, which are an undesirable situation, a desired situation, and obstacles in between the desired and undesired situation. When it comes to problem solving it is important to consider task difficulty, number of possible solutions, group member interest in problem, group familiarity with problem, and need for solution acceptance. The formal process of solving a process is to define the problem with a problem statement, analyze the problem with a problem question, generate possible solutions, evaluate solutions, and implement/assess the solution. The article also encourages brainstorming before decision making. Brainstorming consists of forbidding evaluation of ideas, wild and crazy ideas encouraged, quantity not quality of goals matters more, and new combinations of ideas are encouraged. After this process, there is a normal group technique, which ends with clarifying ideas and voting on or ranking them. The leader can utilize majority rule, minority rule, or consensus rule to make a final decision.
Yes, important to include, because it effects communication.
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Group communication systems are sometimes plagued by biases against individuals and groups on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, age, physical looks, sexual orientation, food habits, languages, religious beliefs, and so on. These biases slowly create feelings of noninclusion, seclusion, and neglect among the sufferers and if not corrected on time, may lead to feelings of permanent hatred, clashes of cultures and beliefs, for which the organization pays dearly.
Besides biases, the communications gaps may arise due to organizational bureaucracy, groupthink, lack of clear guidelines from management, poor decision-making skills of managers, and pre assumptions and perceptions about a section of employees.
Failures in communication may cause deadlocke in beliefs, assumptions, preoccupations, and reservations of various groups about one another, lack of cultural sensitivity, vested interests of parties that like the gaps to exist, and hesitant decision making by the authorities. The preventive measure may include early detection of issues, training in cultural sensitivity, the involvement of top management, clear and rational decision making, and conflict detection and resolution skills on the part of management.
Groupthink can be characterized as excessive harmony between the group members that leads to bad decision-making because the members are reluctant to go against the group even if they think otherwise.
Common symptoms are the Illusion of invulnerability ( excessive optimism), unquestioned beliefs, rationalizing, stereotyping, self-censorship, the illusion of unanimity, the pressure to conform, and mind guards.
Groupthink forces the group members to desist from rational thinking and often leads to decisions that are liked by the majority, not what is right. Usually, these decisions are of low quality.
It depends upon the situation. In some cases, an individual can be a good decision maker while in others group decisions are better. In situations where instant and swift decision-making is the need of the hour, a single person can be a better decision-maker. An example is a response in a war zone or an emergency landing of an aircraft that is running out of fuel. In other situations, where the situation requires thoughtful inputs from a number of members to reach an informed decision, like deciding on the annual strategic growth plan of the company, group decision-making often yields better results.
Biases should be included in the GCCM, because it can create barriers within a group.
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Majority rule was a strategy used to be able to decide when one cannot be made unanimously. The majority principle is seen as a positive as it encourages decisiveness, quality of the voter and neutrality. Majority rule principle works the best when there are two alternatives where one decision has more than half of the votes. Since the median voter’s preference minimizes the sum of the distances from all other individual preferences, the winner by majority rule in a two-alternative contest minimizes aggregate distance and thus maximizes social utility (Darity, 2008). When there are more alternatives, majority rule is seen as indecisiveness and unable to choose a winner. With majority rule, there will always be a win and a loser. Remedies include constitutional guarantees on individual and minority rights, judicial review of decisions made by a majority, mechanisms requiring supermajorities and consensual decisions, and separate elections for different issues, as can be provided by institutional frames of division of powers and decentralization (Darity, 2008). A proportional representation is a system that allows a vote and that vote is decided by elected officials. A majority of the majority is what makes the decision. On the flipside, if the election results are similar, then officials use majority rule to make more alliances. This close will create a close margin between majorities. Non Majority principles are, thus, necessary to guarantee majority government(Darity, 2008).
Yes, this can sway the direction of a group.
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The main purpose of problem solving is for reaching a goal. The approaches of problem solving have been used to resolve conflicts between groups. Individual problem solving has been around for thousands of years. The main focus was on mental representation and computations. Individuals use these techniques to understand the external world around them.
When you use group problem solving individuals try to understand if they should cooperate which can be gained through competition. Negotiations grew out of the problem solving approaches in ancient greek society. Lastly, goals and objectives were developed as a new approach in handling conflict.
Include because problem solving effects communication for the better or for the worse.
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11. As the internet quickly becomes a constant and integral part of the workplace, virtual work teams are also becoming commonplace, and this imposes additional group skill requirements. To enhance the effectiveness of problem-solving groups or work teams, the variables of task need to be specified as part of the group process “system”, interacting with, and being affected by, other elements within that system. Idea generation through Computer-Mediated-Communication (CMC) was very successful – in terms of the number of ideas generated – than the F2F version. Teams in general meet to discuss two types of tasks: those requiring decisiveness, and those requiring cooperation in search of a correct solution. Students prefer F2F mode as it is more effective, easier, and more satisfying for both types of tasks. Some authors suggested that as task interdependence within a group increases, the degree and intensity of the interactions between the group members also increases. The four types of interdependece are pooled, sequential, reciprocal, and intense. The paper also discusses the demands on data gathering/distribution, information processing (nuber of the steps in the problem-solving process, amount of information to be processed, relationship of issues, functions, and variables, and routiness of the task, dynamicity, etc. ), evaluation (solution multiplicity, criteria clarity, and objective varifiability), situational (decision impact/importance, innovation requirements, urgency). The paper further goes into describing member and group characteristics, group structure, and operations.
12. Meetings are essential means for achieving the communication necessary for the operation of virtually all organizations, large and small. Major types of meetings are staff, project team, process and procedures, and quarterly. Successful meetings require thorough planning or premeeting activities, and skillful leadership during the meeting itself. Before meetings start, determine whether a meeting needs to be held, prepare an agenda with objectives and outcomes, distribute the agenda to participants, determine the facilitator, limit attendance to subject matter knowledge and decision-making authority. During the meeting, the facilitator should start on time, ensure a quorum, keep the meeting on track, get as many people to participate, establish an agreement on the next steps or assignments.
Virtual teams can influence communication.
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2,15
Danial
2. Developed by philosopher Stephen E. Toulmin, a style of argumentation that breaks down an argument into six parts: claim (main argument), grounds (supporting evidence), warrant (the assumption that links grounds to claim), qualifier (true in some cases), rebuttal (acknowledgment of another view), and backing (additional support).
15. Negotiation is communication to reach an agreement between two or more conflicting parties who perceive their interests to be opposed to those of their counterpart. Negotiations often concern multiple issues. In integrative agreements, parties concede on issues that are unimportant to oneself but important to the other. Integrative agreements tend to be relatively stable, create positive feelings of satisfaction and pride, allowing parties to approach later negotiations in a more optimistic problem-solving manner. They create more value for both parties. Failure to reach agreements may create frustration and conflict, distrust, and weakened ties. Cooperative incentives become relatively more important and available than competitive incentives. Cooperative incentives motivate negotiators to make and reciprocate concessions. Time pressure and stronger power foster concession on important issues, reducing the likelihood of integrative agreement. Dual concern theory suggests that negotiators who live together or work together will be more willing to concede than hurt their relationship. Integrative agreements come about when each party has a high concern for both their own and other’s outcomes.
Negotiation is an important component of communication.
7
4,17
Gabby
4. Refutation should not mainly be base on your point of view or standpoint. Refutation also allows you to view other person’s point of view. Before refuting an argument, it is always good to keep calm and give a brief summary of opposing argument. This would give you the opportunity to show why the argument is wrong, ill-informed, and why such argument should not be welcomed or accepted.
It is also good to show why opposing argument is unclear, that is jumbled, disorganized, confused, obscure, contradicts itself, impossible for an intelligent person to understand, full of holes, leaves too many questions unanswered, uses too many obscure or undefined words, too general, too badly mixed up to make any sense, or presented in language or style that readers cannot understand
It is also good to show why the argument is opposing argument is unbelievable, incoherent, beyond credibility, a flat-out lie or deception, strains the audience’s suspension of disbelief, offers no reasons to believe the opponent’s statements, gives no solid sources for unusual or extraordinary claims, relies on questionable, outdated or biased sources etc. it is also important to show why argument is impossible, not anchored in the real world, a proposal that is not possible to accomplish, a fantasy masquerading as reality, strains the reader’s imagination, is silly or preposterous and also show why opposing argument is illogical, unfitting and unprofitable.
17. Mediation is A form of alternative dispute resolution in which the involved parties bring their dispute to a neutral third party, who helps them agree on a settlement; mediation is generally nonbinding, unless the parties agree to a resulting settlement Mediation is a form of dispute resolution where a third party—an impartial mediator—assists two or more persons in finding a viable solution to problems. There are distinct differences between mediation and litigation. An obvious distinction is that the mediator, unlike a judge, has no say in the outcome of the case. Litigation is a process in where courts impose binding decisions in a determinative process. Now, more than ever, mediation has found widespread use in the realm of business, especially in the field of international law. When two parties need help working out a solution, they can hire a neutral third party (a mediator) skilled in asking questions, listening and helping make decisions. The mediator can share the law in a way that allows both parties to have their day in court, vent their position and work toward a resolution, so that the relationship isn’t lost over the threat of a lawsuit. Mediation is very effective in situations where there’s an ongoing relationship between two companies. The result is a written agreement to settle the dispute; both parties share mediation expenses. Mediation is never final or binding.
It’s important, because it provides advice on how to have an argument.
7
5,18
Mike
5. The article gives the definition of inconsistency and some examples such as “One thing that we know for certain is that nothing is ever true or false.” – If there is something we know for certain, then there is at least one truth that we know. So it can’t be the case that nothing is true or false.”(Lau & Chan, 2021)
Lau, J., & Chan, J. (2021). [F02] Inconsistency. https://philosophy.hku.hk/think/fallacy/ic.php.
Not essential for GCCM plan, because no benefit seen on including in the GCCM.
7
13,19
Brittany
13. The article consists of a list of fallacies. The first being ad hominem, which means a theory is discarded not because of any evidence against it or lack of evidence for it, but because of the person who argues for it. The second is ad ignorantiam (appeal to ignorance). Ad ignorantiam is defined as the truth of a claim is established only on the basis of lack of evidence against it. Next, there is ad misericordiam (appeal to pity), which is in offering an argument, pity is appealed to. Ad populum (appeal to popularity) is defined as the truth of a claim is established only on the basis of its popularity and familiarity. There is also affirming the consequent, which is inferring that P is true because Q is true. Begging the question (petito principii) is a fallacy already assumed in the premise. Complex question or loaded question is posed in a way that a person will inevitably commit themselves to some other claim. Composition (opposite of division) is assumed to have the same properties as its parts. Denying the antecedent is inferring that Q is false just because if P is true. Division (opposite of composition) means the parts of a whole are assumed to have the same properties of the whole. Equivocation is putting forward an argument where a word changes meaning without having it pointed out. False dilemma is a limited set of alternatives when there are others that are worth considering in the context. Gambler’s fallacy is made to take some independent statistics as dependent. Genetic fallacy is thinking that because X derives from Y, and Y has a certain property, X must have the same property also. Non sequitur is a conclusion drawn which does not follow from the premise. Petito principii is a latin word for question begging. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc is inferring that X must be the cause of Y just because X is followed by Y. Red herring is having some irrelevant issue raised which diverts attention from the main subject. Slippery slope is eventually leading to the conclusion that the opponent is committed to something unacceptable. Straw man is attacking an opponent on a position that is easily defeated when this is not actually the opponent’s position. Suppressed evidence is where there is contradicting evidence.
19. There are five main conflict styles. One of them is competing and is appropriate in emergencies, when others don’t care about a trivial matter and when being right matters more than preserving relationships. Another is collaborating and should be used where collaboration, creativity and relationships are important. Compromising is a style to use when time and resources are limited. The avoiding style is important to use when the relationship or issue is insignificant. Accommodating is good to use when it’s not important to be right. As far as negotiation, there are three main styles. Distributive strategy is claiming all profit for oneself. Integrative strategy is creating value for the majority. Mixed-motive strategy is a combination of both distributive and integrative strategies.
Not essential for GCCM plan, because the article focuses more on fallacies.
7
14,21,25
Danielle
14. Negotiation is when two or more parties come to common ground during conflict. There are 5 steps to the negotiation process. The first step is investigation. The investigation is when the different parties try to identify what the goals are, what you want to achieve, what terms you would agree to and non-negotiables. Next, there is something called BATNA which stands ‘best alternative to a negotiated agreement’. This step would be the group exploring the alternatives closely. By looking at the alternatives more carefully, you can determine if the terms will work better or worse in you favor. The party with the best BATNA will have a better experience in the negotiation. Looking at the other party will also help you to identify possible alternatives in this situation. The third step is Presentation. The presentation involves gathering the information needed to support your position. Fourth, is bargaining. In the bargaining, each party will share with the group their goals so that the groups can come to a final decision. During this phase, it is normal for both parties to make concessions; they give up one thing to get another favorable term. A concession will move the negotiations forward and remedy any frigidness in the negotiations. The final step is closure. This ends the negotiations, and the group has either made a final decision or found the offer unacceptable
21. Using ontology, there was a deeper look at leadership styles of project manager. The style of a leader will be important to the functionality of the group. The leadership styles present compliment the leadership process and practices. The basic reasoning behind the dominating view that ‘leadership’ is to be found in the qualities and the actions of individual leaders is the modernist notion of stable, distinct material entities as the building blocks of reality and hence the objects of scholarly inquiry (Packendorff et al, 2014). Due to the nature of projects that the project manager will oversee, their leadership style will need to be able to be able to adapt to a variety of situations. By looking at the SOX 404 project, there is a constant need to be aware what positions are being played as well as what new information is coming in. Not having a lot of control and not enough communication, the team had to adjust several times. Although planning and readjusting as the project goes on, there will be times when the plans will not come to fruition. It is important to establish a relationship with those on the project. From such a perspective, project leadership is seen as the ongoing social production of direction in the project
through construction and reconstruction of actors’ perceived space of action (Packendorff et al, 2014).
References
Packendorff, Johann & Crevani, Lucia & Lindgren, Monica. (2014). Project Leadership in Becoming: A Process Study of an Organizational Change Project. Project Management Journal. 45. 10.1002/pmj.21418.
25. The Toulman model of argumentation is a model that focuses the proper way to have an argument. There are 6 parts of an argument.
1. Claim-the assertion you hope to prove
2. Evidence-Support/rationale for the claim.
3. Warrant-The Connection between ‘claim’ and ‘evidence’
4. Backing -Support for the warrant
5. Rebuttal-Potential objection to the claim
6. Qualifier-Limits put on the claim
The first are the primary components while the last three are the secondary. They are the support for the first three. The Toulman model helps to think beyond the surface of an argument and delves deep into more elements that can be present. With this model, you look at the opposing viewpoints so you will be ready to counter arguments. Toolman model is built upon an inherently logical
Yes, include in GCCM plan, because this involves negotiation.
8
4
Brittany
Hardball tactics are legal, but should not be used if you have to interact with the other party again in the future. Doing hardball tactics can ruin your reputation, especially if you always are the one that profits. It’s best to make sure that everyone makes money in a negotiation. The article says that it’s best to be honest, keep promises and practice the platinum rule. The golden rule is to treat others the way you want to be treated, but the platinum rule is to treat others the way they want to be treated. As far as cross-cultural negotiations, it is important to keep in mind that some countries like Japan are not easy to build trust until a strong relationship is formed. In other words, they view negotiations as a social activity. Americans view negotiations not as a social activity, but as a business activity. Thus, it is important to do your research on the customs of a country before proceeding.
Yes, include in GCCM plan. A deal handled incorrectly can have repercussions.
8
5
Danielle
There are several mistakes to avoid when making decisions.
Overconfidence bias-There is overestimation being able to predict the future. Having too much confidence can cause incorrect judgment on behaviors in negotiation.
Hindsight bias-looking back at a past event as if you knew the outcome. This happens due to people reconfiguring past events.
Anchoring-Relying too much on a one piece of information. It creates blinders that only have you focus on one particular trait.
Framing Bias-Being swayed to a decision by the way it is presented. If the problem is not being presented in a correct way, the alternative could be made.
Escalation of commitment-Following a course that proves to be a poor choice after more facts are known. Usually is done because there has been a considerable amount of investment in the situation. This occurs as people don’t want to admit they are wrong, and the energy spent in the problem may help recover losses.
Not essential for GCCM plan, because benefit to plan not seen.
8
10
Gabby
Distributive negotiation is the process of dividing up the pie of value in negotiation. Distributive negotiation can be thought of as haggling – the back-and-forth exchange of offers, typically price offers, which the late Harvard professor Howard Raiffa referred to as the “negotiation dance. The most effective bargainers in a distributive negotiation are often those who spent a lot of time preparing to negotiate. In particular, negotiators should determine their best alternative to a negotiated agreement, or BATNA—what they’ll do if they don’t achieve their goals in the current negotiation.
5 Proven Distributive Negotiation Strategies includes:
1. Focus on the Other Party’s BATNA and Reservation Value
2. Avoid Making Unilateral Concessions
3. Be Comfortable with Silence.
4. Label Your Concessions.
5. Make Contingent Concessions.
Yes, successful negotiation is essential for communication to continue.
8
11
Mike
Integrative negotiation bargaining uses a win-win approach. It is advised to keep your information secret when negotiating. Both parties need to understand each other so they can create a solution. An example is salary negotiation.
Yes, include in GCCM plan, because it involves negotiation.
8
14
Danial
Business negotiations is a mix of processes and its success is not very predictable in light of business environment complexities. Challenges in negotiations come from cross-cultural and geo-political perspectives. Most negotations end in a win-lose scenario due to organization’s interest in increasing the profits. Many challenges stand in the way to maintaining ethical standards, including entry barriers and international regulations. The paper introduced steps, processes, and factors that influence negotiations at all levels, and suggestions on how to create a win-win outcome. Many problems have been found especially when it comes to international trade and ways to reduce failures in global business negotiations.
Yes, include for same reason as above.
Running
head: DCA TEAM GCCM PLAN
1
DCA TEAM GCCM PLAN
2
DCA Team Group Communication and Conflict Management Plan
Christina Horning
John Kelly
Charise Moore
Ana
Paddack
Jenny Wilson
PMAN 6
3
8
University of Maryland Global Campus
Document Revision Log
Version #
Date of Issue
Author (s)
Description of Change
0
1/21/2021
Christina Horning
Created 1st Draft + Appendix A
1
1/22/2021
Ana
Paddack
Added Revision Log, propose outline based on samples, added weekly readings 1 through
5
in Appendix A and added citations to reference page
2
1/22/2021
Christina Horning
Adjusted table format, selected readings 1
4
-1
7
to summarize
3
1/24/21
Christina Horning
Alphabetized reference list. Input summaries
14
-18.
4
1/25/21
Jenny Wilson
Added weekly readings 1
9
-20 in Appendix A
5
1/25/21
Charise Moore
Added weekly readings 10-
13
. Added accompanying citations to the Reference page.
10
Group communications, interpersonal skills, and technology. 12
Group motivation.
14
Team meetings and team assignments.
19
Verbal and non-verbal communication.
20
Group cohesion.
21
Conflict Management Plan 23
Group conflict and decision making. 23
Conflict management styles. 24
Team conflict resolution strategies. 26
Argumentation, the Toulmin Model of argumentation. 27
Negotiation. 29
III. Implementation Assessment
31
IV. References
32
V. Appendix A: Weekly GCCM Assignment Table 40
II. DCA Group Communication and Conflict Management Plan
Purpose of Group Communication and Conflict Management
Mission S
We are a diverse team of students and professionals from various generational, gender and cultural backgrounds, working from different geographic locations committed to transparent communication and collaboration, critical listening, and team spirit to effectively create a complete communications and conflict management plan by the end of the class and future projects.
Objectives
Foundations of Group ommunications
Group diversity.
Some cultures, such as the United States and Japan, focus on work and prioritize time over culture.
In contrast, European cultures such as Italy value living in the moment. Similar cultures focus on experiencing the joys of interactions, nature, and life. How long something takes is of little consequence to a person who focuses on enjoying the moment.
(Lavine, 2021)
. Under this project the team is determined to meet middle ground, operating under US standards to complete assigned deadlines on time but also allowing ourselves time to enjoy life. Most of the tasks completed by the team are completed asynchronized therefore, as a team we are less vulnerable to the co-culture theory that impacts communication among minorities and those in subcultures
(Orbe, 2009)
.
Our group is composed of four females and one male team member. We acknowledge that our gender composition will affect our decisions and influence our performance. It will also influence our listening skills. Generally, women are better listeners than men. Men are task-focused and hear in terms of goals and current tasks. In contrast, women listen for emotion, content, and delivery (Roebuck et al. 2015). Our individual cultures will also play a large role in what we choose to listen to during conversations and team meetings. For this reason, the team will rely on detailed meeting minutes for a clear account of individual and group tasks, deadlines and assignment of roles and responsibilities. Research has shown that the most generous groups consist of two men and one woman and that groups that are majority women are more equalitarian (Roebuck et al. 2015 p.79). The age diversity of our team will also be a contributor to improved performance, quality, and effectiveness. We plan to share professional and personal experiences to reach positive outcomes and avoid groupthink. We took into consideration the study on age diversity and team outcomes performed by Schneid, Isidor, Steinmetz, and Kabst (2016) which examined age diversity’s function or relationship to overall team performance, group creativity, efficacy, team satisfaction, financial results, and team member retention. The research team found inconclusive results pertaining to age diversity and performance in most factors they reviewed.
Diversity.
Diversity education and training are vital due to the global nature of our world and businesses. Understanding of multicultural norms and values is essential for effective communication while avoiding unnecessary conflict. Orbe (2009) described co-culture theory and its focus on the ways in which culture and power impact communication, specifically for minorities or those in subcultures. Subcultures are groups composed of women, disabled, LBGTQ, lower economic status, first-generation college students, immigrants, international students. Co-culture theory encompasses five assumptions- that a hierarchy of power exists, that dominant group members occupy the most powerful positions, power of the dominant group impacts non-dominant groups, and that differences and similarities exist between co-culture groups. (Orbe, 2009). Co-culture highlights the importance of monitoring communication to ensure open and free dialogue exists.Diversity in teams could be implicative of good team dynamics ((Apesteguia, Azmat, & Iriberri, 2012, p. 93).
Recommendations.
A pillar of our team communication plan will be the inclusion of a diversity statement
that highlights the importance of diversity to our team.
Diversity statement:
Our diverse experiences position us to create better solutions for our clients. We value diversity in all forms; our people are our greatest resource and it is through diversity that we are strong. We are passionate and intentionally embrace multiple perspectives to foster an inclusive workplace. We welcome team members to bring their authentic, holistic selves to work and push us forward every day.
-Our team believes co-culture theory should be part of the plan because we need to recognize the impact dominant group members have on subcultures.
– To have effective communication, we must create an environment where everyone is comfortable.
Effective listening.
In teamwork, team members participate in dialogue for the purpose of creating. Effective team dialogue is shared and requires neutral receptiveness to other’s ideas to build a common idea designed and maintained by the power of collective listening and collective spirit. As Levine stated:
“Wisdom, insight, change and action don’t come from better thinking, testing and strategizing but from letting go, receiving and listening”
(Levine, 1994, p.94).
Active listening is a best practice both in business and interpersonal relationships, however, it is frequently overlooked. Listeners must account for cultural differences while listening. Generally, women are better listeners than menen are task-focused and hear terms of goals and current tasks. In contrast, women listen for emotion, content, and delivery. Managers also listen better than non-managers. As one’s responsibility increases, so do their listening skills. (Roebuck, Bell, Raina, & Lee, 2015). By understanding what different genders, cultures, and levels of responsibility look for, we can focus our information for maximum effectiveness.
According to Kelly (2021), poor listening can be attributed to a lack of formal training. Unpracticed listening skills deteriorate over time and we all have listening barriers (Kelly, 2021, p. 5). Kelly believes improving listening skills requires being fully present, use body language to confirm engagement, listening with the heart, discerning mixed or unspoken messages, and refraining from interrupting the other person, as well as possibly take notes to obtain clarity once the speaker has stopped (Kelly, 2021, p.5). We must focus on intentional listening.
Active or intentional listening according to Ungvarsky is a learned skill that is required for successful relationships both business and personal. To listen properly, one must pay attention and listen without planning their response while listening (Ungvarsky, 2020). Specifically, sustained focus, consistent eye contact, affirmative responses, and nonjudgmental listening. After the speaker is done relaying their message, the active listener can then request clarification where required and repeat back the message to the speaker as they understand it. Active listening is a critical skill both professionally and personally. As it pertains to project teams and communication planning in general, teams should review the steps of active listening.
Traditionally, note taking during meetings has been viewed as a menial task. Volkema and Avery suggest a more deliberate approach as they believe the role takes time, effort, stellar listening skills, and the ability to interact with the group and facilitator to ensure that information is captured accurately and precisely. By understanding and appreciating the role of the recorder and facilitator, decision making groups can give their meetings more direction and their participants more opportunities for involvement (Volkema & Avery, 1988, p.48).
Recommendations.
· Our team will emphasize the significance of the active recorder and facilitator roles to increase meeting productivity. We have created a schedule to allow for adequate preparation considering the importance of these roles.
· Facilitator role will be taken seriously and will focus on making sure everyone’s voice is heard in the team meetings
· Team will strive for positive group dynamic to ensure everyone is encouraged to share their thoughts
· Team members agree to practice active listening and to wait until the speaker is done before responding. If unsure of the message or simply to clarify, the receiver can repeat the message as they understood it back to the speaker.
Communication Management
Group leadership.
Group leadership involves guiding, motivating, and directing a team (Project Management Institute, 2017, pg 60). Leadership is essential to success; however, that is not guaranteed. The leader must create an environment where all members feel comfortable expressing ideas and debating. A primary function of group leadership is dealing with people. Leaders use their leadership qualities to work with stakeholders, sponsors, project teammates, and anyone else associated with the project. The traits of a leader include but are not limited to:
· Being a visionary
· Optimism and positivity
· Being collaborative
· Managing relationships and conflict
· Communicating
· Respect
· Giving credit
· Continuous learning
· Critical thinker
· A holistic and systemic view (Project Management Institute, 2017, pg 60-61).
Leadership is classified into several different styles. The styles range from the hands-off laissez-faire style to the committed servant leader, which leadership style a person utilizes depends on the individual’s personality/traits and the team’s make. For example, a charismatic leader inspires those around them through high-energy, enthusiasm, and self-confidence. A person who lacks those traits would not be the best charismatic leader. Bruce Fairchild Barton stated, “It is said that great leaders are born, not made. The saying is true to this degree, that no man can persuade people to do what he wants them to do, unless he genuinely likes people, and believes that what he wants them to do is to their own advantage (1925).” His statement is true today as it was almost one hundred years ago some great leaders are born to lead, such as General Patton. However, it is possible to learn how to lead effectively. As Fairchild stated, if a person believes in their work, they can also become a leader. The key is understanding yourself, the team, and the project goals. A leader does not need all the qualities of a leader; they only need to know how to use their skills best and get the best out of their people.
In our group project, we utilize a type of interactional leadership on a fixed rotation. Our group decides to break the project down into twelve weeks, where one member leads for a week and moves onto the next person. Interactional leadership combines a combination of traits from transactional, transformational, and charismatic leadership. As a group, we all possess different leadership skills, and the interactional leadership style allows every member to lead in their way. Our team does an excellent job at collaborating on assignments, respecting each other, offering productive feedback, and increasing trust every week. A traditional project has one leader, but our method gives every member a chance to influence the project. By sharing leadership responsibilities, we increase personal ownership of the project and evenly distribute the workload. Additionally, this leadership method highlights individual strengths, which led to a more targeted allocation of project tasks. While our style is not traditional, it is an effective method for this group and brings out the best in all members.
Group communications, interpersonal skills, and technology.
Group communications, interpersonal skills, and technology are all key contributing components that will determine how well the group will stay abreast of changes to the project. The goal of communication is to convey a message that is clear and easily understood. There are challenges that can occur at various stages during the pursuit to communicate. This can result from differing expectations and perceptions, lack of basic language skills, distractions, and /or selectivity (2007, p.198). Effective group communication begins with strong interpersonal skills such as active listening, teamwork, leadership, and dependability by navigating complexities and day-to-day tasks within the project. Technology provides a variety of tools necessary to exchange information that is needed to bring awareness, address questions and concerns, and maintain an open channel of communication. To ensure the group is fully engaged, utilizing available tools , and collaborating effectively to support the project the following plan has been established:
Group Communication Type
Technology Method
Notes
Team Meeting
· Virtual Meeting (Google Meet)
Decisions and acceptance made during this forum may be made verbally or nonverbally.
If further clarification is needed regarding any topic discussed follow-up may be made via other channels as needed.
Project Status
· Text message
· Google Docs
All deliverables and schedules will be posted in a living document within Google Docs. Updates will be made on an as needed basis. Any critical updates or areas in need of immediate attention will be communicated via text message.
Deliverable status
· UMGC Group Locker
· Virtual Meeting (Google Meet)
· Text message
· UMGC Group Locker
Deliverable status will be communicated via the team meeting(agenda), and the team assignment plan in Google Docs. There may be existence where it may be provided via text message and/or the Group locker.
Project Inquires from a group member
· Virtual Meeting (Google Meet)
· Text message
Items that are pending or require immediate attention will be addressed in most cases via text message. The team meeting will be a secondary option.
Agreement/Decisions
· Virtual Meeting (Google Meet)
· Text message
All agreements must be made verbally or nonverbally from all group members for All tracks of work.
Table 1
Communication whether written, verbal, nonverbal, visual, oral, or electronic has a significant impact on the way business is conducted (2007, p.198). This plan establishes that the group members have created a dynamic that supports the bottom line for success throughout the duration of the project. Completing tasks on time signifies that the various channels of communication and interpersonal skills that the team encompasses has created an environment that is conducive to meeting desired outcomes.
Group motivation.
Motivation is a key factor for high performance for the DCA team. Group motivation requires the right combination of challenges, opportunities, feedback, and recognition of hard work to ensure team members remain motivated and engaged throughout the completion of the project. The following plan was created to nurture group motivation:
Always keep open communication
If any team member has doubts about a weekly or daily assignment, the team member needs to communicate immediately with the group via group text or email. The group will thoroughly discuss group assignments and assign roles and responsibilities during a recurring weekly meeting.
Creating team building opportunities
When possible, team members will share personal experiences and find a common topic to relate outside of group task related activities. Suggested topics include using weather as an icebreaker. One team member lives in Alaska and always has interesting weather facts to share while other team members are in the East coast and relate to the same weather conditions.
Developing Trust
The team will develop trust with one another by remaining committed to meeting internal deadlines for assigned work, which will allow sufficient time for review of documents before team submissions and will minimize stress because of work completed last minute.
As a team we trust we will all have the ability needed to complete group assignments. If a team member needs additional resources or information, he/she will reach out to the wider team for support right away.
For the completion of the project, the team acknowledges that the main extrinsic motivator is finishing the class with a passing grade. The team aims for an A as a motivator to achieve good performance. The team endorses intrinsic rewards highlighted by Thomas and before each team meeting and end of week assignment the team will:
· Commit to a meaningful purpose
· Choose the best way of fulfilling that purpose
· Make sure that one is performing work activities competently, and
· Make sure that one is making progress to achieving the team’s goal (Thomas 2009).
By practicing these principles, the team will operate under a strong trust system.
Managing and constructively solving conflict
The team has developed a conflict and escalation plan described in page (xxx) to support conflict resolution. When faced with conflict, team members will always act with the utmost respect and professionalism to foster constructive and not destructive behaviors and outcomes.
Motivation and Motivation Theory
Maslow’s Hierarchical Theory
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states that human beings have needs that are hierarchically ranked. Once lower-level needs are satisfied these no longer serve as motivators. Physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization are among Maslow’s hierarchically organized needs (Gawel 1997). Our team finds self-actualization, which represents the drive to reach full personal potential as the most salient cause of individual and team motivation.
ERG Theory
Clayton Paul Alderfer proposes that basic human needs are grouped under existence, relatedness, and growth categories (Motivating Employees Chapter14). After an assessment of the team needs it was concluded that the team has satisfied its existence needs by having access to air, food, water, and shelter. During the 2020-2021 pandemic the team strives to maintain safety-related needs as these relate to health and secure employment. In terms of relatedness, during the current pandemic the team acknowledges the importance of maintaining interpersonal relations with friends, family, and significant others. Growth and the desire for personal development and the gain of new skills is the main motivator for the team.
Two-factor Theory
Herzberg distinguished “hygiene factors” or factors related to job dissatisfaction and “motivators” or factors related to job satisfaction as main forces to motivate people in the workplace (Herzberg & Snyderman,1959). According to equity theory, employees are demotivated when they view reward distribution as unfair or find their personal values not in line with company policy or levels of supervision, interpersonal relations, working conditions and compensation (Motivating Employees Chapter14). The motivators that team DCA plans to put into practice to reduce dissatisfiers include:
· work hard as a group to achieve the SMART goals of the project and foster a high-performance environment
· Recognize each other’s work, contributions, and accomplishments
· Assign equal workload to all team members and allow team members the opportunity to enhance their group participation as desired.
· Team members are rotating meeting facilitators, note taking, editor responsibilities to nurture skill variety, task significance, autonomy and aim to provide constructive feedback to each other twice during the semester.
As a diverse team we acknowledge that our individual needs are culturally based. Some of us will practice expectancy theories choosing behaviors that may lead to expected outcomes, other might opt for equity theories comparing individual work and rewards to others, goal setting theory using our SMART goals as the main motivator and reinforcement theory by staying motivated through good grades and interactions with classmates and the professor (Motivation and Motivation Theory 2009).
Team meetings and team assignments.
Given teams are formed to unite a group of individuals around mutual goals and projects, the degree of organization and structure the team maintains is critical to its success. To empower each member, self-managed teams do well to implement organization and structure by distributing elements of their maintenance to all team members (Managing Groups and Teams, 2012). Additionally, interdependencies demand that organization and structure within the team facilitate effective communication. The DCA team has subscribed to these underlying concepts in their management of team meetings and assignments. The application of these concepts formed the following plan:
· Meeting logistics: The team agreed on a weekly meeting date and time. A recurring calendar invite via the Google Meet teleconference platform was created, establishing the meeting as a fixed point of coordination for the team.
· Meeting assignments: The team formed a facilitator and meeting minutes rotation schedule that clearly assigns a meeting for each team member to facilitate the meeting and another to record the meeting minutes. The facilitator creates the agenda for the meeting ahead of the meeting time and posts to the team’s Google drive and Group Locker. The meeting minutes taker records the minutes from the meetings discussion and posts them to the team’s Google drive and Group Locker.
· Meeting agenda and facilitation: Each meeting has a defined agenda, which is available ahead of the meeting. During the meeting, the designated facilitator is responsible for ensuring all agenda topics are adequately covered. When needed, the facilitator also serves to ensure the team arrives at a consensus in which all members have spoken.
· Meeting minutes and follow-up: The designated meeting minutes taker captures the action items for the week and the corresponding person responsible is recorded as well. After the meeting, the team communicates through group texting on their progress throughout the week.
· Weekly deliverables and assignments: The DCA team discusses weekly deliverables at each meeting. Team members volunteer for most of the tasks, and any remaining tasks are evenly distributed among the team. While deliverables vary from week to week, the team has an ongoing project of capturing weekly reading summaries. Each team member selects two to three readings a week to summarize and reference.
The plan outlined above is heavily supplemented by the DCA team’s communication through group texting. The weekly meeting provides the team a time to plan and distribute tasks, but ongoing communication is vital to ensure the team is effectively coordinating as members execute their assignments. These methods have proven effective in supporting teamwork and ensuring deliverables are completed in a timely manner.
Verbal and non-verbal communication.
Trust is an absolute necessity in project management. Trust is assured reliance on someone or a group’s character, ability, strength, or truth (Trust, n.d.). Without trust, a team’s output would never reach its full potential (Decker, 2015). Trust can affect the speed and cost of projects. As trust diminishes, so does the rate of the project, which increases the cost. The speed and cost changes occur because team members speed time checking other members’ work instead of focusing on their own. Additional scrutiny from other teammates may also lead to conflict. Trust is something that takes a long time to build but erodes rapidly. Factors of trust in teams include:
· Accepting responsibility for actions
· Embrace accountability
· Productive conflicts (generate new ideas).
· Openness to risk
· Eagerness and energy (2015).
In groups without trust, you see bickering, withholding of information, reluctance to ask for help, conflict, and lack of engagement. The characteristics of groups that lack faith all decrease productivity and hurt group dynamics.
In groups that lack trust or newly formed groups, trust-building behaviors/activities can help bring members together. To build trust, treat everyone as equals, be consistent, admit fault, communicate, ask for help, and show you care. As stated, trust takes a long time to build and a very short time to lose.
Group cohesion.
Group Cohesiveness refers to the interpersonal dynamics that exist among group members (Parks, 2004). Specifically, it describes how the group relates, interacts, and makes decisions collectively to reach a goal. There are several routes that may be taken to maintain and enhance cohesion throughout the project between group members. Besides minimizing turnover, such strategies as reducing the size of the group, emphasizing a common goal, and reducing perceived differences in member status can all improve cohesion (Parks, 2004). It is evitable that differences may arise that could potentially affect the cohesion of the group as well as the success of the project. Group members emphasize different aspects of these factors, explaining why some people will be happy within a group where a particular factor may be undesirable to others (Parks, 2004). To ensure that the group remains cohesive and/or has a contingency plan to support any differences the following plan will be implemented:
Cohesive Attributes
Details
Mission
Establish the groups purpose and end goal.
Acknowledge diversity
Take into consideration the group members differences in culture, personalities, geographical location, language, ethnicity, morals, social roles, sex, and education. This varies across the team and must be considered throughout all phases of the project.
Allow everyone to play an active role
Each group member will be assigned specific tasks throughout the duration of the project. To keep the playing field fair, meeting and note taking responsibilities will alternate each week. Additionally, weekly summaries will be a shared responsibility among all group members.
Build trust
Establish a positive relationship by setting expectations and adhering to them.
Set goals
The group will identify clear, concise realistic goals and stay aligned with them throughout the project.
Ask for feedback
During each team meeting feedback will be requested from each group member to maintain an inclusive effort.
Communicate
Group members will maintain ongoing communication through various technological methods for the duration of the project.
Plan fun activities (Ice breakers, etc.)
Start of meetings and texts with small talk and/or light conversation. Possibly, discuss a movie you watched or something funny that one of your family members did before jumping into project business.
Experience
Professional, educational, and life experiences will be considered in assigning deliverables.
Conflict Management Plan
Group conflict and decision making.
Within groups, conflict is inevitable as procedural and substantive agreement can be difficult to accomplish with multiple opinions and views. However, conflict must be addressed in its nascent stages before it escalates or becomes interpersonal. There are numerous techniques to manage conflict within groups, but the DCA team finds the Five A’s technique to be the most comprehensive method to addressing conflict (Conflict Management and Negotiation, 2009). This technique employs the following steps:
Assessing the problem: The team members involved gather information about the problem and decide what is the heart of the problem.
· Acknowledging the other party: The team members involved in the conflict listen to each other’s side of the problem.
Attitude toward the other party: The team members set aside their bias regarding the other party’s communication style to enter the conversation with a neutral perspective.
· Actioning the conflict resolution process: After selecting a method for resolving the conflict, team members execute the method. However, they must remain aware of their behaviors and continue assessing the other party.
· Analyzing the agreement: This step involves the team members reviewing what has been agreed and ensuring all parties have met the requirements.
While conflict management techniques require impartiality and objectivity to be effectively implemented, decision making methods should be founded in rationale. The DCA team follows the rational model of decision making, which incorporates the following principles:
Considering the decision being presented or identifying the problem.
Outlining and evaluating potential courses of action. This should include carefully considering implications of selecting one course of action over another.
Selecting a course of action which poses the best outcomes based on careful evaluation against alternatives.
Conflict management styles.
Understanding team members conflict management styles as well as the pros and cons of each will benefit the group decision making process. This knowledge will allow individuals to face conflict as it occurs because it is a simple fact of group work and increasing conflict management skills will enhance conflict management response. Thomas-Kilmann’s Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) is a theory commonly recognized by authorities defines five main styles of conflict management: collaborating, competing, avoiding, accommodating, and compromising (Benoliel, 2017).
Benoliel elaborated on the five main styles of conflict management in the dual concern model. Collaborating style of conflict management combines assertiveness and cooperation. This style utilizes collaboration to reach a solution that meets the needs of everyone. The collaborating style is valuable because its benefits both sides with minimal loss on either side. Dr. Benoliel declares that this choice of conflict management style is best-suited when both the outcome and the long-term relationship between members is important (Benoliel, 2017). Competing style of conflict management is less cooperative and more aggressive. Individuals who choose this style are more interested in their own side or concerns and less about the group as a unit. This style is often chosen when there are no ongoing relationship requirements, and the outcome of the decision-making is what is most important.
Avoiding style is utilized by individuals who do not welcome are unassertive, and while not as blatant as other styles, are uncooperative with the group. The lack of cooperation is shown by avoiding the issue or avoiding the decision making to avoid feeling discomfort. This style of conflict management is chosen when a conflict needs to be avoided or when the outcome is unimportant. Accommodating style is the exact opposite of the competing style, there is an aspect of unselfishness when accommodating to appease the other person. This style seems positive; however, its one-sidedness is not advantageous to the side doing the accommodating and this can cause bitterness. This conflict management style is reserved for when the outcome is unimportant or when the relationship is more important. Compromising style is a conflict management style where the goal is to find a mutually agreed upon solution to the conflict while maintaining the relationship. This style is also assertive but in a positive way. The compromising style of conflict management is used when experience is required but compromise is possible to reach the mutual goal. This involves a mutual give and take (Benoliel, 2017).
Choi (2013) found that the dominant role in conflict-management culture is exemplified by overt public confrontation as the standard strategy for conflict management making individuals utilizing competitive styles of conflict management applicable in that environment. However, when cooperation is the typical behavior strategy for the environment, collaborative conflict management style is the appropriate choice because that is the expected behavior. When group coherence is the priority, withdrawal, or avoidant conflict management is fitting within that environment. Ultimately, Choi’s research in the US and Korea indicated that job satisfaction was positively correlated with collaborative conflict management styles and negatively correlated with dominant conflict management styles (Choi, 2013).
Team conflict resolution strategies.
When working in teams, conflict is inevitable; it is essential to remember that not all conflict is negative. Productive conflict provides opportunities for team members to learn and sparks innovation. As project managers, we must create an environment that encourages and maintains the positive and constructive aspects of conflict (Van Slyke, 2000). A productive work area is where all members feel comfortable expressing themself and providing constructive feedback to each other. The project managers’ responsibilities regarding conflict include identifying and understanding the positive and negative values of conflict and managing its impact on team performance and project success (Villax & Anatatmula (2010). The project manager must recognize the type of conflict occurring. For example, a personal conflict requires a different management technique compared to a technical disagreement. Personal conflicts have devastating effects and long-term effects on interpersonal relationships. Emotional conflict is challenging to resolve and causes significant impact on the project. Technical conflicts are less damaging and have a more significant potential to spark new ideas.
To effectively manage group disputes, the project manager must be aware of the ongoing situation and understand each side’s position. The project manager uses the information to prepare for conflict resolution. During the preparation phase, remember to confront problems and not people. If you confront individuals, they might feel attacked and shut down, which destroys the open environment you want (Sears, 1980). Once they know the details of the disagreement can facilitate solutions. Then the PM can bring the two parties together to discuss possible solutions. During this time, it is important to remind both parties of the project’s goals and priorities, that they are on the same team, and respect each other, especially if the conflict is personal. Once the dialog starts, push both parties towards collaboration or combine ideas to create a win-win situation. Group collaboration aims to create a situation where both sides do not compete against each other but work together. If a combined solution is not possible, have each side explain their positions and the benefits of implementing their proposed solution. After all, parties state their positions, allow everyone to ask questions for clarification, and finally vote to reach a consensus on the way forward. Reaching an agreement is another conflict resolution technique where the group majority decides the outcomes for team conflict. No matter which method is used to manage conflict, remember to keep team members respectful, remind them of the goals, and strive for the best solutions.
In our group, we are very fortunate and have not experienced negative group conflict. We rotate leadership every week, which gives each member opportunities to lead and follow effectively. Furthermore, we have open discussions during our weekly meetings and via text messaging, as necessary. We discuss all group decisions and vote on each solution. We have no doubt that our team would be able to effectively and quickly deal with group conflict should conflict arise before the end of the class to reach our team’s goals.
Argumentation, the Toulmin Model of argumentation.
Stephen E. Toulmin developed the Toulmin argument. The Toulmin method is a style of argumentation that breaks arguments down into six parts: claim, grounds, warrant, qualifier, rebuttal, and backing (Toulmin Argument, n.d.).This method encourages fact-based arguments between parties. Because of the specificity of the Toulmin method, it also helps to identify gaps in an argument. A disagreement will inevitably occur in a group setting. A diverse group of individuals will bring differing personalities, morals, and opinions that could potentially lead to conflict within the group. The source of the argument, the method used to resolve it, and the end goal creates an effective environment. Our team must focus on the following components listed in
Table 3
to encourage open dialogue with clear and supported factual statements.
Claim
An assertion must be presented to potentially influence the other group members or cause them to seek further proof.
Gounds
The initiator must provide evidence to support the assertion and/or claim made to the group.
Warrant
The initiator must establish that the assertion/claim is correct based on a known assumption.
Qualifier
The initiator must acknowledge that in some instances, the assertion may not be true.
Rebuttal
Acknowledgment of an alternate position is expressed to the group.
Backing
The initiator must provide additional support of the original argument to prove their position and provide one last path to persuasion.
Table 3
Group conflict is unavoidable. How the team overcomes those challenges is the contributing factor to the success of the group. Toulmin’s method to break down arguments into segments that help analyze a claim at a granular level that +encourages critical thinking and open-ended dialogue to establish one’s point of view and persuade others while working towards a resolution. As a team we will acknowledge that our view is not always true, and providing multiple views of the situation, can build an image of a careful and unbiased thinker (Toulmin Argument, n.d.).
Negotiation.
Negotiation is a social interaction involving two or more individuals or groups in pursuit of a joint agreement involving differing needs or ideas. A negotiation aims at some tangible or intangible exchange or promise being made by the negotiators. Our team is a cross-cultural team. Hence, when negotiating, the team must be sensitive to differences in cultural viewpoints, environments, communication styles, political systems, ideologies, and traditions.Consequently, the team has decided to avoid the subject of politics and ideologies during interactions and attempted to focus negotiations on reaching team deliverables for the week and class. Negotiation types can be divided into three broad categories, namely Day-to-Day or Managerial Negotiation, Commercial Negotiation, and Legal Negotiation. In addition, two negotiating parties can adopt either a distributive or integrative type of negotiation. (Sarkar, 2010).
Distributive bargaining implies the old adage ‘Play your cards close to your chest – Give little or no information to the other side’ (Sarkar, 2010).On the other hand, integrative bargaining implies cooperation and the joining of forces to achieve something together. This type of negotiation involves a higher degree of trust and sustained relationship. In the case of our team, we elected to maintain collaborative negotiation. On our team, there will not be winners or losers. We plan to end this class and our studies feeling that we all have thrived. Additionally, as individuals, we will try to address ethnocentric views to mitigate conflict sensitively.
Hofstede’s Principles:
It is very imperative to understand the complexity of cross-cultural complexity. It helps to keep in mind that cultures worldwide share four common characteristics: culture is shared, it is learned, it is based on symbols, and it is integrated. This integration is accomplished through the shared experiences of language and literature, art, music, religion, food and money. In order to keep the culture functional, all aspects of the culture must be integrated (Sarkar, 2010).
During the negotiation stage, our team plans to remain vigilant of the following:
Overconfidence bias:
Overconfidence bias occurs when an individual overestimates their ability to predict future events” (Faulty Decision Making, n.d.). Our team will control this bias by not submitting team deliverables without collectively and thoroughly proofreading deliverables before submission.
Hindsight bias:
Hindsight bias occurs when looking backward in time and mistakes seem obvious after they have already occurred, (Faulty Decision Making, n.d.). For example, if, after submitting a deliverable, one of our team members expresses that he/she knew the APA formatting in a group paper was incorrect before submission. This observation would be viewed as unproductive.
Anchoring:
Anchoring occurs when someone makes decisions based on one piece of information (Faulty Decision Making, n.d.). For example, if our team receives feedback on a team assignment, it may be a bit myopic to focus only on that feedback without seeing the bigger picture and understanding its context.
Framing bias:
Framing bias occurs when a team makes a decision based on perception versus facts. Our team plans to avoid this framing bias by avoiding stereotyping.
Escalation of commitment:
When individuals continue on a failing course of action after information reveals it may be a poor path to follow, it demonstrates an inability to acknowledge potential problems, (Faulty Decision Making, n.d.). In our team’s case, we will try to avoid this condition by assessing when project drafts can be easily edited to reach the professor‘s standards, and on when we would need to reevaluate our strategy and start from scratch to adhere to applicable rubrics.
As a team during negotiations, empathy is key. We plan to listen to the other sides’ resistance points and take an empathetic approach before exerting our own influences and -their perceived values. We feel that with this approach, the best possible outcomes will emerge.
III. Implementation Assessment
IV. References
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Benoliel, B., Dr. (2017, May 30). What’s your conflict management style.Walden Edu. Retrieved March 1, 2021, Retrieved from https://www.waldenu.edu/news-and-events/walden-news/2017/ 0530-whats-your-conflict-management-style
Choi, Y. (2013). The influence of conflict management culture on job satisfaction. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 41(4), 687–692.
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Teams improve individual competencies, enhance motivation and enhance project performance by providing challenges, opportunities, feedback/support and rewarding high performance. High Performance is achieved by keeping open communication, creating team building opportunities, developing trust, managing and solving conflict in constructive ways.
Tuckman 5 stages of Team Development: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning
Important to justify importance of developing a team, promoting good communication and creating team building opportunities while capitalizing on diversity. Also important for understanding 5 stages of development described by Tuckman
2
Intercultural and International Business Communication
Ana Paddack
Cross border communication across different time zones is common. Culture influences: communication source, receiver, channel, feedback,context, environment and interference. Intrapersonal/Intracultural Communication represents communication with yourself and represents only one culture. Ethnocentrism which involves stereotyping is a major obstacle to intercultural communication.
McGregor’s Theories: Theory Y: employees are ambitious, self-directed and self-motivated engage in reaching their highest potential.
Theory X: Manager uses control to incentivize employees. Lack of training and tools are reasons to stop working and fixing resources is up to manager.
Ochi’s Theory: Combines theory X and Y promotes employee excellence, job rotation, skill development, and loyalty. Workers are trusted to do their job well and management is trusted to support them
Important to understand how culture affects the way people perceive group interactions. McGregor’s Theory X and Y and Ochis’s theory provide good points for further analysis for the GCCM plan.
2
Verbal Communication
Ana Paddack
Definition “use of language and its symbols and sounds to convey messages”. Verbal Communication is complemented by body language, sounds, tone, gestures, movement and stress. Gender, class, ethnicity, education, verbalization can influence communication in a social setting. Main challenge is effective transfer of information due to variability of human speech and personal assumptions and expressions. It is suggested to learn etiquette to use culturally accepted forms of verbal expression
(Sullivan, 2009)
Important to clearly understand what encompasses Verbal Communication to be able to create an effective communication plan
2
Non-Verbal Communication
Ana Paddack
Non-verbal communication is more than body language. It provides the background for communication. It connects the behavior or dress of others or can be a message itself (frown= unhappiness, wave=goodbye)Ekman and Izard argue that facial expressions are not simple reflexes. People can learn to control expressions depending on rules of culture and subculture “In Japan people learned not to show in public anger to high status people in other countries this does not apply”. Nonverbal communication affects all interpersonal encounters. People use it as indicator of the true essence of a person. Confucius Chinese philosopher “one can better understand others by looking into their eyes rather than listening to their words”.
(Frank 2020)
Important to stress significance and weight of non-verbal communication is all personal and virtual interactions
2
Listening with Spirit and the Art of Team Dialogue
Ana Paddack
Dialogue is a creative, open ended activity of a group thinking together “It is a conversation of possibility”
Discussion is about options, conversation about action and choice. Team Dialogue is collective and entails selfless receptivity to other’s ideas to create a common idea shaped and sustained by the power of collective listening and collective spirit.
“Wisdom, insight, change and action don’t come from better thinking, testing and strategizing but from letting go, receiving and listening”
(Levine 1994)
As we work in a team active listening will be key for project success. The concepts of dialogue and discussion are key in understanding the art of listening with spirit and embracing open dialogue. Breaking egocentrism to create one team that represents all our ideas.
2
Time and Culture
John Kelly
Societies across the world place different values on what is more important than time or culture. Culture meaning the enjoyment one gets from living life. Some cultures, such as the United States and Japan, prioritize time over culture. In those societies, time equals money, and money motivates individuals. Time-based cultures focus on work, punctuality and generally concentrate on priorities as they relate to time.
In contrast, European cultures such as Italy value living in the moment. Similar cultures focus on experiencing the joys of interactions, nature, and life. How long something takes is of little consequence to a person who focuses on enjoying the moment.
(Lavine, 2021)
This item is essential because businesses are global now, and a different understanding of cultures is vital for effective communication. Understanding the different values other societies have avoids conflict in multicultural teams.
2
Co-cultural Theory
John Kelly
Co-culture theory focuses on how culture and power impact communication, specifically minorities or those in subcultures (women, disabled, LBGTQ, lower economic status, first-generation college students, immigrants, international students). Co-culture theory has five assumptions, a hierarchy of power exists, dominant group members occupy the most powerful positions, power of the dominant group impacts non-dominant groups, differences and similarities exist between co-culture groups. Co-culture groups are more aware of the importance of strategic communication.
(Orbe, 2009)
Co-culture theory is a part of the plan because we need to recognize the impact dominant group members have on subcultures. To have effective communication, we must create an environment where everyone is comfortable. Co-culture highlights the importance of monitor communication to ensure open and free dialogue exists.
2
Nonverbal Delivery
John Kelly
Nonverbal communication is what the speaker does not say aloud. Nonverbal communication includes gestures, facial expressions, tone, timing, posture, and stance. It can hinder or advance communication and is very complicated. Nonverbal communication is continuous, and it is difficult to determine when the message ends and begins. Actions speak louder than words, so a speaker must be mindful of non-verbal communication. Nonverbal communication is universal. Other aspects of nonverbal communication consist of distance from the speaker to the audience, tattoos or piercings, movement, cadence of speech, and movement.
(McClean, 2010)
Nonverbal communication is just as important if not more important than verbal communication. Nonverbal communication is added to our plan because the speaker must ensure their nonverbal speech matches what they are saying.
2
The Effects of Home Country, Gender, and Position on Listening Behaviors
John Kelly
Listening is a top 10 rated practice for effective business; however, it is frequently overlooked. Listening now requires even more emphasis due to the globalization of business. Listeners must account for cultural differences while listening. Listening is the link to build knowledge and helps develop intellectual capital. Generally, women are better listeners than men. Men are task-focused and hear in terms of goals and current tasks. In contrast, women listen for emotion, content, and delivery. Managers also listen better than non-managers. As one’s responsibility increases, so do their listening skills. Culture is also a large factor in what individuals listen for during conversation. Time-based culture is similar to men in that they are task focus. However, a culture that prioritizes life listens similarly to women and what to enjoy what the person is saying.
The effects of the home country, gender, and position on listening behaviors were added to our plan because effective communicators need to know their audience. The only way to ensure communication has intended results is to tailor it to the audience receiving it. By understanding what different genders, cultures, and levels of responsibility look for, we can focus our information for maximum effectiveness.
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Curing the Common Cold of Leadership: Poor Listening
Charise Moore
Goleman’s article stresses the prevalence of poor listening in leadership and people in general. He highlights the overwhelming factors that lead to this poor habit. From nonstop meetings, phone calls, email, and text messages they all command your attention and lead to distracting you from a source that could be standing right in front of you. “We’re too busy (we think) to take the time to listen fully, this leads to the common cold of the workplace” (p.15). Subconsciously, we tune out what a person is saying before we understand and telling them what we think too soon (p.15). Goleman believes that real listening occurs when you hear the person who is speaking out, no interruptions then responding in a mutual dialogue. The challenge with this habit is changing the behavior to become more an effective listener. It is possible the author points out. The key is being mindful of the moments in your day when you have a naturally occurring opportunity to practice good listening (p.15).
The impact of poor listening skills, the reason for it, and significance of exploring options to overcome it.
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Perfecting the Art of Active Listening
Charise Moore
Perfecting the Art of Active Listening is a brief but telling article that focuses on the reasons so many poor listeners exist and the reason. Kelly believes that there are reasons that can explain the existence of poor listeners: Lack of formal training; We possess the ability to think faster than we speak; We practice lazy and inattentive listening habits; We lose our listening skills as we develop; We fall victim to listening roadblocks (p. 5). To elaborate further the reasons Kelly provides focuses on the lack of listen courses available in comparison to English and/or writing courses, we think faster than we speak, we listen for the moment over time we lose what we have previously retained, the saying true children are like sponges but as time progresses the art of listening decreases and if a message being is not of interest recipient will be incapable of listening. To adopt active listening skills the author believes that we need to be fully present, use body language to ensure the speaker that you are engaged, listen with the heart, discern mixed or unspoken messages, and refrain from interrupting the other person and possibly take notes to obtain clarity once the speaker has stopped (p.5).
The significance of the article centers around improving the way we listen, understanding the art of it to improve chances of more active listening skills anf information retainment. .
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Power Behind the Pen: Developing the Role of an Active Meeting Recorder
Charise Moore
Volkema and Avery take the opportunity to highlight the significance of an active meeting recorder aka note taker and the meeting facilitator and the importance of treating the roles as a cooperative team effort. Taking on the role of the active meeting recorder is not one to be taken lightly. It takes time, effort, stellar listening skills, and the ability to interact with the group and facilitator to ensure that information is captured accurately and precisely. The authors describe how the role is an often-overlooked source of assistance. Often the tasks are reverted to an individual not part of the work group possibly a secretary or intern (p.45). This role is not powerless and carries significant weight. The active recorder purpose is not only to document the meetings discussion but to assist the facilitator or in some instances take on facilitative tasks when appropriate. By legitimating the role of the recorder and treating the facilitator and a unit, decision making groups can give their meetings more direction and their participants more opportunities for involvement (p.48). Ending with greater satisfaction and productivity.
Highlights the significance of the active recorder and benefits of having a collaborative relationship with the facilitator to increase meeting productivity.
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Gender Composition on Team Performance and Decision Making
Charise Moore
The authors center the article around the impact of varying gender composition in group decisions and its influence on economic performance. Research has shown that the most generous groups consist of two men and one woman and that groups that are majority women are more equalitarian (p.79). This is achieved by performing a study on an online business game, the L’Oréal e-Strat Challenge, which is played by groups of three. The purpose of this study was to simulate real world business decisions and the influence gender composition has on the outcomes and decisions made. The analysis of the study showed that teams formed by three women are significantly outperformed by any other gender combination (p.75). At the top 20%, three-women teams are outperformed by only 0.09. We also find evidence that the optimal gender composition along the whole distribution is that of two men and one woman, although the differences are not statistically significant (p.80). The findings suggest that teams with mixed genders show the highest performance. Diversity in teams could be implicative of good team dynamics (p. 93).
The importance of varying genders on the performance in groups supports an equalitarian approach as the group proceeds with collaboration.
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What makes age diverse teams effective?
Christina
Wegge, Jungmann, Liebermann, Shemla, Ries, Diesel and Schmidt (2012) conducted a research study to examine productivity levels in age diverse teams. The study included participants of varying ages in three fields of work: financial, administrative, and vehicle manufacturing. Their results demonstrated remarkable advantages and disadvantages to age diversity in teams. Wegge et al. then utilized their results to create a training program with the intended purpose of more successfully assimilating age diverse teams.
This study revealed both advantages and disadvantages to age diversity on teams. This information is useful for training and planning purposes.
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Age Diversity and Team Outcomes
Christina
A study on age diversity and team outcomes, Schneid, Isidor, Steinmetz, and Kabst (2016) explored research on results of age diverse teams. Their literature review concentrated exclusively on age diversity as they posited that varying diversity attributes required individual focus for research and study. Schneid et al examined age diversity’s function or relationship to overall team performance, group creativity, efficacy, team satisfaction, financial results, and team member retention. The research team found inconclusive results pertaining to age diversity and performance in most factors they reviewed.
Although this study was deemed inconclusive, it is always valuable to consider diversity effects and include training where necessary.
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Creating Effective Project Teams Using Personality Models
Christina
Stepping away from traditional project team formation research, Ki-Young, Bozkurt, and Sunkara shifted their focus to the lesser studied diverse characteristic team formation. The study’s authors focused on methods of maximization, particularly as it pertained to personality traits. Ki-Young et al reviewed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior (FIRO-B) and Kolbe Conative Index (KCI) to determine which personality model would be most effective for their study’s purposes. To be able to include quantitative measure rather than just personality type, they decided to use the KCI and FIRO-B models to create their own numerical model from which to develop effectual teams.
Personality models are an effective tool to create effective project teams.
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Critical Skills: Listening
Christina
Ungvarsky discusses listening as a skill, one that requires constant active thought and analysis. Ungvarssky states that it is this “intentional” or active listening that is a learned skill required for successful relationships both business and personal. To listen properly, one must pay attention and listen without planning their response while listening (Ungvarsky, 2020). The idea is to focus, maintain eye contact, provide affirmative responses, and to extract the message without judgement. After the speaker is done relaying their message, the active listener can then request clarification where required and repeat back the message to the speaker as they understand it.
Active listening is a critical skill both professionally and personally. As it pertains to project teams and communication planning in general, it never hurts to review the steps of active listening.
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Hofstede- Cultural Dimensions
Christina
Professor Geert Hofstede conducted a study that assessed workplace values and the ways they influenced work culture. The six dimensions of national culture named the Hofstede Model include: (1) Power Distance Index (PDI), (2) Individualism vs. Collectivism (IDV), (3) Masculinity vs. Femininity (MAS), (4) Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI), (5) Long Term Orientation vs. Short Term Informative Orientation (LTO), and (6) Indulgence vs. Restraint. Hofstede’s Model describes dimensions of values and how they affect the workplace. PDI is about power and how it is handled, IDV examines individuality vs. community- or “I vs. We”, MAS dimension analyzes penchants between masculinity vs femininity, UAI analyzes level of discomfort regarding uncertainty- flexibility vs. rigidity, LTO analyzes how closely tradition is valued vs. changing with the times, and lastly, IVR analyzes gratification vs. restriction (National Culture, 2021).
Hofstede’s workplace values are a useful tool for managing teams and determining what team members value most in the workplace.
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Relation between Big Five Personality Traits and Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
Jenny
Case study of intercultural dynamics within a multinational tech company. User Five Factor Personality Model to evaluate how personality scores correlate to cultural dimensions. A correlation exists, but is dependent on the job category and evidenced in leadership characteristics.
The discussion of five major personality traits is helpful research for discerning what contributes to organizational culture. The case study also provides significant insight into intercultural dynamics within an organization
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Simplifying Learning and Communicating Concepts
Jenny
This video describes the Feynman Technique for learning new topics. The initial step is to study the topic. Then write about the topic and speak aloud. When you’re stuck, study more and repeat the process using more simplified language and/or graphics. Repeat until you have used the simplest language possible. This will demonstrate you have understood the topic.
The Feynman Technique provides a strategy for communicating clearly and effectively. This is particularly useful for training dynamics.
Stakeholder management is identifying people, groups, and organizations that impact or are impacted by the project. The project manager must also plan, manage and monitor stakeholder engagement—Additionally, the project management but review project documents to understand the project’s goals. Identifying stakeholders occurs throughout the lifecycle of the project. New stakeholders emerge, and some go away. Consultation with the most affected stakeholders is vital. Once identified, the PM must create a way to document changes to the project, highlight organizational research, and gather relevant data. The PM needs to present data to the stakeholders allowing them to make informed decisions. Perform stakeholder analysis to determine the stakes. For example, a business owner is concerned with financial success and other provided expertise. Once the PM understands the stakeholders prioritizes, they can present the most applicable information.
Identifying stakeholders is a critical step in project management. Knowing who has a vested interest in the project makes it easier to create useful documentation. Without stakeholders the project has little direction and oversight.
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(*)PMBOK Guide: Chapter 10, Section 10.1, Plan Communications
John Kelly
Planning communications management is developing a way to communicate activities based on the information needs of the stakeholders. The includes when, how, and what to share and with whom. The plan must consider the member’s locations and preferred methods of communication. Depending on the size or complexity of the project, required communication to management may increase or decrease. Communication is the most critical aspect of project management. When detailed information is transmitted, individuals can make an informed decision and highlight potential problems.
A communication plan is necessary for all projects. We added it to our project, so every member knows when and how information is transmitted. The plan shows who needs information and how to share that data.
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(*)Communication
Ana Maria
Communication is the means by which info is exchanged with the goal of sharing relevant info and ensuring information is understood. Communication can be formal, informal, active, passive, conscious and unconscious. These factors modify written, verbal and body language. The Berlo’s model provides simply structures to understand the complex aspects of communication. Message transmission and reception depends on personal values, vested interests, frame of mind and learning styles. Traditional channels (paper, telephone, face to phace) are being replaced by e-mail, teleconferencing, social media. Acronyms and jargon can make communication more efficient but alienate those not familiar with it. Small projects could work with verbal communication that relies on memory and interpretation but larger/complex projects require a culture of effective communication based on coordination and planned dissemination of relevant information.
When talking about a communication management plan it is important to understand what is communication and what it entails. The article offers important information on understanding the complex aspects of communication
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(*)Communication Planning
Ana Maria
Communication planning process involves defining the type of communication that will be delivered, recipients and timing for dissemination. Key is “to get the right message at the right time” Communication can be Synchronous and involves real time exchanges samples include life meetings, audio and video conference calls, instant messaging, texting. Communication can also be Asynchronous when it is challenging to get the team together at the same time due to time zone difference. Mail,package delivery, fax, e-mail are some samples of asynchronous communication.
We added this reading to our plan as it is important to fully understand all factors and challenges that affect communication planning
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(*)Understanding and Meeting Client Expectations
Jenny Wilson
Client satisfaction is critical to a project’s success, but stakeholders must contribute to the project. As the leader of the project, the project manager is responsible for including and motivating the client.This includes educating the client on project management and narrowing their participation to areas in which their expert knowledge is most valuable.
Educating the client on project management helps to set expectations of the project lifecycle, and mitigate potential frustration down the road. Encouraging the client to contribute their expertise gives them increased ownership over the project.
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Project
Stakeholders
Jenny Wilson
This source discusses the various categories internal and external stakeholders may fall into: top management, project team, peers, customers, Government, etc. It identifies the benefits and challenges of involving each stakeholder category in the project.
The analysis of each stakeholder group is useful when considering potential conflicts and the mitigation efforts they may require.
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Communications Planning
Jenny Wilson
A communication plan is created to structure the flow of information and capture the information needs of project team members and stakeholders. The level of detail included in the plan is dependent on the complexity of the project. Complex projects should include more detail to ensure information is being communicated effectively. However, the communication plan should be mindful of overloading members with information.n It should include a communication matrix and document control.
Establishing a communication plan provides the organization a project team needs to avoid potential communication gaps. The matrix serves as a visual for communication responsibilities. Document control provides accountability.
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Communication Systems
Charise Moore
Communication systems are the different processes and methods in which information is delivered in a business between managers and lower level employees. Communication whether written, verbal, nonverbal, visual, oral, electronic has a significant impact on the way business is conducted (p.198). The goal of communication is to convey a message that is clear and easily understood. There are challenges that can occur at various stages during the pursuit to communicate. This can be a result of differing expectations and perceptions, lack of basic language skills, distractions, and /or selectivity (p.198). Unclear, inaccurate, or inconsiderate business communication can waste valuable time, alienate employees or customers, and destroy goodwill toward management or the overall business. For example: Written communication is the most common form of communication as more companies operate their businesses in virtual sitting. The emphasis is on good writing skills within a growing industry of remedial writing and to convey in an accurate and concise manner. Oral communication: Listening is often overlooked for important elements. Nonverbal communication: facial expressions, body gestures, and tone of voice may provide more insight then verbal communication.External/Internal communication are also significant mediums that have proven to be essential for a business to be online and keep employees in the loop. Overall, good communication should be complete, concise, clear, concrete, considerate, and courteous (p.201).
This article summarizes the significance of the various communication methods that are utilized to convey messages.
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The Measurement and Evaluation of the Internal Communication Process in Project Management
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The Effects of Group Longevity on Project Communication and Performance
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(*)Stakeholder Theory
Charise Moore
Stakeholder theory focuses on the attempt to identify , explain, and prescribe an organization’s relationships and responsibility to other actors (p. 930). In the past stakeholders sole responsibility was centered around obtaining the greatest profit. The extent of current uses of stakeholders extend to: a) descriptive b)instrumental-how to accomplish desired outcomes c) normative uses-prescriptive manners (ethics & philosophies) ( p. 930).
Identifying and prioritizing stakeholders is another critical factor in determining who would be a valuable contributor and hold weight in making decisions that will result in desired outcomes. There three critical characteristics that would assist with making this decision including: 1) Power to influence 2) Legitimacy of their claim and 3) Urgency of claim (p.931). In general, communication scholars draw upon stakeholder theory to understand how organizations communicate with and are held accountable to multiple stakeholders (p.931).
This article summarizes the effort that goes into identifying stakeholders and determining what level of decision making should be appointed to who. Stakeholders can make or break a project and ensuring that the appropriate stakeholder(s) is involved from start to end will benefit the overall progress success.
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Communication Skills
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Stakeholder Analysis: Process Model
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Project Communications Management in Practice
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(*)Chapter 10: Leading People and Organizations
Ana Paddack
P-O-L-C framework: Includes 1) Planning (vision & mission, strategizing and goals and objectives) 2)Organizing (organization design, culture and social networks) 3)Leading (leadership, decision making, communications, groups/teams, motivation) 4) Controlling (systems and processes, human resource strategy).
The big five personality traits that predict leadership are openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.
Traits associated with leadership are: integrity, intelligence (both mental and emotional intelligence), extraversion, conscientious, open to experience and self esteem. One of the limitations of using a trait approach to predict leadership is that it ignores the situation in which leadership occurred. Under different conditions different leadership traits might be needed.
Leaders can have task oriented or people oriented behaviors. The three types of decision-making style are authoritarian, democratic and laissez-faire. These behaviours are also limited to the environment and there is no best style as the effectiveness of each style can vary across situations.
Contingency approaches to leadership describe the role a situation would play in choosing the most effective leadership style.
Transformational Leaders lead employees by aligning their goals to the leader’s goals using charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration. Transactional leaders ensure employees demonstrate the right behavior because leaders provide the right resources in exchange.
We selected the content of chapter 10 because it helped us define what leadership is and identify the traits and behaviors of effective leaders.
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(*)Chapter 14 Motivating Employees
Ana Paddack
Motivation is defined as achieving a goal that mixed with ability and environment can lead to high performance. Motivation alone is not sufficient. Ability which includes having the skills and knowledge required to perform a job is also important in addition to having the resources, information and support one needs to perform well. Motivation is essential in leading the P-O-L-C framework.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs says that human beings have needs that are hierarchically ranked. Once lower-level needs are satisfied it no longer serves as motivators. Needs are hierarchically organized as Physiological (air, food, water). Safety, Social, Esteem and Self-actualization
ERG Theory by Clayton proposes that basic human needs are grouped under three categories (existence, relatedness and growth).
Two-factor Theory differentiates between factors that make people dissatisfied on the job (hygiene factors) and factors that truly motivate employees and finally acquired-needs theory argues that people have stable and dominant motives to achieve, acquire power and affiliate with others. Process-based theories use the mental processes of employees as the key to understanding employee motivation. According to equity theory, employees are demotivated when they view reward distribution as unfair. In addition to distributive justice, research identified two other types of fairness (procedural and interactional), which also affect worker reactions and motivation. According to expectancy theory, employees are motivated when they believe that their effort will lead to high performance. Reinforcement theory argues that behavior is a function of its consequences. By properly tying rewards to positive behaviors, eliminating rewards following negative behaviors and punishing negative behaviors, leaders can increase the frequency of desired behaviors. Skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback increase motivation. Goal-setting theory is one of the most influential theories of motivation. To motivate employees, goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely). Setting goals and objectives is a task managers undertake when involved in the planning portion of the P-O-L-C function.
We selected the information from this reading to better understand motivation, motivational theories and how fairness perceptions are determined and their consequences to be able to provide recommendations that will help us develop motivation skills.
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Motivation: Origins of the Extrinsic/Intrinsic Debate
John Kelly
This article focuses on the effect of extrinsic vs. intrinsic forms of motivation. Intrinsic motivation is an inner desire or motivation to perform because it provides reinforcement (Hummel, 2014). Extrinsic motivation is doing an activity because you want to receive an award or some recognition. The article concludes that managers should use a variety of positive consequences to maintain and improve performance. The report states that managers and leaders must utilize various motivation tactics based on the situation and the follower preferences.
Understanding the different methods of motivation is essential for those who wish to lead effectively. As leaders, we will encounter different types of follows and be involved in various situations. In regards to motivation, one-size does not fit all. A leader must recognize the environment they operate in and understand what motivates their followers. By being aware of their followers and the situation, the leader can implement the best motivational tactics to get the best results.
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(*)The Four Intrinsic Rewards that Drive Employee Engagement
Jenny Wilson
As the work requirements have changed, worker expectations have evolved. The authors argue that worker motivation is centered on purpose and intrinsic rewards are driven by:
1. Committing to a meaningful purpose
2. Choosing the best way of fulfilling that purpose
3. Making sure that one is performing work activities competently, and
4. Making sure that one is making progress to achieving the purpose.
The authors also provide seven guidelines for building a high-engagement culture within the workplace.
This source is useful for understanding what motivates team members and how to encourage them.
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(*)Extrinsic Motivation
Jenny Wilson
Extrinsic motivation is associated with material rewards outside the individual (e.g., payment). Emphasis is placed on the reward and not the behavior.
This source provides a clear and concise definition of extrinsic motivation.
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(*)Intrinsic Motivation
Jenny Wilson
Intrinsic motivation align’s with an individual’s internal drive. It links behavior with purpose.
This source provides a clear and concise definition of intrinsic motivation.
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(*)Leadership Theories and Studies
Christina Horning
The Encyclopedia of Management defines leadership as a method of motivating people towards achieving goals. In this definition, leadership is a social construct that encourages others to participate of their own volition and their participation is directed towards a common goal. The article reviews the study of leadership over time to bring more clarity to the definition. Further, it is stated that management and leadership are different concepts. The distinction between them is their level of authority. Management has authority over those they lead by the formality of the position. Leaders, however, may not necessarily have formal authority to aid them in their leadership goals and therefore must rely on their influence. Historical Leadership theories described were Trait, Behavioral, Contingency, Leader-Membership Exchange, Charismatic, and Substitutes for Leadership as leadership perspectives. The leadership theory review emphasized Trait Approach, Leader-Behavior Approach, and Contingency Theory as the primary theories. None of the theories were deemed a sufficient encapsulation of leadership on their own and the other frameworks mentioned remain useful in leadership theory (Encyclopedia of Management, 2009).
The importance of this reading is to explore different leadership theories. Primarily, the distinction between leadership and management is an important concept to be familiar with.
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(*)Situational And Contingency Approaches To Leadership
Christina Horning
Contingency approaches to leadership emphasize the leader’s traits and situational approaches focus on the leader’s perceived behaviors. The contingency model is called a Trait Contingency Model of Leadership, that is, a model where the leader’s traits are the determiner for success. Ayman & Hartman (2004) state that the least preferred coworker, or LPC interacts with the leader’s traits in this scenario. Their view is that the leader’s “inner needs” are reflected onto the subordinate in the situation. The contingency model is further divided into those who are task-oriented and those who are relationship-oriented. This model incorporates traits, climate, and situation to determine a team’s efficacy. Cognitive resource Theory (CRT) is another contingency approach that looks at two factors- a leader’s experience and intelligence. The leader’s stress is also a factor in this theory.
Additionally, there are Behavioral Contingency Models that explore how leaders behave in a situation. Path-Goal theory builds on this as it explores how effectively leaders help members clear the path to their goals. Normative Decision-Making Model is a behavioral model that focuses on how the leader act in response to the situation. Situational Leadership Theory starts with four “leader behaviors” which are: telling, selling, participating, and delegating. This theory relates the success and usefulness of these behaviors to a team member’s maturity level. For this theory, the leader leads based on the situation. They “sell” the task when it needs selling, “delegate” when the situation calls for it, “participate” when needed, and they “tell” when someone needs to be told to do a task. The three behavioral models are distinct in that the normative model looks at the decision of the leader, and the path-goal and situational leadership look at the leader’s behavior.
Ayman and Hartman reviewed the contingency models and theories as well as one that proposed four variables of note, “the substitutes for leadership theory focuses on how subordinates’ needs, abilities, and perceptions interact with the situation. In contrast, the contingency model of leadership effectiveness focuses more on the power source of the leader and how that power source interacts with the situation” (Ayman & Hartman, 2004).
This article explains the importance of focusing on the leader’s traits, the situation, and the contingencies when evaluating leadership methods.
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(*)Motivation and Motivation Theory
Christina Horning
Motivation Theory examines the why of the behavior. The study of organizational behavior focuses on the motivations behind a person’s behaviors. While studying motivation, early studies examined internal drives and cognitive processes. As motivation knowledge and studies evolved, they were divided into content theories (need) or process theories.
Content theories are internal or based on individuals’ inner drives. They include Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Alderfer’s ERG theory- this is Maslow’s hierarchy with less categories, existence, relatedness, and growth- this theory excludes basic low-level needs from the equation, Herzberg’s motivator-hygiene theory, is specifically related to workplace motivation, and McClelland’s learned needs (three-needs theory), which suggest individual needs are culturally based.
Process theories of motivation concentrate on cognitive motivation processes. Simply put, behavior is a cognitive and deliberate process. Process theories of motivation are expectancy theory (employees choose behaviors that may lead to expected outcomes), equity theory (more socially based- employees compare their work and rewards to others), goal-setting theory (goals are the motivating factors), and reinforcement theory (behavior is motivated by reinforcers).
The Encyclopedia of Management (2009) states that the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was originally intended for use in WWII to place women in their most effective job position, however, it evolved into a useful tool for determining employees’ motivations.
The study of Motivational Theory is key when one is planning on motivating a team or attempting to determine the reasoning for a lack of motivation.
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(*)Leadership Styles and Bases of Power
Christina Horning
Leadership approach describes a leader’s methods of planning, inspiring, and offering instructions. Bases of power describes the ways in which a manager uses their authority and influence to lead.
Kurt Lewin named three leadership styles, authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire.
The authoritarian leader dictates without question or comment from subordinates. The democratic leader encourages collaboration, input, and work-load decisions among the group, and the laissez-faire leader provides a lot of freedom and minimal oversight. Lewin favored the democratic style, however, leaders fair best when they alter their leadership style to fit the situation at hand.
Next, five bases of power were studied as they demonstrate power: coercive (force power), legitimate (employee believes manager has the right), reward (employees allow based on reward), referent (power is based on respect), and expert (power based on assumption of expertise). Power can be expressed through one or more of these bases and they each have their situations where they are effective like leadership styles. Further, power and authority are “multidimensional because relationships are by nature multidimensional”. Just as leadership styles depend on multiple variables, so do power bases.
Knowledge of leadership style and bases of power are important for a leader to be familiar with.
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Six Bases of Power
John Kelly
1. Power that leaders to socially independent change
2. Power that results in socially dependent change with surveillance necessary
3. Power that leads to socially dependent change with surveillance unnecessary
4. Coercive power & reward power: personal versus impersonal forms
6. The power/interaction model of interpersonal influence (Raven, 2004).
This article focused on the effects of the six types of power and determined it was challenging to answer. Because different types of power work differently for each leader and follower. The other effects occur due to different skill sets, personalities, and leadership tools. A leader or follow can know what power style is needed but lack the skills to generate the desired effect.
The various types of power are useful information to know and understand. Recognizing the different kinds of control a person has and the type of influence needed to generate results can benefit leaders.
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Power and Social Psychology
John Kelly
Power is the ability to impose one’s will on others (Aanstoos, 2019). The types of power are to coerce, to reward, and to change a belief. These types of power remind me of the carrot or the stick method. A person can either get rewarded or punished depending on their choice. However, the ability to change a person’s beliefs is more complicated and requires more energy. Like other studies done on power and its effects, the method used depends on what motivates the follower. Some individuals do not care about rewards and only respond to threats and vice versa. A leader must recognize what motivates their followers.
The concept of rewards versus threats is a known method of getting desired results. The critical topic to get from this article is understanding your follower’s motivations is paramount.
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Life-cycle Model of Leadership
John Kelly
This article focuses on situational leadership (SL) and its principles. The three principles of SA are 1. (1) Self-directed work teams advocates that supervision should be minimal when employees are sufficiently capable of being self-directed; (2) employee competence and dedication or professionalism can be viewed as potent substitutes for leadership; and (3) leaders need to be both socially intelligent and flexible in their behavior (Vecchio, 2007). Additionally, they noted that as follower maturity increases, the need for leadership declines but the need for supervisory supportiveness increases. And at the highest levels of follower maturity, the need for structuring and supervisory consideration becomes irrelevant. This report focuses on managerial dynamics and not authentic leadership. These principles highlight an important factor in project management that mature workers require less direct oversight but still need research and information on any project adjustment.
This information is vital because, as project managers, we need to focus our attention on places that require it the most. Recognizing the mature employees needs less direct supervision, which frees up time to focus on other areas. Additionally, mature works may not enjoy management the deem unnecessary, which can affect production.
Project manager (PM) competencies are a critical component of the role. Three key skill sets are believed to be necessary to ensure that the PM can be the most effective; technical, leadership, and business intelligence(p. 57). Technical PM skills are defined as the skills to effectively apply project management knowledge to deliver desired outcomes for projects or programs (p. 58). The PM should be proficient in managing schedules, issue logs, risks, and time management to name a few areas. Strategic and business management skills involve the ability to see the high-level overview of the organization and effectively negotiate and implement decisions and actions that support strategic alignment and innovation (p. 58). The PM should be knowledgeable enough to explain the business aspect of the effort and implement a plan and/or product that benefits the business. Leadership skills involve the ability to guide, motivate, and direct a team (p.60). Leadership skills are critical to the success of the PM role, a majority if not 100% of the time you will deal with a diverse group of people so being able to adapt your styles of leadership creates a path for project success.
The PM skills set topic was selected for this article to highlight the significance of being well rounded in the role. The ideal PM that composes the three skills sets are the most effective and will produce desired outcomes in most efforts.
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(*)Management/Leadership Styles
Charise Moore
Management and leadership styles differ a bit and many business leaders do not understand the difference between the functions/roles and may misinterpret how to carry out their duties to meet organizational goals (p.478). There are several theories that explain how managers and/or leaders practice. Contingency theory focuses on what managers do in practice, it suggests that how a manager operates and makes decisions depends upon a set of circumstances (p.479). This implies that a manager is not self driven something needs to occur in order for the individual to act. Theory X and Y center around how people work for others (p.479). Theory Z being the most ideal theory focuses on best practices for employee and organizational development.
This topic was selected because of its emphasis on management and leadership style, and the role that it plays in business success.
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(*)Politics, leadership, and the art of relating to your project team
Charise Moore
Politics in project management (PM) refers to the influence and/or persuasion to affect the outcome of an event, decision, or strategic direction (2007). Within any organization you will be faced with both positive and negative politics that will determine how effective you will be as leader or in this case a PM. The positive politics can put you in a position for success. For example cultivating mentors to assistance with building your skill set, or creating a positive impression of yourself. Negative politics could potentially alter the PM’s reputation, and/or project success to name a few. Organizational politics are an unavoidable influence. As project leaders, it’s our job to ensure we’re acting with others in mind when we act to advance our projects and organizations (2007).
Politics was the chosen topic from the article because of the inability to avoid it in any work setting. It is unfortunately unavoidable and the project managers to be aware of the positive and negative sides of politics to be aware of its impact on their bottom line and how to remain an effective project leader.
5
(*)PMBOK Guide: Chapter 9, Section 9.4 and 9.4 Develop Team
Christina
Building a team is one part of acquiring resources. PMBOK delineates between internal and external resources. Internal resources are assigned- usually by management, and external resources are procured. The project team may not have full control during the selection or resources because of prior contracts, subcontractors, project environment, reporting protocol and a host of other reasons. When the project management team is acquiring resources, they should be prepared to negotiate. A project management plan will include plans for resource management, procurement, budget baseline, schedule, resource schedule or calendar, requirements, and stakeholder analysis (PMBOK, 2017, p.366).
Next the PM will want to use existing organizational data, lesson learns, procurement procedures, interpersonal skills, and decision-making skills to build the team. Virtual teams can be utilized to widen the geographical net. Once team assignments are made, they will be tracked and allocated with resource calendars. Changes to the resource calendar or schedule, or to the resources allocated will require change requests. Project documents, project schedule, resource breakdown structure, lessons learned, resource requirements, risk register and the stakeholder register will all be updated following the resource acquisition process.
Following team assignment, the next stage is team development where the PM seeks to build a cohesive and empowered team. The Tuckman ladder model that consists of the five phases: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning, will typically occur unless the project team is not new to working together (PMBOK, 2017, p.338). Again, project documents will be updated after which the team development will move from the input to the tools and techniques phase. At this stage, location vs virtual, communication, conflict management, motivation, influencing, and team building will be developed and built upon to form the project team. Finally, recognition, rewards, training, assessments, and meetings will all be part of team development.
This section of the PMBOK describes resource acquisition and team development. As far as resource allocation goes, the project team is a vitally important resource.
5
(*) Managing Conflict
Christina
The author describes conflict in this manner as a battle over resources. Conflict can be used positively to enhance creativity and group growth. When not handled in a careful, structured way, conflict can be detrimental to both the team and the team’s progress.
Conflict can be viewed malevolently; however, conflict is also a natural result of teamwork
The author (s) suggest a conflict management plan which they refer to as a crisis communication plan.
Conflict can be categorized in five categories:
(1) Conflicts of substance- Are conflicts about choices or about facts.
(2) Conflicts of value- Conflicts about differing values or priorities.
(3) Conflicts of process- Conflicts of method
(4) Conflicts of misperceived differences- Misunderstandings
(5) Relationship Conflicts- Conflicts due to personality differences
Rather than minimizing or avoiding conflict, team members can choose to engage in conflict management techniques that are non confrontational, controlling, or cooperative. Most recommended is a five-step assertive approach that both avoids judgment and manipulation. The steps are: (1) offer objective description. (2) offer your interpretation (3) express your feelings (4) identify consequences and (5) state your intentions. In this manner, conflict can be addressed without aggression.
Other conflict management techniques include offer suggestions without opinion or attachment, try to find common ground, utilize active listening, stay on point, frame as a problem rather than a competition, treat everyone as an equal, consider how important the conflict truly is (is it worth it), determine whether it must be resolved or if it can be let go as an issue that does not need resolution.
Good conflict management can take many forms- the key is to maintain self-control and use tools and techniques (and a plan) to effectively manage it.
Managing conflict is key to effectively communicating with the project team.
5
(*) Conflict Management
Charise
The article Conflict Management focuses on the both negative and positive impact of conflict management on the success of a project. The goals of conflict management are to: utilise the positive aspects of conflict; resolve organisational and interpersonal conflict; minimise the impact of conflict on objectives (Praxis,). There are several factors that can contribute to conflicts in groups that may alter outcomes. Such as unspoken assumptions, different personal values, conflicting roles, etc. During any project it should be anticipated that conflict may arise, this could be a learning experience for some but a detrimental factor for others. There are warning signs that signal that a conflict may occur, such as hostility and/r challenges to name a few. If unresolved during the initial stage tis could lead to irreversible damage to the project.
There are multiple ways to address conflict within a project team. In some forms of conflict, a meditator may be useful (Praxis,?). Resolution is the key to ensuring the teams objectives are aligned throughout the duration of the project. Conflict resolution is a complex skill but identifying specific techniques or approaches helps to understand what is involved and develop the right competences (Praxis, ). There are several models that have been developed to identify different aspects of conflict resolution. Different styles are needed in different circumstances but everyone has their own preferred style (Praxis,)
As projects, programmes , and portfolios become more robust it is inevitable that the intensity of conflict will increase. This will call for a methodical approach to addressing conflicts.
This article was selected because of its high level focus on conflict management.
The factors that contribute to conflicts and the various methods that exist to help mitigate the conflicts that could potentially impact a project, program , and/or portfolio.
5
(*) A-E-I-O-U Model of Managing Conflict
Charise
Managing conflict can be a touchy area in general and especially within project management. Sometimes conflict arises and you may be uncertain of where to begin. “No one likes confrontation, but it is necessary, there are a few basic tools out there that can make all the difference between a successful outcome and a frustrating one”(Mehl).
Mehl’s A-E-I-O-U approach sums up the ideal model for effective communication. Starting with A or acknowledge which generally sets the tone of how the remainder of the resolution process will go. You set the stage for positivity and ensure that the recipient understands that you see their positive intention. E or express is where you communicate what you see or feel about the situation. I or identify is the stage where you propose solutions to the issues that are causing the conflict and/or miscommunication. O or outcome is the stage where you outline the benefits of the outcome. Lastly, U or understanding is the stage you inquire if your proposed resolution to the conflict is acceptable and meets the needs of both parties.
The key to using the A-E-I-O-U method is separating the person from the problem to develop a constructive plan( Mehl). Set an approach with positive intentionality to refrain from hostility or defensiveness from the recipient.
This article was selected to highlight a constructive method that provides a step by step approach to managing conflict. This method ensures that a positive stage is set early on to make way for a successful resolution.
5
(*) Small Group Dynamics
Jenny
This source is significantly comprehensive and discusses group cohesion, climate, socialization, pressures, and conflict.
Group climate refers to the quality of the experience of group members as part of the group. Cohesion contributes to the group climate through task cohesion and social cohesion.
Socialization is the process of learning the group’s norms and behaviours.
Group pressures are the motivating factors for group members to conform to group’s norms and expectations.
Group conflict may fall into three categories: procedural, substantive, and interpersonal.
This source provides substantial information about group dynamics and conflict. It is very useful in understanding the foundational concepts that contribute to both areas.
5
(*) Conflict Management and Negotiation
Jenny
The article clearly outlines sources of conflict and several conflict management methodologies.
The sources of conflict include scarce resources, jurisdictional ambiguities, personality clashes, power and status differences, goal differences, and communication breakdown.
The conflict management methodologies explained are Conflict Resolution Grid, The Five A’s Technique, and Quantum Skills.
This article provides a history of professional conflict management approaches and how they have been applied.
5
Conflict Styles
Charise
Conflict Styles focuses on the five different methods that are used when addressing a conflict. They include : 1) Avoidance-deciding not to engage in the conflict 2) Competition-there is a winner or loser at the end of the conflict discussion 3) Compromise-there is a middle ground, someone gives up something to benefit others 4) Accommodation-someone caterers to another team members to appease them 5) Collaboration-the group comes together to brainstorm a resolution to the conflict.
This article was selected because it identifies styles that are used to approach conflict. Most are done subconsciously as a result of actions learned during childhood.
5
(*) Conflict Styles of Men and Women at Six Organization Levels
Jenny
Researchers analyze conflict styles by organization level and gender. They argue these two elements are salient and ubiquitous features and must be considered when identifying appropriate conflict management methods.
This article provides insight into how organization level and gender play a role in the conflicts an organization experiences.
5
Conflict Management/Resolution
John Kelly
Two behavioral dimensions describe conflict management ranging from high to low (Sullivan, 2009). Under the two dimensions, five conflict management styles exist: competing, accommodating, avoiding, compromising, and collaborating. Depending on the situation and the manager’s personality, choose the most appropriate technique.
Conflict management and resolution are skills needed to lead effectively.
5
(*) Group Cohesiveness
Ana Paddack
Cohesiveness is the sense of community within the group. Researchers are unclear as to whether cohesiveness is a unidimensional (i.e., cohesiveness is a concept in and of itself) or multidimensional (i.e., cohesiveness is actually a collection of more specific concepts) construct. Being committed to a group does not imply that one is committed to its members, and vice versa. Cohesiveness is strongest when the person is attracted to both the group and its members. Cohesiveness is affected by many things: the extent to which group members like each other, the extent to which the group’s goals match one’s personal goals, satisfaction with how the group is performing, and the existence of outside factors that discourage a member’s exiting the group. The biggest impediment to fostering cohesion is the temporal instability of a group. Well-functioning groups should be kept together as long as possible. Conformity tends to be higher within cohesive groups than within more fractious groups. High cohesiveness can be detrimental to decision-making groups. Cohesiveness impacts the stability of group composition regardless of type of group. The less cohesion, the more likely it is that group members will move to other groups if opportunities to move become available. It is recommended that group managers attend to both the group itself and the needs of individual members,and addressing issues of cohesion is a way for managers to simultaneously attack both types of issues. Cohesiveness can be enhanced by reducing the size of the group, emphasizing a common goal, and reducing perceived differences in member status (Parks 2004).
This article was chosen to argument that pros and cost of cohesive teams
5
(*) Groupthink
Ana Paddack
Groupthink refers to the process that leads a group of capable and talented members to render a poor, often disastrous, group decision. Insulation from outside opinion is problematic. Devil’s advocacy has been shown to positively impact decision quality when outside resources are not available.
High levels of cohesion can discourage group members from criticizing each other’s ideas, for fear of harming relations within the group, yet critical thinking is crucial if the group is favoring a poor choice.
The Eight Symptoms of Groupthink, Identified by Irving Janis are: 1) an illusion of invulnerability, shared by most or all the members, which creates excessive optimism and encourages taking extreme risks; 2) collective efforts to rationalize in order to discount warnings which might lead the members to reconsider their assumptions 3) an unquestioned belief in the group’s inherent morality, inclining the members to ignore the ethical or moral consequences of their decisions; 4) stereotyped views of enemy leaders as too evil to warrant genuine attempts to negotiate, or as too weak and stupid to counter 5) direct pressure on any member who expresses strong arguments against any of the group’s stereotypes, making clear that this type of dissent is contrary to what is expected of all loyal members; 6) self-censorship of deviations from the apparent group consensus, 7) a shared illusion of unanimity by the false assumption that silence means consent); 8) the emergence of self-appointed mindguards—members who protect the group from adverse information that might shatter their shared complacency about the effectiveness and morality of their decisions. The most straightforward advice for a team leader is to tolerate dissent, actively encourage discrepant viewpoints, and support critiquing of one another’s ideas as well as look for outsider feedback (Parks 2004).
Selected to better understand and explain factors that lead to group think and the type of behaviors leaders should embrace to avoid it
5
Groupthink
John Kelly
Groupthink occurs when a group strives towards unanimity in decision-making at the expense of thoroughly examining all possible solutions (Salazar, 2009). Group thinking is associated with characteristics such as group cohesiveness, structural faults, and provocation situational context. Cohesiveness is the primary factor in groupthink. To avoid group thinks to add new members to groups.
Groupthink is a negative trend is groups which limites the free flow of ideas. Adding this to our project would help limit group thinking.
5
(*) Group Conflict
Ana Paddack
Group climate or morale refers to the tone and quality of group interaction that is experienced by group members. Cohesion can be task and social. Task cohesion is the commitment of group members to the purpose and activities of the group. Social cohesion is the attraction and liking among group members. Balance among the two is key. Groups with good levels of cohesiveness set goals easily; exhibit a high commitment to achieving the purpose of the group; are more productive; experience fewer attendance issues; have group members who are willing to stick with the group during times of difficulty; have satisfied group members who identify with, promote, and defend the group; have members who are willing to listen to each other and offer support and constructive criticism; and experience less anger and tension. Qualities that contribute good climate are participating, messages, feedback, equity, clear and accepted roles and motivation.
Group cohesion is also demonstrated through symbolic convergence which is a sense of community that develops in a group through non-task-related communication such as stories and jokes. Aside from efficiency, teams are also valued for the potential for innovation. Groups can experience challenges of conformity, groupthink and group conflict. Groups experience different kinds of conflict, including procedural, substantive, and interpersonal conflict. 1) Procedural conflict emerges from disagreements with questions about “how” a group should do something. 2) Substantive conflict focuses on group members’ differing beliefs, attitudes, values, or ideas related to the purpose or task of the group. A lack of substantive conflict can lead to groupthink. To avoid this, managers need to listen to all viewpoints, try to find common ground, and then weigh and evaluate the information as a group. 3) Interpersonal conflict emerges from personal conflict between individual members of a group. (Small Group Dynamics Chapter 13.3)
Important to explain relationship between group cohesion and climate and relationship between conformity and groupthink as well as important types of conflict.
5
Managing Conflict
5
Conflict and Group Communication
John Kelly
This article focuses on how communication contributes to conflict within groups. Each group member may handle conflict in various ways based on a person’s inclination to act when faced with competition(Aakhus, 2002). Five conflict styles describe individuals engaging in conflict: forcing, smoothing, withdrawing, compromise and collaboration.
Communication is vital to group cohesion and project success.
6
(*)Problem Solving and Decision Making in Groups
Christina
Creative Commons’ chapter on problem solving and decision making describes problems faced by groups as having three components- the problem or unwanted situation, the ideal or wanted situation, and the hurdles between unwanted and wanted outcomes. Groups must be aware of these components as they tackle problems. Through the problem-solving lens, the members will address the level of task complexity, potential solutions, importance rating, group knowledge about the problem, and importance of the solution.
Although there are a variety of problem-solving approaches, a methodical view is the general recommendation. In essence, define the problem, analyze the problem, produce alternatives, evaluate the alternatives, and then implement the chosen solution. Group problem-solving and decision-making is more challenging and time consuming than individual decision making due to the multiple viewpoints, power dynamics, and varying levels of participation. Brainstorming with certain requirements is suggested- aim for quantity over quality for ideas, do not judge ideas during session, all ideas are welcome, and all contributions are included. It is further suggested in the chapter to begin with a warmup, then have a brainstorming session, followed by clean-up (clarify ideas and eliminate redundancy), then evaluate the results.
Decision making techniques include majority rule, minority rule, and consensus. Majority rule is a popular choice where the majority (one-half plus one) must agree before a decision is made. Minority rule gives a designated person the final vote, and they may or may not consider others’ viewpoints. Finally, consensus rule requires everyone to agree. The decision-making process can be affected by personality factors or situation factors. Individual influences based on personal factors and group size, knowledge level, urgency, and group power of decision making all can play a role
Problem-solving steps and decision-making techniques are an important part of a group communication plan.
6
Group Problem Solving
6
Groups and Meetings
6
Decision Making
6
(*)Decision Making and Group Communication
Ana
A decision is a choice among two or more alternatives. Decision making refers to the process that groups go through to identify alternative choices and the appropriate way to select an alternative. Individual opinions change as a result of group communication. Group members influence each other through the messages they exchange. If a low-status person in the group raises a good idea, it is likely to be rejected publicly by the group members. Even if the idea is accepted, the low-status member is less likely to get credit for the good idea than the more high-status members of the group.
Some groups develop communication patterns that are extremely polite and formal. Other groups embrace open conflict. In these groups, the simple act of agreeing or supporting another person’s comments can easily be taken by that person as a challenge. The approaches for decision-making communication include: Functional Approach: suggests the following steps for group decision making (1) define the problem, (2) identify criteria for a good solution, (3) generate alternative solutions, (4) assess alternatives, and (4) choose a solution. These functions define what groups should do.
Decision-Emergence Approach: Describe how decisions will emerge groups (1) orient themselves to the task, (2) engage in conflict with each other, (3) develop some standards about making a choice, and (4) create solutions. Theories of Aubrey Fisher and M Scott Poole explain how decisions emerge and how to make decisions.
Common Difficulties in Group communication include Groupthink, Polarization, Inferential Errors. The use of a facilitator can help overcome problems (AAKHUS 2002).
Important to help support the key role of communications for group decision making and better understanding on approaches for decision making communication
6
(*)Majority Rule
Ana
The principle of majority rule in elections and decision-making was introduced in medieval Germanic law and canon law as a consequence of failures to make decisions by unanimity. The majority principle has been praised for being the only system that satisfies the following criteria: (1) decisiveness, but only when there are no more than two alternatives (e.g., candidates, parties, or policy proposals) to choose from; (2) anonymity or voter equality; (3) neutrality with respect to issues, so the status quo or the largest group does not have an advantage; and (4) monotonicity, or a positive response to changes in voter preference. However, this model relies on two strong assumptions: a single-dimensional issue space and only two alternatives. Even when majority rule is decisive and maximizes social utility, as in a single-dimensional space with only two alternatives, it can produce a tyranny of the majority, where one group always wins and there is a permanent losing minority (Majority rule 2008).
Good article to support fact that majority rule is not effective under all scenarios but it might only be effective when there are two proposals for decision making
6
Consensus (Communication)
6
Problem Solving
6
(*)Problem-solving Approaches
Charise
Group conflict is an inevitable situation. Each member will bring their own characteristics that bring about this situation. To bring resolution, you must first solve the problem. Problem solving approaches refer to specific methodologies, with their own strategies, tactics, and assumptions (d’Estree, 2009).
There are several approach types; mediation, transformative, negotiation, and adjudication to name a few. The mediation approach stresses a focus on identifying underlying interests and reaching integrative agreements(d’Estree, 2009). The transformative approach emphasizes changing the participants and their way of relating. The negotiation approach must influence the other to achieve their own goals. Lastly, in adjudication the parties are supplicants to an authority figure who makes the decision; in some variants such as arbitration, the parties choose to give this authority over to a third party (d’Estree, 2009). .
This article was selected to highlight the significance of varying problem solving approaches when confronted with conflict within a group.
6
Individual Priming in Virtual Team Decision-Making
6
(*)Building More Effective Virtual Teams: An Examination of the Task Variable in Online Group Problem-Solving
Christina
Stephen Dundis and Suzanne Benson wrote a literature review focusing on task type pertaining to group problem-solving and its effect on the process. The prevalence of virtual teams and groups has increased the intricacy of team collaboration and the communication quality of those collaborations. Their purpose was to increase efficiency within that process. The authors reviewed six types of task characteristics: interdependence, goal ambiguity, data gathering/distribution, information processing, evaluation demands, and situational under the assumption that as task demands shift, so do the team member exchanges. Dundis and Benson posit that member interaction increases based on task factors and that these conditions affect group problem solving performance and member satisfaction.
This could be helpful in considering task type vs interaction level requirements.
6
(*)Meeting Management
Charise
“Meetings have been considered very important from time immemorial (Reinsborough, 2007, p. 1). “Today meetings are an essential means for achieving the communication necessary for the operation of virtually all organizations, large and small” (Reinsborough, 2007, p. 1) . There are several major types of meetings that occur including staff, project team, process and procedure, quarterly. A staff meeting usually consists of supervisors/managers with their direct reports, to provide updates from senior leadership regarding organizational changes and/or team changes/goals. Project team meetings usually are dedicated to status updates, kick-offs, etc. Process and procedure meetings are usually to communicate new or modified processes and procedures that may affect a particular group directly. Quarterly meetings are usually a large scale meeting to discuss more high level organizational topics with senior and/or executive leadership.
To ensure that meetings are effective several pre meeting planning procedures must take place prior to. Including the following:
· Determine if a meeting is actually needed
· Prepare the agenda and distribute to participants, remembering to provide ample time for review and pre work if applicable
· Identify the facilitator and note taker
· Ensure the availability of materials/equipment
Conducting the meeting in an effective manner is also a critical component. A few guidelines will help in its effectiveness, including:
· Starting the meeting on time
· Keeping the meeting on track
· Follow the agenda and time schedule
· Identify and assign tasks
· Encourage people to participate
· Control the meeting
Overall, there are a multitude of guidelines and elements that help support effective meeting management.
This article was selected to identify the numerous guidelines that can be followed to manage meetings effectively.
1
Group
Communications and Conflict Management Plan (Draft)
G3 Analytics
Oluseun (Kemi) Bello
Emma Hale
Karen Hall
Morgan Henserling
Michael Kinsella
Brandy Thompson
University of Maryland Global Campus
PMAN 638 – Project Communications Management
Dr. Rick Menking
March 21, 2021
Change History
Date changed
Change details
Reason for change
(if applicable)
Responsible for change
1/21/2021
Original Content Created
N/A
Karen Hall
1/24/2021
Content Revised
Group Review
All Members
1/26/2021
Content Added
Mission Statement
Emma Hale
2/01/2021
Content Added
Goals/Objectives Background
Oluseun Bello
2/01/2021
Content Added
Goals/Objectives
Karen Hall
2/01/2021
Content Added
Partial Input to Appendix A
Karen Hall
2/02/2021
Content Added
Introduction
Emma Hale
2/08/2021
Content Added
Team ID Bkgrd/Action Plan
Brandy Thompson
2/8/2021
Content Added
Roles/Respon Action Plan
Brandy Thompson
2/17/2021
Content Added
Diversity
Trust
Oluseun Bello
2/19/2021
Content Added
Roles/Respon
Background
Brandy Thompson
2/19/2021
Content Revised
Roles/Respon
Action Plan
Brandy Thompson
2/19/2021
Content Added
Team Meetings
Brandy Thompson
2/19/2021
Content Added
Team Assignments
Brandy Thompson
2/21/2021
Content Added
Influence vs Impact Grid
Karen Hall
2/21/2021
Content Added
Group Decision-Making
Karen Hall
2/22/2021
Content Revised
Diversity
Oluseun Bello
2/22/2021
Content Added
Verbal/Nonverbal Communication
Morgan Henserling
2/22/2021
Content Added
Group Cohesion
Morgan Henserling
2/22/21
Content Added
Appendix A: Assigned Readings
Morgan Henserling
2/22/2021
Content Added
Motivation
Michael Kinsella
2/22/2021
Content Added
Stakeholder Identification
Michael Kinsella
2/23/2021
Content Added
Group Communication
Karen Hall
2/23/2021
Content Added
Conflict Management
Karen Hall
3/3/2021
Content Revised
Table of Contents
and proofread
Brandy Thompson
3/18/2021
Content Added
Diversity Input
Karen Hall
3/18/2021
Content Added
Implementation Plan: Usefulness
Karen Hall
3/18/2021
Content Added
Appendix A: Assigned Readings
Karen Hall
3/19/2021
Content Added
Diversity Input
Brandy Thompson
3/20/21
Content Added
Conflict Resolution
Conflict Negotiation
Emma Hale
3/20/21
Content Added
Implementation Plan: G3 Use
Oluseun Bello
3/20/21
Content Added
Implementation Plan: Recommendation
Brandy Thompson
3/20/21
Content Added
Diversity Input
Morgan Henserling
3/20/21
Content Revised
Proofread/Editing
Michael Kinsella
3/21/21
Content Revised
Proofread/Editing
Morgan Henserling
Table of Contents
Change History 2
Table of Contents 4
II. G3 Analytics Group Communications and Conflict Management Plan
6
Purpose
7
Mission Statement 7
Background 7
Team Action Plan
7
Team Identification
9
Project Resource Management 9
Background 9
Team Action Plan 9
Rotational Roles and Responsibilities 9
Background 9
Team Action Plan 10
Stakeholder Management
10
Team Action Plan 12
Communication Management
13
Group Communications 13
Verbal and Nonverbal Communication 14
Trust 14
Motivation 15
Group Cohesion 15
Diversity 16
Team Meetings 17
Team Assignments 18
Group Decision Making 22
Background 22
Team Action Plan 22
Conflict Management 23
Conflict Management
Styles 23
Team Conflict Resolution Strategy 23
III. Implementation Plan 25
G3 Analytics Use of the GCCM Plan 25
Usefulness of the GCCM Plan 25
Recommendations 26
IV. References
27
V. Appendix A – Reading Assignments and Inclusions
30
II. G3 Analytics Group Communications and Conflict Management Plan
Working in groups brings many advantages to the table when it comes to tackling a project. People are diverse, and no two people are the same. Each person’s unique individual element influences their thinking styles, priorities, drive, and personalities when working in a group (Parks, 2004). A group’s power is that it harnesses this web of diversity and brings people together to pursue a common goal. However, with the differing and varied personalities that encompass a group, the project manager must set the theme and provide a leadership style that is exemplary for group members to respect and follow. When the project management is executed effectively, a group can be innovative, provide solutions, and work together amongst various knowledge groups (Parks, 2004).
When initially developing a group, time and thought are considered in deciding on the group culture and establishing group norms and standards. Whether on the small or the large scale, group norms should be regarded as scaled upon their formality. The enforcement of norms ties into the culture and behavioral standards that will serve as the future basis of corrective actions. Norms should be thoroughly communicated and reiterated when new members are added. They should persist if beneficial to the group and may need to be altered depending on circumstances. An effective team can be developed when all the above norms and standards are implemented and well thought out (Chapter 5, 2012). An effective team will have quantifiable benchmarks that hold each member accountable, making every member have a stake in the quality of the end deliverables. Balancing team member composition to include diversity in age, education, and experience will ultimately bring forth a team that is effective and considerate of various perspectives towards their strategy of completing the task at hand.
Purpose
Mission Statement
Our team will create detailed and successful team projects that consider and incorporate all of our team members’ ideas and input. We will maintain a consistent and open dialogue amongst all team members that are conducive to the criteria set forth by the professor and also inclusive of our knowledge learned throughout this course. We will do so concerning each other’s ideas and input and open communication to remedy any issues.
Goals and Objectives
Background
In every business organization or group, there’s a goal and objective. Goals and objectives are the two most misused and generalized terms in business. A goal describes a broad business milestone required to be completed within a set period. It does not delineate specific tasks necessary to achieve the strategy. On the other hand, an objective is a detailed step you plan to take to achieve a stated approach. Objectives are distinct and measurable steps that answer questions such as how long it will take to complete a task, what resources are needed, who is accountable for them.
Team Action Plan
G3 Analytics will recognize the essential value of setting business goals and objectives. Our team goals will be well-written and supported by our objective outline. We will refer to our goals and objectives throughout the life cycle of our project.
· Goal 1: G3 Analytics strives to complete all of the team assignments on time and to the best of our abilities.
· Objective 1: The team will complete the Week 4 Case Study using the Grading Rubric as a quality control guide and submit the assignment no later than February 9, 2021.
· Objective 2: The team will submit a draft Group Communication and Conflict Management (GCCM) Plan which includes content from the first six weeks of the course no later than February 23, 2021.
· Objective 3: The team will submit a second draft GCCM Plan which incorporates content from the first ten weeks of the course no later than March 23, 2020.
· Objective 4: The team will discuss all feedback received on the GCCM Plan drafts and incorporate appropriate content into the final product, submitted no later than March 30, 2021.
· Goal 2: G3 Analytics strives to improve our teamwork and our products’ quality as the semester progresses.
· Objective 5: The team will conduct weekly meetings to discuss the best methods for creating the highest quality deliverables possible.
· Objective 6: The team will complete weekly reading assignment summaries to record essential knowledge and incorporate it into the assignments’ content.
· Objective 7: The team will utilize a schedule to assign rotating roles to the team members. The team will discuss each member’s feedback as they serve in the various functions and consider adjusting team communications and procedures if deemed appropriate based on requisite team member experience.
Team Identification
Project Resource Management
Background
Project resource management is the process of identifying resources needed to execute and complete the project (PMI, 2017, p. 307). This process is a critical step in the project planning process because it is an early part of the project team formation process. The resource acquisitions process includes the estimation of team resources and obtaining team members (PMI, 2017, p. 307). Once the team selection process has concluded, the project manager can document team members and their roles and responsibilities for the project (PMI, 2017, p. 334).
Team Action Plan
The project manager assembles the team based on experience, knowledge, and skills aligned with the project’s goals and objectives. There is also an evaluation of team members’ attitudes to determine if they have the personality and temperament to be a part of a cohesive team (PMI, 2017, p. 332). Karen Hall, Morgan Henserling, Oluseun Bello, Michael Kinsella, Emma Hale, and Brandy Thompson have been selected to be a part of the G3 Analytics team.
Rotational Roles and Responsibilities
Background
The project manager uses the development team process to build a team that encompasses teamwork, interpersonal skills, and motivated employees to maximize project performance (PMI, 2017, p. 336). The forming phase of team development is when the project manager assigns the roles and responsibilities to team members. Assigning roles and responsibilities is an essential technique that reduces team member conflicts and contributes to group cohesion.
Team Action Plan
G3 Analytics has agreed on the roles of Project Leader, Secretary, and Editors. These roles can rotate between team members each week. The Project Leader will be responsible for creating and discussing the meeting agenda, assigning GCCM tasks during weekly meetings, and submitting documents to the Group Locker and assignment folder. The Secretary will be responsible for creating and uploading the meeting minutes to Google Drive and Group Locker. The Editors will review the team submissions for grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Stakeholder Management
Stakeholder Identification
G3 Analytics will use a variety of techniques to identify stakeholders in requisite projects adequately. There are various stakeholders in any project, including members of the organization (i.e., employees and shareholders, people in the surrounding community affected by the project, and competitors in the marketplace) (Dempsey, 2009, p. 6). It is imperative to the project’s success that all stakeholders are categorized appropriately and catered to or otherwise adequately managed.
The methods utilized by G3 Analytics to identify project stakeholders include but are not limited to data analysis, research gathering, and outside expert judgment where G3’s knowledge base is otherwise lacking. Stakeholder analyses will also be done and supplemented by specific data representation tools that will enumerate upon later, such as an impact/influence grid, amongst others, which help to provide a more straightforward, visual representation of stakeholder importance and priorities (PMI, 2017, p. 513).
Influence vs. Impact Grid
Background
The Influence vs. Impact Grid is a stakeholder analysis and management tool adapted from Aubrey Mendelow’s Power Dynamism Matrix for Environmental Scanning (Mendelow, 1981). Mendelow recommended designating stakeholders as having high or low power based on four criteria: “possession of resources, ability to dictate alternatives, authority, and influence” and high or intense dynamism based on how often they are involved in decision making and how often other factors may affect their power base (Mendelow, 1981, p. 415). The concept is used for stakeholder analysis by dividing stakeholders into four quadrants based on their levels of power/influence and impact/interest. Each quadrant is used to determine the level of involvement and engagement dedicated to each stakeholder in the stakeholder management plan (Serra, n.d).
The PMBOK explains that in various versions of this grid, the stakeholders are grouped “according to their level of authority (power), level of concern about the project’s outcomes (interest), ability to influence the outcomes of the project (influence), or ability to cause changes to the project’s planning or execution” (PMI, 2017, p. 512). Figures II.1 and II.2 show two versions of the grid. In general, stakeholders with significant influence and high impact should be engaged and managed closely; those with low power and low effects should be monitored and require the least management effort (Serra, n.d.; Sharma, 2010).
Figure II.1
Power – Influence Matrix
Reference: Serra, n.d.
Figure II.2
Influence – Impact Grid
Reference: Sharma, 2010.
Team Action Plan
G3 Analytics placed the identified stakeholders into an Influence vs. Impact Grid modeled on the grid presented by Sharma (2010). G3 Analytics’ grid is illustrated in
Figure II.3
.
Figure II.3
G3 Analytics Influence vs. Impact Grid
Communication Management
Group Communications
Group communication refers to the messages exchanged between group members to make decisions and manage conflict; it is essential for group cohesiveness, identity, participation, and motivation (Chapter 19, 2012). Planning, managing, and monitoring communications are crucial components of effective project management (PMI, 2017). G3 Analytics recognizes the importance of effective group communication by incorporating open dialogue into the Mission Statement and Goals. This section’s remainder discusses the crucial components for group communication and G3 Analytics’ plan for achieving effective communication.
Verbal
and Nonverbal Communication
Verbal communication uses body language, images, sounds, and elements of voice and tone. Nonverbal communication is the use of gestures, appearances, styles, movement, and stress (Sullivan, L.E., 2009). Some forms of verbal communication our team will use include:
· visual communication like Google Meets, Google Docs, GroupMe
· vocal communication via Google Meets
· image communication through Google Docs, Google Meets, GroupMe
Nonverbal communication is a bit more difficult for virtual teams, though not impossible. Some forms of nonverbal communication our team will use include:
· the use of different team member writing styles
· the use of gestures in Google Meets between team members
Trust
A team must have trust in its members to achieve commitment, collaboration, and competence. Without trust, there will be less team cohesion and subpar team performance. To build trust, our team will:
· Communicate openly
· Respect each other
· Allow ideas to be explored without judgment
· Listen before speaking
· Acknowledge feelings and emotions of team members
· Discourage cliques
Motivation
All G3 Analytics project team members must be adequately motivated to succeed in their tasks in service of the team’s larger goals. Motivation is unique to the individual and has both intrinsic and extrinsic components. While not everyone can manage all variables regarding reason, many can. In pursuit of ensuring motivation remains high, G3 Analytics ascribes to several motivation theories and uses them to affect team behavior. These include Herzberg’s two-factor theory, emphasizing hygiene factors, particularly interpersonal communication, as noted in the ‘trust’ section (Motivation and Motivation Theory, 2009, p. 591).
Also considered by G3 are the Expectancy and Equity theories of motivation, which respectively equate one’s rewards to their effort and that their task/reward balance is equitable to other team members (Motivation and Motivation Theory, 2009, p. 592). It is through this knowledge base that G3 manages its team member expectations and keeps projects on schedule and of high quality using a variety of techniques, including but not limited to: setting goals for team members to work towards; allowing fair and honest feedback between team members; and allowing for a degree of autonomy where acceptable for team members to exercise their skills and creativity (Motivating Employees, 2012, p. 35).
Group Cohesion
According to the Encyclopedia of Leadership, group cohesiveness refers to the team’s interpersonal dynamic ability between team members (Parks, C. D., 2004). Having a cohesive team working together helps to ensure the project meets its goals and deadlines. G3 Analytics will remain cohesive by:
· maintain inclusivity for all members of the team
· communicate any conflicts within the team to the appropriate team members and those involved
· support other members that are not able to obtain their responsibilities for the duration of the deliverable/project
· emphasize the team’s goal and ensure the goal is met from all aspects and members involved
Diversity
Diversity in a group promotes acceptance, respect, and teamwork despite differences in race, age, religion, or gender. A team with diverse backgrounds is likely to solve problems, make more informed decisions, and improved results faster than groups/organizations with cognitively similar people. A diverse team has different ways to approach topics, modes of presentation, and interacting when exploring choices to make a great decision. One of the challenges in a diverse group is age diversity. Age diversity has become a pressing challenge due to lower birth rates, increased prosperity, and improved health systems; the percentage of individuals over the age of 60 has increased, while younger workers shrink in many organizations (Schneid et al., 2016). Our team will create agendas for discussion during our weekly meeting to allow members to contribute to the overall project. Our team will accept members’ unique perspectives and experiences without discrimination.
G3 Analytics’ diversity is primarily found in the members’ professional experience and educational background. For gender and age, the team is less diverse, with five out of six members being female and ages ranging from the mid-twenties to mid-forties. The group members have diverse professional experiences, including government service, contract auditing, and organizational leadership and management. The team members have diverse educational backgrounds, including Accounting and Information Systems, Business Administration, and Organizational Management.
The six members of G3 Analytics are Oluseun (Kemi) Bello, Emma Hale, Karen Hall, Morgan Henserling, Michael Kinsella, and Brandy Thompson. Mrs. Bello is 25 years old with three years of experience as an IT specialist as a federal contractor and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Information Systems. Ms. Hale is 25 years old with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. She has several years of experience working with government agencies and local municipalities on transportation engineering projects. Ms. Hall is a 42-year-old female with approximately 20 years of work experience in the government sector, a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, a Master’s Degree in International Relations, and limited prior experience working in virtual teams. Ms. Henserling is a 26-year-old female with a Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies certified in Math and Science. She has several years of experience leading group organizations locally and nationally in and out of her university, The University of Texas – SA. Mr. Kinsella is 27 and male. Ms. Thompson is a 43-year-old female with ten years as a federal contractor and ten years as a federal civil servant, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a Minor in Finance, and a Master’s Degree in Accounting and Information Systems, and has worked in a virtual team setting for six years.
Team Meetings
Team meetings are scheduled every Wednesday at 7:00 pm EST via Google Hangouts. The Project Leader created the following contact sheet and distributed it to all members of the team:
Group 3 Contact Sheet
Name
Email
Phone
Time Zone
Brandy Thompson
fortunatebd@gmail.com
202-236-1177
EST
Karen Hall
1776hallkaren@gmail.com
571-275-7474
EST
Morgan Henserling
morganhenserling@gmail.com
210-540-9880
EST
Oluseun (Kemi) Bello
oluseunkemibello@gmail.com
240-579-1926
EST
Michael Kinsella
michaelkinsellasmith@gmail.com
240-446-7125
EST
Emma Hale
emmahale21915@gmail.com
443-615-3241
EST
The weekly team meetings will be conducted using the following meeting management plan:
· Members will develop meeting agendas based on the deliverables due each week. The team will use the agreed-upon agenda template for continuity.
· The meeting agenda will be distributed to the team one day in advance of all scheduled meetings and will identify the discussion areas relating to upcoming team and individual deliverables.
· The Secretary will distribute meeting minutes to the team following the conclusion of our meetings. The minutes will include the status of all agenda items along with new action items. The role of the Secretary will be responsible for meeting minutes each week.
· Action Items/Open Issues are recorded in both the meeting agenda and minutes. Action items will include both the action item along with the owner of the action item. The team will review all action items at the start of each meeting.
Team Assignments
Team G3 Analytics will agree on internal deadlines for the tasks that are assigned during the weekly meetings. These internal deadlines will be before our class scheduled deadlines to ensure all tasks are completed and allow time to submit the team deliverables and review by the Editors. These internal deadlines will also enable the team to ensure that all portions of the tasks are completed in a timely fashion and redistribute work if a team member cannot contribute.
The following team schedule contains team member roles and responsibilities assigned for each week, and members will distribute it to all team members:
Session
Dates
Task
Roles
Complete
1
1/13 – 1/19/21
· Reading Summaries
Morgan – 1/2
Karen – 3/4
Brandy – 5/6
Michael – 7/12
Kemi – 14/15
Emma – 17/18
No Meeting
☒
2
1/20 – 1/26/21
· Weekly Meeting – Wed
· Reading Summaries
Kemi – 1/2
Morgan – 4/5
Karen – 6/8
Michael – 11/12
Emma – 13/14
Brandy – 15/18/20
First Meeting 1/20/21
Team Leader – Morgan
Secretary – Brandy
Editors – Michael/Karen
☒
3
1/27 – 2/2/21
· Weekly Meeting – Wed
· Reading Summaries
Michael – 1
Emma – 2
Kemi – 3
Morgan – 4
Brandy – 5
Karen – 11
Meeting 1/27/21
Team Leader – Karen
Secretary – Kemi
Editors – Emma/Morgan
☒
4
2/3 – 2/9/21
· Weekly Meeting – Wed
· Team Case
· Feedback
· Reading Summaries
Karen – 15/16
Emma – 10/14
Kemi – 8/9
Morgan – 6/7
Brandy – 4/5
Michael – 1/2
Meeting 2/3/21
Team Leader – Michael
Secretary – Morgan
Editors – Brandy/Kemi
☒
5
2/10 – 2/16/21
· Weekly Meeting – Wed
· Reading Summaries
Brandy – 1/2
Emma – 3/4
Kemi – 5/6
Morgan – 8/10
Michael – 11/12
Karen – 14
Meeting 2/10/21
Team Leader – Kemi
Secretary – Michael
Editors – Karen/Emma
☒
6
2/17 – 2/23/21
· Weekly Meeting – Wed
· Reading Summaries
Emma – 12
Michael – 11
Kemi – 9
Morgan – 6
Brandy – 5
Karen – 1
Meeting 2/17/21
Team Leader – Emma
Secretary – Brandy
Editors – Michael/Brandy
☒
7
2/24 – 3/2/21
· Weekly Meeting – Wed
· Individ Asst
· Reading Summaries
Morgan – 2/4
Karen – 5/13
Brandy – 14/15
Michael – 17/18
Kemi – 19/21
Emma – 25
Meeting 2/24/21
Team Leader – Brandy
Secretary – Emma
Editors – Kemi/Karen
☒
8
3/3 – 3/9/21
· Weekly Meeting – Wed
· QUIZ
· Reading Summaries
Kemi – 14
Morgan – 11
Karen – 10
Michael – 5
Emma – 4
Brandy – 2
Meeting 3/3/21
Team Leader – Morgan
Secretary – Brandy
Editors – Michael/Karen
☒
9
3/10 – 3/16/21
· Weekly Meeting – Wed
· Feedback
· Reading Summaries
Michael – 1
Emma – 2
Kemi – 3
Morgan – 5
Brandy – 6
Karen –7
Meeting 3/10/21
Team Leader – Karen
Secretary – Kemi
Editors – Emma/Morgan
☒
10
3/17 – 3/23/21
· Weekly Meeting – Wed
· Peer Eval
· Reading Summaries
Karen – 8
Emma – 7
Kemi – 6
Morgan –5
Brandy – 4
Michael –2
Meeting 3/17/21
Team Leader – Kemi
Secretary – Michael
Editors – Karen/Emma
☒
11
3/24 – 3/30/21
· Weekly Meeting – Wed
· GCCM
· Reading Summaries
Brandy – 2
Emma – 4
Kemi – 5
Morgan –6
Michael – 7
Karen –8
Meeting 3/24/21
Team Leader – Emma
Secretary – Karen
Editors – Michael/Morgan
☒
Group Decision Making
Background
Group decision-making is generally used in the evaluation and implementation stages of the standard problem-solving model to identify options and choose a solution (Aakhus, 2002; Chapter 14.3, 2012). Group decision-making involves determining who will decide and the process the group/decider will use to reach the decision. Decision-making techniques that determine who and how many group members need to agree on the solution are majority rule; minority rule (expert or authority); and consensus rule (Chapter 14.3, 2012). The functional approach is a standard process used for reaching a group decision and involves five steps: “(1) define the problem; (2) identify criteria for a good solution; (3) generate alternative solutions; (4) assess alternatives; and (5) choose a solution” (Aakhus, 2002, p. 380).
Team Action Plan
G3 Analytics uses Consensus Rule as its standard decision-making method. The group is a small group with specific tasks to accomplish based on the course syllabus and weekly agenda. The team established basic work completion procedures and determined a rotating schedule of roles and responsibilities. This structure helps the team understand expectations and plan upcoming decisions that are made weekly. Should the Consensus Rule method not result in a solution, G3 Analytics will take a vote and use the Majority Rule method to finalize the decision. G3 Analytics uses the functional approach to guide discussions about the required tasks and issues that may arise. The practical approach is especially effective for facilitating these discussions because it outlines the basic steps to make decisions. This basic outline is appropriate for the number and complexity of tasks G3 Analytics needs to accomplish.
Conflict Management
Conflict Management Styles
The goals of conflict management are to use the positives of conflict, resolve organizational and interpersonal conflict, and minimize the impact of the conflict (Praxis, n.d.). Managing conflict is important for successful group performance because “when managed properly, differences of opinion can lead to increased creativity and better decision making” (PMI, 2017, p. 348). Conflict management styles vary based on group climate, individual personalities, the project’s goals, and the conditions under which the group works (such as the time and resources available). The PMBOK identifies five basic techniques for managing conflict as: 1) withdraw/avoid; 2) smooth/accommodate; 3) compromise/reconcile; 4) force/direct; and 5) collaborate (PMI, 2017, p. 349).
Team Conflict Resolution Strategy
G3 Analytics will use conflict management’s collaborative style because it is recognized as a conflict management style that promotes win-win solutions (PMI, 2017). G3 Analytics is committed to open dialogue and teamwork, which complement the collaborative conflict resolution style. Members of G3 Analytics recognize that differences in opinion are not always negative. The A-E-I-O-U Model of conflict resolution aligns with G3 Analytics’ team climate of teamwork and positive attention, so it is an appropriate model for the team to use.
The components of this model are as follows: A is for Acknowledge – assume the parties have good intentions and state this at the beginning of the conflict resolution process; E is for Express – express your concern and allow others to express theirs; I is for Identify – clearly define the issues, needs, objectives, and recommendations for each party; O is for Outcome – describe the benefits that each party will gain from resolving/managing the conflict; U is for Understanding – reach an agreement or develop alternatives and then obtain feedback (Mehl, n.d). G3 Analytics will follow this model and then default to the Team Leader to make a final conflict resolution decision if a consensus is not reached.
Conflict Resolution
\
G3 Analytics will address conflict resolution by taking a proactive approach when addressing conflicts within our team. We will identify sources of conflict and generate solutions to reach a consensus that is necessary for the team to move forward towards our common goal. Establishing and following our conflict resolution strategy from the beginning of project planning will permit G3 Analytics to make informed and applicable decisions.
Negotiation
While we understand that not every disagreement may be equal and there may be variances in the importance of what each person is pushing for, we will negotiate our integrative agreements (De Dreu, C., 2009). This approach will permit our various team members to be considerate of others and uphold their end of the contract for the complete betterment of the team as a whole. This approach is also beneficial because the odds that we come across things that we disagree on are likely. We need to be open and considerate of the benefit that other approaches may bring to the solution. A free system permits discussion and negotiation that will ultimately result in thoughts and dialogue far more valuable than one’s ideas alone.
III. Implementation Plan
G3 Analytics Use of the GCCM Plan
Group Communication and Conflict Management Plan is a valuable plan that should be implemented into any group, particularly a group with diverse people. G3 Analytics makes use of the group communication aspect of our GCCM. We did not encounter any conflicts during our team meeting and completing tasks. However, we found that all of the alternative solutions written in our plan were applicable. It showed our GCCM plan was not a waste of time to create as it helps us understand obstacles and learn different ways to resolve them based on the management plan agreed upon by all team members.
Usefulness of the GCCM Plan
G3 Analytics found the GCCM Plan to be beneficial for team organization and division of labor. The plan sections that worked best for the team included the: Roles and Responsibilities, Team Meeting Procedures, and Team Assignments Schedule. In the first two meetings, the group discussed what roles and responsibilities the team members would have during the semester. This discussion was helpful because it provided a framework for organizing the team and reaching an agreement on how the team members would divide the work throughout the semester.
Developing team meeting procedures also helped organize the team and set expectations for how the team members should contribute throughout each week. The team assignments schedule was helpful because it provided specific details and allowed team members to plan for the roles they would fill and work they would do. There were no sections of the plan that the team felt did not work. However, the team did not use the Conflict Management Plan because there were no conflicts to resolve. Had there been conflicts to resolve, the team feels that the conflict management plan using the A-E-I-O-U Method would have served as a valuable guide for finding resolutions.
Recommendations
We highly recommend that teams and groups use a GCCM plan. The GCCM plan is a great tool to manage group communication and resolve conflicts. The use of a GCCM outlines the methods and frequency of contact for the group and designates the ways of resolving disputes. Having a GCCM will benefit the group because it will increase group communication and reduce conflicts. This plan will result in a cohesive high performing group with the ability to achieve their goals. Our recommendation for using a GCCM is based on our team’s performance and success as a group.
IV. References
Aakhus, M. (2002). Group communication and decision making. In J. R. Schement (Ed.), Encyclopedia of communication and information (Vol. 2, pp. 379-382). Macmillan Reference USA.
Dempsey, S. (2009). Stakeholder theory. In S. W. Littlejohn, & K. A. Foss (Eds.), Encyclopedia of communication theory (Vol. 1, pp. 930-931). SAGE Publications, Inc.,
De Dreu, C. (2009). Negotiation. In H. T. Reis, & S. Sprecher (Eds.), Encyclopedia of human relationships (pp. 1148-1150). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://www-doi-org.ezproxy.umgc.edu/10.4135/9781412958479.n370
Parks, C. (2004). Group cohesiveness. In G. R. GoethalsG. J. Sorenson, & J. M. Burns (Eds.), Encyclopedia of leadership (Vol. 1, pp. 618-620). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://www-doi-org.ezproxy.umgc.edu/10.4135/9781412952392.n137
Parks, C. (2004). Group norms. In G. R. GoethalsG. J. Sorenson, & J. M. Burns (Eds.), Encyclopedia of leadership (Vol. 1, pp. 628-630). SAGE Publications, Inc.,
Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (6th ed.). Newtown Square, PA: Author.
Schneid, M., Isidor, R., Steinmetz, H., & Kabst, R. (2016). Age diversity and team outcomes: a quantitative review. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 31(1), 2-17.
Ward, S. (2020, May 24). Team charter versus GCCM plan.. Document posted in UMGC PMAN 638 online classroom, archived at
https://learn.umgc.edu
V. Appendix A – Reading Assignments and Inclusions
Week #
Reading Assignments
Person/Readings
Inclusions
Justification
1
1. Group Communication, Teamwork, and Leadership
2. Communication in Organizations
3. Working with People on Projects
4. Group Communication
5. Group Size
6. Goals and Goal Setting
7. Creativity in Groups
12. Managing Groups and Teams
13. Group Norms (optional)
14. Norms
15. Compliance and Conformity
17. Understanding Team Design Characteristics
18. Functional Roles of Group Members
Morgan – 1/2
Karen – 3/4
Brandy – 5/6
Michael – 7/12
Kemi – 14/15
Emma – 17/18
3, 4, 6, 13, 17, & 18
Article 3 provides background information on working in teams. Article 4 discussed the important components of group communication. Article 6 discussed the definition and importance of goals and objectives. Article 13 provided information on the importance of group norms and standards. Articles 17 & 18 provided descriptions of team member roles and responsibilities.
2
1. PMBOK, Chapter 9, Section 9.4, Develop Team
2. Intercultural and International Business Communication
4. Nonverbal Communication
5. Listening with Spirit and the Art of Team Dialogue
6. Time and Culture
8. Nonverbal Delivery
11. Perfecting the Art of Active Listening
12. Power Behind the Pen: Developing the Role of an Active Meeting Recorder
13. Gender Composition on Team Performance and Decision Making
14. What makes age diverse teams effective?
15. Age diversity and team outcomes
18. Hofstede – cultural dimensions
20. Simplifying Learning and Communicating Concepts
Kemi – 1/2
Morgan – 4/5
Karen – 6/8
Michael – 11/12
Emma – 13/14
Brandy – 15/18/20
1, 4
Article 1 discussed the process to develop a team and assign roles.
Article 4 discusses the verbal and nonverbal communication that is necessary within teams.
3
1. PMBOK Guide: Ch. 13, Section 13.1 Identify Stakeholders
2. PMBOK Guide: Chapter 10, Section 10.1, Plan Communications
3. Communication
4. Communication Planning
5. Understanding and Meeting Client Expectations
11. Stakeholder Theory
Michael – 1
Emma – 2
Kemi – 3
Morgan – 4
Brandy – 5
Karen – 11
1, 11
Article 1 described using the Influence vs Impact grid for stakeholder identification and management and other techniques for stakeholder identification.
Article 11 explains the different types of stakeholders, their importance and why categorizing them is important.
4
1. Leading People and Organizations
2. Motivating Employees
4. The Four Intrinsic Rewards that Drive Employee Engagement
5. Extrinsic Motivation
6. Intrinsic Motivation
7. Leadership Theories and Studies
8. Situational and Contingency Approaches to Leadership
9. Motivation and Motivation Theory
10. Leadership Style and Bases of Power
14. PMBOK, Section 3.4
15. Management/Leadership Styles
16. Politics, leadership, and the art of relating to your project team
Karen – 15/16
Emma – 10/14
Kemi – 8/9
Morgan – 6/7
Brandy – 4/5
Michael – 1/2
2, 9
Article 2 is used because it provides methods of keeping team members motivated.
Article 9 is included because of its overview of various motivational theories.
5
1. PMBOK 9.4 and 9.5
2. Managing Conflict
3. Conflict Management
4. A-E-I-O-U Model of Conflict Management
5/14. Small Group Dynamics
6. Conflict Management and Negotiation
8. Conflict Styles of Men and Women at Six Organizational Levels
10. Group Cohesiveness
11. Group Cohesiveness
12. Group Think
Brandy – 1/2
Emma – 3/4
Kemi – 5/6
Morgan – 8/10
Michael – 11/12
Karen – 14
1, 3, 4, 11
Article 1 was used because it provides techniques to manage the team, including conflict management. Article 3 discussed the purpose of conflict management. Article 4 provided a suitable model for the team to use for conflict resolution.
Article 11 was used to help define group cohesiveness and explain the forms of cohesiveness in our team.
6
1. Problem Solving and Decision Making in Groups
5. Decision Making and Group Communication
6. Majority Rule
9. Problem-solving Approaches
11. Building More Effective Virtual Teams: An Examination of the Task Variable in Online Group Problem-Solving
12. Meeting Management
Emma – 12
Michael – 11
Kemi – 9
Morgan – 6
Brandy – 5
Karen – 1
1, 5
Articles 1 and 5 defined decision-making and provided information on decision-making techniques and methods.
7
2. Toulmin Argument
4. Refutation
5. Inconsistency
13. List of Fallacies
14. Fixed-Pie Perception
15. Negotiation
17. Mediation
18. Arbitration
19. Negotiation: Theory and Practice
21. Project Leadership in Becoming: A Process Study of an Organizational Change Project
25. The Toulmin Model of Argumentation
Morgan – 2/4
Karen – 5/13
Brandy – 14/15
Michael – 17/18
Kemi – 19/21
Emma – 25
15
Article 15 defined negotiation strategies that are useful in reaching solutions when conflicts are present.
8
2. Negotiation: Theory and Practice
4. Ethical and Cross-Cultural Negotiations
5. Faulty Decision Making
10. Business Negotiation Part Five: Distributive Negotiation Tactics
11. Business Negotiation Part Six: Integrative Negotiation
14. Navigating the Rough Seas of Global Business Negotiation…
Kemi – 14
Morgan – 11
Karen – 10
Michael – 5
Emma – 4
Brandy – 2
9
1.PMBOK Chapter 10.2 and 10.3
2. Interpersonal Skills for Project Success
3. Culture and Communication
5. Project Leadership and the Art of Managing Relationships
6. Building a trust-based team
7. Trust on multicultural projects
Michael – 1
Emma – 2
Kemi – 3
Morgan – 5
Brandy – 6
Karen –7
10
2. How to Manage Virtual Teams
4. Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication
5. Task and Technology Fit…
6. Videoconferencing
7. How to Choose the Right Tools for Any Client Communication
8. Group Decision Support Systems
Karen – 8
Emma – 7
Kemi – 6
Morgan –5
Brandy – 4
Michael –2
GCCM PLAN
Page | 2
Group Communications and Conflict Management Plan (GCCM Plan)
Small content, team assignments section, & Appendix A formatting
1c
Jessica George
1/23/21
Week 1 and 2 reading assignment additions & Appendix A updates
1d
Jania Cruz
1/24/2021
Appendix A updates
1e
Bradley Riley
1/25/2021
Appendix A updates
1f
Nakul Vyas
1/25/2021
Team Introduction and Appendix A
1g
Evan Babiak
1/26/2021
Mission Statement, Minor Edits
3a
Evan Babiak
1/31/2021
Appendix A reformatting
3b
Jania Cruz
1/31/2021
Week 3 reading additions and Appendix A updates
3c
Nakul Vyas
02/01/2021
Week 3 reading summaries additions and Appendix A updates
3d
Bradley Riley
2/01/2021
Week 3 reading summary additions to Appendix A and proof-reading correction/formatting adjustments
3e
Evan Babiak
2/01/2021
Week 3 reading summary additions to Appendix A. Stakeholder identification section
4a
Jessica George
2/04/2021
Week 4 reading summary additions to Appendix A. Motivation section
4b
Jania Cruz
2/06/2021
Week 4 summaries added to Appendix A
4c
Bradley Riley
2/07/2021
Week 4 reading summary (4,5,6) additions to Appendix A, additional content
4d
Nakul Vyas
02/07/2021
Week 4 reading summaries added to appendix A
5a
Jessica George
2/13/2021
Week 5 reading summaries added to Appendix A. Additional content added to diversity section
5b
Jania Cruz
2/15/2021
Week 5 reading summaries added to Appendix A. Additional content added to conflict management section
5c
Bradley Riley
2/15/2021
Week 5 reading summaries added to Appendix A and contribution of AEIOU conflict management theory & small group dynamic details
5d
Nakul Vyas
2/18/2021
Week 5 reading summaries added to the Appendix A
6a
Nakul Vyas
2/18/2021
Week 6 reading summaries added to the Appendix A
6b
Jessica George
2/19/2021
Proofreading, edits, scanning for consistency in anticipation of the draft submission. Content added from the schedule document to the Team Roles section
6c
Bradley Riley
2/22/2021
Week 6 contributions, proofreading, blending of writing styles, added to Diversity and Group problem solving
6d
Jania Cruz
2/22/2021
Week 6 reading summaries added to Appendix A
6e
Evan Babiak
2/23/2021
Week 5 & 6 reading summaries added to Appendix A, content added to Cohesion section
7a
Jessica George
2/24/2021
Week 7 reading summaries added to Appendix A
7b
Jania Cruz
2/28/2021
Week 7 reading summaries added to Appendix A
7e
Nakul Vyas
3/11/2021
Week 7 reading summaries added to Appendix A
8a
Jessica George
3/2/2021
Week 8 reading summaries added to Appendix A
8b
Jessica George
3/5/2021
Week 9 reading summaries added to Appendix A, additions to the Negotiation section
8c
Bradley Riley
3/6/2021
Week 8 reading summaries added to Appendix A & grammatical changes. Cultural Negotiation discussion added under Negotiation
8d
Jania Cruz
3/7/2021
Week 8 summary added to Appendix A
8e
Jania Cruz
3/7/2021
Week 9 summary added to Appendix A
8f
Bradley Riley
3/8/2021
Week 9 summary added to Appendix A
8g
Jessica George
3/9/2021
Grammar edits incorporated from professor feedback
8h
Nakul Vyas
3/11/2021
Week 8 summary added to Appendix A
8i
Nakul Vyas
3/11/2021
Week 9 summary added to Appendix A
8j
Nakul Vyas
3/11/2021
Mediation
and Arbitration added under Team Conflict Resolution strategy
8k
Nakul Vyas
3/11/2021
Meeting management added under Communication Management
8l
Nakul Vyas
3/11/2021
Trust
added under communication management
9a
Jessica George
3/11/2021
Connections to Team SLACKers added to content sections
9b
Jessica George
3/12/2021
Week 10 summary added to Appendix A. Project Communications Matrix added under Communications Management section
9c
Bradley Riley
3/15/2021
Week 10 contributions as well as grammatical and content additions throughout
9d
Bradley Riley
3/15/2021
Toulmin Model graphic & content contribution; additional editing
10a
Evan Babiak
3/17/2021
Stakeholder Management
section updated, including grid and registry
10b
Nakul Vyas
3/17/2021
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation graphic and conflict resolution graphic added.
10c
Nakul Vyas
3/17/2021
Week 10 reading summary added
10d
Evan Babiak
3/17/2021
Weeks 7-10 Appendix A additions
10e
Jania Cruz
3/18/2021
Conflict Resolution
graphic added
10f
Evan Babiak
3/18/2021
Team Objectives
, Conversion to Word Doc, Formatting, and APA corrections
Table of Contents
Version History 2
Table of Contents 5
Introduction 6
Purpose of Group Communications and Conflict Management Plan
6
SLACKers Mission Statement
6
Team Objectives 6
Team Roles
7
Stakeholder Management 8
Stakeholder Identification
8
Influence vs. Impact Grid
9
Stakeholder Registry
10
Communication Management 10
Team Communications
11
Team Meetings
12
Team Assignments
13
Document Sharing
13
Meeting Management
13
Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Communication Skills
15
Trust ………………………………………………………………………………………………….16
Motivation
17
Group Cohesion
19
Diversity
. 21
Group Problem Solving & Decision Making
23
Conflict Management 25
Types of Conflict
26
Conflict Management Styles
26
Conflict Resolution 27
Team Conflict Resolution Strategy
27
Mediation 30
Arbitration
31
Toulmin Model of Argumentation
33
References
34
APPENDIX A
37
Introduction
This GCCM Plan will outline the communication and conflict management processes for Team 2, The SLACKers, during the Spring semester for PMAN 638 in 2021. The GCCM will consist of content sourced from weekly readings, as well as discussions and decisions made by all team members within Team 2. This document will be updated weekly and shared via the Team Locker as the syllabus requires. All contributions will be proofed and reviewed via a team-decided process before final submission. This document will also discuss in detail the conflict management styles and strategies to address the conflict. Appendix A will showcase the highlights of the weekly readings.
Purpose of Group Communications and Conflict Management Plan
SLACKers Mission Statement
Using the Slack App to collaborate as a team productively and effectively, The SLACKers will complete a communications management paper and group communications and conflict management (GCCM) plan. We will meet at least once a week to assign work, discuss progress, and provide feedback openly and respectfully. Meetings will be facilitated with an agenda, along with meeting minutes to be posted in the UMGC group locker before and after meetings, respectively. All work developed for the team deliverables will be constructed with the highest level of integrity and completed at the agreed-upon times to meet semester deadlines.
Team Objectives
1. Collaborate as a team using the Slack application and Google Docs to generate a cohesive group communications and conflict management plan .
2. Meet at least once a week at the agreed upon time of Thursdays at 8:30pm to discuss progress, action items, and any questions or concerns.
3. Facilitate meetings with an agenda, along with meeting minutes of what was discussed to ensure alignment of what has been communicated and the group’s expectations.
4. Divide required readings as a team into weekly summaries to be completed by the following Monday and uploaded in the group locker.
5. Add any content from readings deemed relevant to the GCCM plan to the live Google Doc and Appendix A, which will be discussed by the content creator in the following meeting.
Team Roles
The following team roles have been determined via collective group discussion during Week 1 of PMAN 638. Each of these roles has been assigned with all team members’ agreements. These roles are an attempt to ensure team organization, quality, and equal delegation of project duties. These roles are subject to change in the scenario that a team member is absent or unable to perform their duties. The Team Leader (Evan Babiak) will notify team members if their responsibilities will change. The roles and responsibilities are defined below:
· Team Leader – Evan Babiak
· Leads the weekly team calls and guides discussion amongst members
· Uploads finished documents to pertinent areas once the team has finished the assignment
· Acts as a mediator when conflict management action is needed
· Proofreader – Jania Cruz
· Reads over assignment(s) for the given week
· Makes edits throughout to make sure it reads as one cohesive document
· Communicates with Team Leader upon completing so that they can upload the polished document
· Team Manager – Brad Riley
· Creates agendas in advance of the team meetings and posts them in Slack for review
· Communicates with Team Leader to make sure all topics are covered in the agenda in advance of the team call
· Posts Google Hangouts meeting links in advance of call time
· Coordinator – Jess George
· Takes minutes during meetings and upload to Slack and Group Locker
· Communicates with the Team Leader to make sure the group is staying on track with the agenda
· Creates documents (such as the Weekly Reading Masterlist) to keep the team organized and on schedule throughout the semester
· Tech Support – Nakul Vyas
· Screen shares during meetings to show agenda, pertinent rubrics, etc. to guide the discussion
· Designates individual reading assignments
· Uses Excel and other programs to provide visuals when discussions occur during meetings about potential formatting adjustments to assignments
Stakeholder Management
Stakeholder Identification
The SLACKers will have a structured approach to identify, prioritize, and engage all the stakeholders in this project. Tools and techniques to identify stakeholders will include the team’s use of expert judgment, collaborative team meetings, and an influence versus impact grid. The outputs of this process will be a stakeholder registry. The stakeholder registry and identification process will be reviewed if one of the following events occurs:
· When the project moves through a different phase of the life cycle,
· If current stakeholders are removed, or new stakeholders become members of the project stakeholder community,
· If there are significant changes to the organization or the wider stakeholder community.
Stakeholder satisfaction should be seen as a project objective. According to PMI (2017, p 505), stakeholder diversity, the complexity of the relationships, and communication technology are areas to consider when developing a stakeholder management process. Regular stakeholder interactions throughout the project reduce risk, builds trust, and supports adjustments earlier in the process to increase the chances of success.
Influence vs. Impact Grid
Data representation in the form of stakeholder mapping can be a useful technique in the stakeholder identification process needed in stakeholder management. Applying an influence versus impact grid will assist the SLACKers in building relationships with the identified project stakeholders included in the following grid and stakeholder registry (PMI, 2017, p 512). The groupings of this grid will pertain to the level of influence to project outcomes, compared to the ability to cause changes, or impact, to the project’s planning and execution. Related sub groupings will be labeled with general action items; these include, ‘keep satisfied’, ‘manage closely’, ‘monitor’, and ‘keep informed’. Stakeholders are plotted by their correlating stakeholder number found in the stakeholder registry.
Influence vs. Impact Grid
Stakeholder Registry
Communication Management
Communications are one of the most important factors when it comes to team success. Without properly outlining or communicating the expectations of team member communication throughout the semester, the team runs the risk of not being able to communicate clearly. As a result, misunderstanding, and tension can potentially occur. Recommendations are cited below for successful group communication implementation (See Table 1 under Team Meetings).
Team Communications
It is important to recognize that the SLACKers will be functioning in a dispersed format. Each team member will be contributing from their remote area. Many studies have shown that remote or dispersed teams function worse than in-person teams when additional considerations and expectations are made to cater to their unique scenario. For this GCCM plan, the SLACKers intend on utilizing data statistics gathered by Siebdrat, Hoegl, and Ernst to identify platforms and strategies that will directly address the teams dispersed format and equip each team member with adequate platforms to function at a high level. The graphic below identifies both opportunities and liabilities that are associated with dispersed teams.
Ref:
Siebdrat, F., Hoegl, M., & Ernst, H. (2009). How to manage virtual teams. MIT Sloan Management Review, 50(4), 63.
The SLACKers have agreed to use SLACK as their primary communication platform. SLACK is a private, cloud-based communication platform that allows teams to categorize their project topics with different “threads”. Each thread is labeled on the sidebar and provides an independent chatroom for all team members to contribute. SLACK supports the sharing of varying file formats and maintains a record of all communications between team members.
Team Meetings
The SLACKers have agreed to hold weekly team meetings every Thursday at 8:30 pm (EST). These meetings will be prefaced with an agenda developed by the Team Manager and shared via SLACK no later than 8:00 pm (EST). Team meetings will be conducted via Google Meets and will be recorded for future reference. During the meeting, meeting minutes/notes will be recorded by the Coordinator. At the end of each meeting, deliverables will be reviewed before adjourning, and all action items will be annotated on the minutes in bold. After adjournment, the Coordinator will post meeting minutes/notes to both SLACK and the Team Locker.
Table 1. Project Communications Matrix
Communication
Frequency
Method
Audience
Responsibility
Deliverable review
Weekly
Google Meets
Project team
Team Leader & Team Manager
Stakeholder update
Twice per semester
Online classroom assignment submission/Email
Stakeholders
Proofreader & Team Leader
Reading assignments
Weekly
Slack
Project team
Coordinator
Document peer review
Once
Online discussion board
Outside counsel
Team Leader
Team Assignments
Due to the weekly requirement of amending Appendix A to include pertinent summary information from assigned readings, reading assignments will be made every week on a Thursday night team call. A required reading master list document has been created so that the team has one document that they can reference to see which readings are required for the week and how much total need to be divided up between members. This document allows for the team to visualize the summary requirements for the entire semester and divide the readings accordingly so that work is evenly distributed between team members.
Document Sharing
Document sharing is another very important aspect of effective team management. Team 2 will adopt the use of the cloud-based Google platform for sharing different versions of deliverables. Note: While Google Docs may be used, conversion to Microsoft Word will still be necessary before submission. Google Docs to Microsoft Word conversions can lead to slight changes, specific formatting, which will need to be overseen by a proof-reader to ensure quality work.
Meeting Management
When the number of people (who may belong to the same group or a different group) assembles at a specified date and time, to discuss a topic with their own opinion to develop a plan of action is known as a meeting (Brenda, 2007). Nowadays, people are also conducting meetings via different mechanisms such as telephone and video conferencing. Different types of meetings are held in the business name; staff meetings, project team meetings, process and procedure meetings, and quarterly meetings. The project manager facilitates the project team meeting to design, develop, and/or implement a new product, process, or system. The process and procedural meetings are called to communicate new processes and/or procedures to a group of people who are affected.
The thorough planning of pre-meeting activities and skillful leadership during the meeting itself is required to achieve effectiveness in meetings. Before the meeting is planned, it is important to decide whether the meeting is required or not or whether the meeting objective can be accomplished via a phone, video conference, or written communication. A meeting agenda should be prepared which should include the objective and desired outcome of the meeting. The agenda helps to call the meeting to order, read the minutes of the previous meeting for approval, and discuss pending action items (Brenda, 2007). An agenda should be circulated to the participants well-in-advance so that it gives the team an ample amount of time to review the pre-work before the meeting. The agenda should establish the role of the participants and should ensure that the person who will be presenting in the meeting will be available. It is important to designate the facilitator of the meeting and the role of facilitator and note-taker should be rotated. For any meeting the availability of the supplies is necessary.
To achieve effectiveness in the meeting it is important to start the meeting on time. The team participants must introduce themselves to each other and the facilitator should reinstate the meeting objectives and establish the ground rules of the meeting. The effectiveness of the meeting is achieved if the agenda is followed, the meeting is as per the schedule, tasks are identified and assigned (Brenda, 2007). The facilitator should firmly draw the attention of the group if the discussion goes out of the agenda’s scope. A motion is placed should be voted and the majority vote is required for a motion to pass. It is important to encourage the team members to equally participate in the team meeting rather than the most powerful people dominating the conversation. In case of interruptions and conflict, the skill of the facilitator is tested and should forcefully limit the time assigned to both parties. The facilitator must thank the participants and shall recognize their participation. It is advisable to get a consensus on the date, time, and place of the next meeting.
Team SLACKers has an established weekly meeting on Thursdays at 8:30 pm EST, and it is understood that every team member will sign on to this meeting on time. All team members understand the importance of respecting other people’s time, which is why punctuality is an enforced value. An agenda is prepped in advance of these meetings, which also helps to keep meetings as efficient as possible. The team leader always makes a point of thanking everyone for their time, which again reinforces the appreciation the entire team has for people’s time and efforts.
Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Communication Skills
Active listening is an important communication skill that allows team members to connect with others and not dominate the group dynamic. Within our group, we will emphasize the importance of utilizing active listening techniques. Team members should focus on listening with the intent of understanding rather than just waiting for their chance to speak (Kelly, 2014). Every team member brings valuable ideas and insight, so team members must communicate with the intent of showing that they value the other members’ opinions. Other listening tactics such as asking clarifying questions to the speaker and pausing before speaking allow for the speaker to have space to explain their ideas fully and feel as though the group is truly listening to their ideas (Kelly, 2014). Self-awareness is key in being able to be a good active listener with the group, which is why active listening is an ongoing skill that needs to be strengthened. Active listening is one of many essential communication techniques that helps to foster a collaborative and respectful group dynamic.
Nonverbal communication is also an important interpersonal communication skill to be aware of within the group. While we are a virtual team that collaborates remotely, nonverbal communication is still present, and it adds context to every interaction that we have. Time awareness and paralanguage such as tone of voice are two examples of nonverbal communication that are present even in a virtual team setting (“Nonverbal Delivery,” n.d.). This requires both interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Team members should be aware of the message that their body language and non-verbal cues are sending to the rest of the team members, and they should also be paying attention to the nonverbal signals that their team members are sending to them. Making sure that team members show one another that they are respectful of each others’ time by keeping calls organized and efficient is one nonverbal example. Using a warm and welcoming tone when addressing group members is another nonverbal cue that fosters connection amongst the team. All of this is achievable with team members having respect for one another, which we can illustrate through self-awareness of our nonverbal communication in every interaction we have.
Trust
Trust can be attributed to a relationship between individuals. Trust is an important factor for the success of the project. If the project team is having trust in each other then the team can collaborate effectively. If the communication channel is broken and performance is deviating, then it is difficult to collaborate. Cultural Intelligence (CI) is about understanding how culture impacts communication and relationships (Woerner, 2011). CI is required for trust to be developed in multi-cultural teams. The intent may be interpreted differently across cultures. The same project steps exist in multi-cultural teams: initiation, kick-off, execution, monitoring/controlling, and closing. (Woerner, 2011). During the initiation, stage observation is a technique that helps to determine the trust aspect of the multi-cultural project. Obtaining a historical view will also help the project manager to determine the trust. During the kick-off stage, the kick-off meeting sets the tone for the combined projects. Different people share their learnings and experiences and such activities establish and extend the trust. During the execution stage, the daily stand-up meetings are an event where the team members discuss the progress and issues related to the work which establishes trust. In the monitoring/controlling stage, it is obvious to have conflict and risks (Woerner, 2011). The project manager should mitigate the risk and resolve the conflict and help to establish trust. Face-to-face conflict resolution is more effective. During the closure stage, the project manager pulls all the team members together to discuss what went well and what didn’t. In conclusion, more time should be spent in closure on trust, collaboration, and cultural issues.
Team SLACKers values how important trust is to the success of the project team. As a result of this, team SLACKers prioritizes clear and honest communication with one another, along with maintaining strong interpersonal relationships. Actions such as taking five minutes at the beginning of team calls to ask how everyone is doing help to maintain the personal connection. By having a personal attachment with each member, team SLACKers creates a foundation of trust and respect for one another. Trust allows for the team to have miscommunication issues from time to time; however, at the end of the day, the team understands where each person is coming from and will therefore handle these hiccups better because of established trust.
Motivation
Motivation is a highly complex issue that helps to define how and why people act the way that they do. It is important to understand the two overarching theories of motivation, content theories of motivation and process theories of motivation, to assess a team member’s motivation needs and manage them accordingly. Humans are multi-faceted and require differing levels of needs and motivators. By understanding that motivation can come from a unique combination of decision-making and individual needs being met, we as a project team can hope to keep all group members engaged and actively working hard to put forth the best project possible.
Companies use extrinsic motivation to obtain customer loyalty by mechanisms such as reward cards or airline miles. The main issue with extrinsic motivation is it focuses on reward, not behavior. Once a reward is removed, the behavior is extinguished (Sullivan, 2009).
Intrinsic motivation is the drive that leads an individual to engage in an activity without being rewarded externally for the action. Intrinsic motivation is related to high achievement and personal enjoyment (Sullivan, 2009).
The SLACKers intend to rely on intrinsic motivation to successfully execute their necessary deliverables for PMAN 638. All team members have expressed rewards of intrinsic motivation being related to self-satisfaction and eventual personal gratification for finishing their respective degrees.
Ref: Convertize, (n.d.). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. https://www.convertize.com/glossary/intrinsic-extrinsic-motivation/
Group Cohesion
Communication planning is the process that defines the types of information delivered, the format, the audience, and the timing. A majority of a program manager’s time is spent on communication with their team. The first step in defining the communication plan is analyzing what kind of information the stakeholders need. This is called the communication requirement analysis. Communication technology is what keeps everyone involved in the project. Technology can take on many forms from written to online databases. Communication technology can be chosen by researching the amount of time needed. The amount of time needed can assist managers in deciding what technological communication to use (Watt, 2014). For example, projects that need communication instantly may use emails, instant messages, or online project websites. Projects that need intermittent input may communicate infrequently or communicate only at scheduled intervals. Team SLACKers will use emails and instant messages through Slack and calls as needed if the situation requires.
There are two types of communication: Synchronous and Asynchronous. Synchronous is communication done live such as conference calls or Video Teleconferences. Live communication allows for instant feedback. Asynchronous communication is done through channels such as mail or email. Issues such as time zones should be considered when using synchronous communication. Asynchronous communication allows for personal deliberation but can cause a barrier to team cohesiveness. Managers should consider new technologies as they can assist with the decision on how to communicate. Team SLACKers will utilize both synchronous and asynchronous communications. The team will utilize synchronous communication with weekly calls every Thursday at 8:30 pm EST. This will allow for the team to be present with one another and work through project questions in real-time with one another. The use of Slack allows for asynchronous communication throughout the week. Less time-sensitive issues that can be discussed intermittently can be addressed through Slack.
Within-group cohesion exists factors that determine a team’s level of cohesion and how it develops. Group socialization is the process of teaching and adjusting to group norms and behaviors. This is vital for teams/groups to build cohesion and feel comfortable with one another. Every new member of a team will have multiple things to learn, but not all are categorized in the same manner. Technical knowledge is gathered during group socializing and specifies the purpose of the group and norms surrounding group goals/deliverables. On the other hand, social knowledge is gathered during group socializing and specifies social norms and behaviors of the group and how the different group members behave amongst each other. It is important for new members to pay attention to group norms both related to technical knowledge as well as social knowledge (Levine, 1994).
According to Creative Commons (2012), groups with good cohesion will:
· Set goals easily and are more productive;
· exhibit a high commitment to achieving the purpose of the group;
· experience fewer attendance issues;
· have group members who are willing to stick with the group during times of difficulty;
· have members who are willing to listen to each other and offer support and constructive criticism;
· and experience less anger and tension.
To achieve good cohesion and positive group morale, some of the qualities that will be encouraged among group members include participation, messages, feedback, equity, clear and accepted roles, and motivational encouragement.
Diversity
Age diversity has become challenging for many organizations. Lower birth rates, an
increase in prosperity and health improvements have led to an increase in the labor pool of older workers. Diversity on a team has many benefits including a variety of ideas, knowledge, and perspectives. This type of diversity allows for the group to avoid the unfortunate group situation of groupthink, which is a situation in which all members agree to the same ideas with little room for creativity or dissenting ideas. By having a diversity of thought and ideas, the group can explore multiple approaches to the task at hand in hopes of finding the best course of action. Diversity of ideas is key in having a healthy culture of discussion within the group.
Age diversity is an important area of diversity to explore because it increases the performance of a team by fostering distinct ideas and thoughts on technology, protocols, and processes. Unfortunately, age discrimination is a stereotype that is still a large part of western society. A seasoned worker may have accumulated years of experience in many different fields and have extensive knowledge of the project. However, older workers may face age discrimination and stigmatization. The theory is often that older employees are unproductive and do not perform as well as younger employees (Schneid, 2016).
Results of the meta-analysis show that age diversity is an irrelevant (neither positive nor
negative) demographic distinction and should not be considered when deciding on team composition. Managers should focus on distinctions such as educational background, skills, experience, and knowledge when forming a team as these distinctions are more likely to affect the success of a team.
In addition to age, diversity can also be measured according to group type. Some groups exist in-person, while other groups exist from a distance and use technology as a tool to communicate. Studies show that different complexity of project or task determines and plays a role in the software and technologies that are used for online-groups. Email would be an example of technology that would be used to resolve simple tasks or decisions, while teleconferencing, audio conferencing, and more complex technologies are utilized as deliverables get more complex (Jonassen & Kwon, 2001).
Within team SLACKers, we have a diversity of experiences within the workplace due to our varied environments of work. This allows for unique perspectives of project communications because health care workers, for example, utilizes project communication methods differently than non-profit work. All of the team members bring unique perspectives as a result of this, and the overarching topic of project management helps to connect all of these experiences.
Due to the nature of the class, team SLACKers also has a diversity of group types based on the team being entirely virtual. The different methods of communicating with one another add diversity to the project team communications experience. Despite not being able to meet in-person, team SLACKers has utilized different technology methods to establish trust from afar. Through conference calls, the SLACKers team members can communicate with one another through verbal cues like tone of voice. This adds additional context to other lines of communication, such as when team members are communicating through Slack. The diversity of technology methods allows for team SLACKers to establish trust with one another, despite working in a completely virtual setting.
Group Problem Solving & Decision Making
There are three types of leadership styles: Authoritarian, Democratic, and Laissez-Faire. An authoritarian leadership style seeks little to no team member input and does not actively participate within the group. This leadership style is seen as unfriendly and impersonal. The Democratic leadership style welcomes group input and facilitates an atmosphere of discussion and creativity. This style is often seen as friendly and personal. Finally, the Laissez-Faire leadership style gives the group the most freedom, does not always participate in the group, and gives most of the responsibility to members (“Leadership Styles,” 2009). To foster an environment that encourages collaboration and group problem solving, Team 2 plans on adopting the democratic approach, emphasizing the importance of discussion during team meetings.
Creativity is an important aspect of innovative teams that can be used to aid in group problem-solving. A key implementation strategy to utilize creativity as a tool in innovation is to take inventory of how the group is currently organized, implement changes to the current way of operating to see how it affects the regular status quo, and then from there, the group can permanently integrate the changes that seemed to provide positive change within the organization (Salazar, 2009). Within our group, we can continue to challenge how we chose to structure role assignments and teamwork approaches week to week to continue to adapt. A fluid approach allows for us to constantly be problem-solving and looking for the best, most efficient way to complete work week to week. By fostering an environment that encourages people to feel comfortable with suggesting changes to the status quo, we can be a group that encourages collaborative, creative thinking.
In addition to fostering positive environments, it’s important to understand the task at hand to avoid problems in the first place. Many different methods have been used to identify solutions to barriers, however, understanding the tasks at hand and the characteristics behind those tasks is necessary to avoid future conflict and to make the proper decisions around your group settings as a project manager. Hirokawa, along with other scholars, have compiled a total of six basic categories of task characteristics: degree of interdependence, goal complexity, data gathering/distribution demands, information processing demands, evaluation demands, and situational demands (Hirokawa, 1990).
Conflict Management
Sources of conflict can include scarce resources, jurisdictional ambiguities, personality clashes, power and status differences, goal differences, or communication breakdowns (“Conflict Management and Negotiation,” 2009). The mere presence of conflict does not necessarily mean that it will harm the team. If it is managed well, it can have a positive impact on the progress of the team because it challenges the status quo and has the potential to push group members past their current methods of approach.
Types of Conflict
While conflict may first be considered as two or more individuals disagreeing upon a certain topic or idea, its source may differ depending upon time, setting, and circumstances and therefore can be categorized as such.
Procedural conflict is a conflict that emerges due to disagreements in how the group will function from an operational perspective. This type of conflict erupts when there are disagreements on how a team might maintain communications, who the team may see as their leader, or when meetings may take place. Meanwhile, Substantive conflict emerges due to disagreements in values, attitudes, or ideas amongst the different team members. Lastly, Interpersonal conflict is a conflict that emerges due to personalities or altercations between two different people in a group. Typically, interpersonal conflict will take place when two or more people do not care for the other group member’s actions, which results in confrontation that would otherwise not take place or be viewed as non-problematic (Ellis & Fisher, 1994).
Conflict Management Styles
Client needs and wants should be included during different phases of a project. The ability of project managers to understand the needs of the clients is significant and should not be ignored. Client satisfaction defines project success. Including the client can be achieved in various ways which include educating the client from the beginning or including the client on selected project teams (“Conflict management and negotiation,” 2009).
Conflict resolution styles include avoidance, competing, accommodating, compromising, and collaborating. Two sources of dissatisfaction are unmet expectations and misunderstanding. To avoid these a project manager must clarify expectations, values and deal fairly with the client. Most projects will have areas of stress. Dealing with these problems can be achieved by establishing standards and procedures, dealing with difficult issues early, and providing mechanisms for revisiting major decisions and issues. Managers should nurture feelings of satisfaction and include the client in celebrations such as achieving a milestone (“Conflict management and negotiation,” 2009).
Team Conflict Resolution Strategy
While effective communications can significantly decrease conflict, it is important to have a plan in place in the scenario conflict arises – storming is still part of the group growth process. Below are recommendations for group conflict management.
1. Once a conflict is identified, members must contact the Team Leader privately to make them aware of the situation. In the case the Team Leader is involved in the conflict, team members can contact the Team Manager.
2. Team Leader (or TM) will set up private meetings with those involved in a reported conflict to mediate issues. These meetings will be recorded.
3. If no resolution is reached and the issue has a direct impact on team performance, Team Leader (or TM) will document the conflict case including recordings and involve the professor for swift resolution and next steps.
Other methods of conflict resolution also exist. Strategies such as the AEIOU model can be used ahead of time if an individual is aware that an upcoming interaction may lead to conflict.
A – Acknowledge – state to the individual that you are assuming their positive intent.
E – Express – Express your own perspective/concern
I – Identify – Clearly define your goals/objectives/recommendations
O – Outcome – Features/benefits of your way & acknowledge their flexibility
U – Understanding – reach an agreement & be on the same page (Ting-Toomey, 2007)
Team SLACKers will utilize the AEIOU method as well, to maintain trust while addressing the conflict. The AEIOU method allows for the individual to validate the feelings and perspective of the person that is being addressed. This is a useful approach in increasing the likelihood that the person needing corrective action will be more receptive to the feedback. A core value for Team SLACKers is to foster an environment where all team members feel valued and empowered to contribute towards the success of the team. By implementing the AEIOU approach, team SLACKers can address conflict with trust and respect for all involved.
Negotiation
Negotiation is an important aspect of project teams. As globalization continues to push our society towards a more culturally diverse melting pot, it is important to analyze the impacts of cultural characteristics on negotiation. Each individual has a unique perception based on their life experiences. Because of this, team members all come to the table with different views and biases. Culture can impact negotiation by causing individuals to project assumptions about someone’s motives, or by influencing how an individual perceives the situation as it is unfolding (Sarkar, 2010).
Dependent on the culture, some thresholds for conflict may vary. Studies have shown that certain cultures (like the Japanese) tend to use negotiators and offers as an information exchange process. They expect to receive information from you in return for their offer. Alternatively, Americans tend to reveal more information than their Japanese counterparts. Due to these patterns, the Japanese may take longer and more offers to get to a final consensus.
Dependent on cultures, negotiation can be viewed differently. Western cultures view negotiation as a business activity, whereas regions such as Brazil may consider negotiations more social and continue negotiations during social events where the business is not usually discussed (Adair, Okuma, & Brett, 2001).
Within the SLACKers team, all team members must be aware of these invisible cultural impacts on negotiation. Each team member has internal biases that influence how we read a given situation. It will require self-awareness and emotional intelligence on the part of all SLACKers team members to foster the most constructive environment for negotiation. By actively checking internal biases as thoughts come up during discussions, team members can listen and discuss with an open mind and not jump to conclusions too quickly. Our core values are to communicate with respect and to value everyone’s contributions towards the betterment of the group. By practicing these mindful measures during negotiation, our team hopes to further strengthen those principles.
Mediation
Mediation is one of the resolution techniques which assists the two parties who are involved in the conflict to find a viable solution. The mediator is a third party who has no say in the outcome of the case (Daniel, 2009). The difference between litigation and mediation is that in litigation both parties have to follow the court order and in mediation, the mediator does not impose his/her decision on both the parties. Mediation is more of an informal approach and is simple to process, whereas litigation is a complex process in which both parties have to abide by the law. Mediation and litigation both help to resolve the conflict. The mediation technique is used to resolve the conflict associated with litigation. Litigation is time-consuming, costly, and complex. The resolution derived with the help of the mediation technique does not bind both the parties until they agree to it.
Mediation becomes effective when coupled with arbitration (Daniel, 2009). When both the parties are not able to agree to mediation, the mediator becomes an arbitrator who seeks additional evidence from the witnesses. Mediation is also used to cement the relationships between both parties and how to deal with conflicts in the future. It is more of a guiding process or conversation.
Mediation is the first step before arbitration where both parties voluntarily agree to an agreement or a viable solution. When the conflict is not resolved through negotiation, mediation is the second step to settle the dispute in good faith.
The mediator is a catalyst between the conflicting parties and tries to define the problem and facilitate the communication process by removing impediments. If both the parties do not want to settle with a mutual agreement, then the mediator must work hard to create a perception of a greater need and if both the parties are willing to settle the dispute then the mediator has more leverage. If the mediator can solve the dispute and both parties agree to draft an agreement then it becomes a legally binding agreement, if signed.
Arbitration
Arbitration is a dispute resolution technique that is used to remove the litigation process. Before filing a lawsuit, arbitration seeks to expedite the resolution process in a simple and less costly manner. Unlike mediation, the arbitrator is a private third party who seeks to hear both the conflicting parties and makes a final determination that binds the parties. In business or any contractual agreement, disputes are bound to happen. Disputes can be resolved through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation. Mediation and arbitration are cost-effective alternatives to litigation. When the conflicting party decides to submit the dispute to the arbitrator for a final decision is often known as an award which is in writing and final.
Non-binding arbitration also seeks to listen to both the party and give an award that is not final and binding to the party. In this case, the arbitrator’s award is merely an advisory opinion. Most of the settlement cases go to binding arbitration. Parties may also choose to go for the court trial. Mandatory arbitration is also known as court-ordered arbitration which is a judicial mandate intended to resolve pending court cases. At an early stage of the lawsuit, the court-ordered arbitration follows the rules and process laid down by the law. Unlike mediation, arbitration offers parties a decisive legal outcome to their dispute without the expense and inconvenience of court proceedings and attorney fees.
Arbitration is largely used by most businesses, government departments, and courts as well to resolve the dispute because arbitration is considered to be adjudicatory, not advisory. The arbitration determination can also be challenged in the upper-level courts. If both or one of the parties feels that the arbitrator was biased, then it can be challenged.
The international business community is using arbitration to resolve commercial disputes arising in the global marketplace. In international trade, arbitration is famous to resolve disputes because it is easier to enforce an arbitration award in a foreign country than it is to enforce a judgment of the court.
The Toulmin Model is an effective model for argumentation because it allows the user to double-check their logic and effectively ensure that they have a sound argument before presenting their position to a group. Alternatively, the Toulmin Model can be reversed and used to check the validity and strength of an opponent’s argument and can be used to identify shortcomings or weaknesses that could, in turn, be used to gain the advantage when it comes to discussion, debate, or negotiations (Hitchcock, 2006). The SLACKers plan on using the Toulmin Model to approach challenging decision-making scenarios. The SLACKers also plan on using this model to ensure their arguments and proposed solutions so challenges do not have holes. The model below was developed within the team as an example of what type of scenario could use the Toulmin Model and benefit.
References
Aakhus, M. (2002). Group communication. Encyclopedia of communication and information. 2. https://go-gale-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3402900116&v=2.1&u=umd_umuc&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=df06430d9bc56e798a134a4cf69f7e17
Adair, W. L., Okumua, T., & Brett, J. M. (2001). Negotiation behavior when cultures collide: The United States and Japan. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 371–85.
Anderson, B. (2010). Project leadership and the art of managing relationship. TD, 64(3), 58–63. https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=7252937a-7438-4087-9f68-e14a0b88ead4%40pdc-v-sessmgr02
Brenda, J. R. (2007). Meeting management. Encyclopedia of Business and Finance, 2(2).
Conflict Management and Negotiation. (2009). In Encyclopedia of Management (6th ed., pp.120-125). Gale. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3273100051/GVRL?u=umd_umuc&sid=GVRL&xid=28f7e6ab
Creative Commons. (2012). A Primer on Communication Studies (v. 1.0): sect. 13.3- Small Group Dynamics. Creative Commons. https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s13-03-small-group-dynamics.html
Daniel, A. E. (2009). Mediation. Encyclopedia of business in today’s world. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412964289.n633
Ellis and Fisher, Small Group Decision Making: Communication and the Group Process, 4th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994), 217–18.
Hirokawa, R. Y. (1990). The role of communication in group decision-making efficacy: A task-contingency perspective. Small group research, 21(2), 190-204.
Hitchcock, D., & Verheij, B. (2006). Arguing on the Toulmin model (Vol. 10). Springer.
Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. H., Hofstede, G. H., & Arrindell, W. A. (1998). Masculinity and femininity: The taboo dimension of national cultures (Vol. 3). Sage.
Jonassen, D. H., & Kwon, H. (2001). Communication patterns in computer mediated versus face-to-face group problem solving. Educational technology research and development, 49(1), 35-51.
Kelly, L. (2014). Perfecting the art of active listening. (cover story). Personal Excellence,
Leadership Styles and Bases of Power. (2009). In Encyclopedia of Management (6th ed., pp. 459-462). Gale. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3273100154/GVRL?u=umd_umuc&sid=GVRL&xid=beae55b7
Leading people and organizations. (n.d.). Leading people and organizations. https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_principles-of-management-v1.1/s14-leading-people-and-organizatio.html
Levine, L. (1994). Listening with spirit and the art of team dialogue. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 7(1), 61. https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/docview/197598005?accountid=14580
Majority Rule. (2008). In W. A. Darity, Jr. (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (2nd ed., Vol. 4, pp. 560-562). Macmillan Reference USA. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3045301424/GVRL?u=umd_umuc&sid=GVRL&xid=5182b115
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Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide)–Sixth Edition: Vol. Sixth edition. Project Management Institute.
Salazar, A. (2009). Creativity in groups. In S. W. Littlejohn, & K. A. Foss (Eds.), Encyclopedia
of communication theory (Vol. 1, pp. 211-213). SAGE Publications, Inc.,
Sarkar, A. N. (2010). Navigating the rough seas of global business negotiation: reflection on cross-cultural issues and some corporate experiences. International Journal of Business Insights & Transformation, 3(2), 47–61.
Schneid, M., Isidor, R., Steinmetz, H., & Kabst, R. (2016). Age diversity and team outcomes: a quantitative review. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 31(1), 2-17. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.umgc.edu/10.1108/JMP-07-2012-0228
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Ting-Toomey, S. (2007). Intercultural conflict training: theory-practice approaches and research challenges. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 36(3), 255-271
Woerner, B. (2011). Enabling and maintaining trust on multicultural projects. Project Management Institute. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/enabling-maintaining-trust-multicultural-projects-6248
YouTube. (2013, November 2). Business negotiation part six: Integrative negotiation. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuIO3sNyXJ0
APPENDIX A
Week #
Reading Assignments
Person/ Readings
Topics put in GCCM
Justification
1
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18
Jess / 7, 12
– Creativity in problem solving (7)
– (7) Creativity is an important tool that can lead to innovation, which is why it is an important topic when it comes to discussing group problem solving
1
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18
Jania / 17, 18
Functional Roles (18)
– (18)Managers should identify team members’ potential and construct a team built around this knowledge.
1
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18
Brad / 1, 2, 3
Types of Groups (1)
– (1)A primary group is a group that meets close to all, if not all, of one’s needs. A group that meets only some of someone’s needs is considered a secondary group. A microgroup is a group inside of a larger group
1
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18
Brad / 1, 2, 3
– Groupthink (1)
– (1)While working as a team has its obvious strengths, teams can also lead to some negative outcomes if not properly managed. Groupthink is the tendency to accept the group’s ideas despite one’s own opinions due to fear of repercussions or too much group cohesion.
1
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18
Brad / 1, 2, 3
– Types of leadership (1)
– (1) Leaders can take different approaches when leading a team to success. An autocratic leader is a self-directed leader and oversees the processes amongst the group in much detail. A laissez-faire leader is a leader who is more hands-off, but knowledgeable in their field. They will lean on their group members for their expertise, but not micro-manage a process. A team without proper skills levels necessary to perform a task and a laissez-faire team leader can be problematic (Galanes, 2000).
1
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18
Brad / 1, 2, 3
– Active listening (2)
– (2) Active Listening is the process of giving one’s full attention to what people are saying, asking questions to ensure things are understood, and not interrupting while others are sharing their information.
1
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18
Brad / 1, 2, 3
– Personality type tests (3)
– (3) Personality types can identify and differentiate how others may behave with people that they interact with. Multiple theories measure personality types such as the DISC acronym and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
1
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18
Brad / 1, 2, 3
Trust (3)
– (3) Trust is vital in any team’s development process. Without trust, teams are unable to function at a high level and will continually doubt the other member’s contributions to the project. Trust is built over time and as group cohesion increases.
1
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18
Brad / 1, 2, 3
– Humm Factor (3)
– The Humm Factor is a tool that is used to identify non-recorded feelings amongst a group to identify possible issues before they take place. It works as a survey-like process amongst the team and stakeholders throughout the project life cycle that can spread light on stakeholder and team members’ feelings on the project (Darnall & Caudron, 1995).
1
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18
Nakul / 4, 5, 6
– Group Communication (4)
-(4) The messages exchanged in Group Communication are vital to share the information, take the decision, manage conflicts, and develop team cohesion to overcome any issues.
– It is important to create an agenda before initiating the group discussion which reduces the differences of opinions and conflicts.
1
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18
Nakul / 4, 5, 6
– Group Communication (4)
– (4) It is important to create an agenda before initiating the group discussion which reduces the difference of opinions and conflicts.
2
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20
Jess / 4, 8, 11, 20
– Active listening (11)
– (11)Active listening is a necessary interpersonal skill to develop to foster healthy communication amongst the team
2
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20
Jess / 4, 8, 11, 20
– Nonverbal delivery (8
– (8) Even in a virtual team setting, nonverbal communication is an important principle to be aware of as we try to navigate healthy interpersonal interactions within our team.
2
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20
Jania / 15, 18
-Age Diversity (15)
– (15) Age diversity on a team is irrelevant to success and managers should instead focus on skill, knowledge, and performance.
2
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20
Brad / 1, 2
– Develop Team (1)
– (1) Develop Team results in improved teamwork, enhanced interpersonal skills and competencies, motivated employees, reduced team attrition, and improved overall project performance (PMI, 2017).
2
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20
Brad / 1, 2
– Tuckman’s Ladder (1)
– (1) Tuckman’s Ladder is a team development model that breaks the formation and performance of a team into five stages – Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning (PMI, 2017).
2
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20
Brad / 1, 2
Hofstede’s Masculine & Feminine cultures (2)
– (2) Masculine vs. Feminine cultures reflects the directiveness and competitiveness of individuals amongst the social setting. An example of this is the United States holds a very masculine culture in a business setting where they are assertive and highly competitive. Other cultures, like Sweden, value modesty and looking out for the weakest link within a team. This requires significant attention when conducting business (Hofstede, 1998).
2
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20
Brad / 1, 2
Edward Hall (2)
– (2) Edward Hall is often referred to as a pioneer for intercultural communications. Hall developed eight contributions to the study of intercultural communications.
2
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20
Nakul / 5, 6
– Listening with spirit (5)
– (5) As per Levine’s article, the vital difference between dialogue and discussion is that dialogue is more of a collaborative and open-ended conversation where people question others for their reasoning to derive a new solution, whereas in the discussion people strongly hold their positions on the topic and take specific actions.
2
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20
Nakul / 5, 6
– Listening with spirit (5)
– (5) In a team dialogue it is important to actively and selflessly listen to the viewpoints of others to extract the creative idea from the dialogue.
2
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20
Nakul / 5, 6
– Listening with the spirit (5)
– (5) Levin’s article suggests that a selfless listening approach, being open to other’s ideas, and active listening will allow the spirit of the group to speak (Levine, 1994).
2
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20
Nakul / 5, 6
– Listening with spirit (5)
– (5) If an employee in a discussion listens to other employee’s creative ideas selflessly it leads to understanding and hearing through the words of the employee’s soul (Levine, 1994).
3
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11
Jania / 4, 5
-Communication Planning (4)
-(4) Communication is the process of delivering information. There are two types of communication: Synchronous (live i.e., conference calls) and Asynchronous (not live i.e., mail correspondence). Defining the communication your stakeholders need is called the communication requirement analysis. The kind of communication needed for a project depends on how often and how quickly you need to be able to make a decision.
3
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11
Jania / 4, 5
-Understanding and Meeting Client Expectations (5)
-(5) The ability of project managers to understand the need of the client is significant and should not be ignored. Client satisfaction defines success. Advantages: The inclusion of the client creates a better understanding of the project and adds a personal investment element. Disadvantages: Clients may have undue influence on decisions. Managers should clarify expectations and values and establish clear standards and procedures.
3
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11
Nakul / 2
PMBOK, 10.1 Plan Communication
– (2) Communication planning must be performed at the start of the project. It should be performed while identifying stakeholders and preparing a project management plan document (PMI, 2017, p. 367). – (2) Every project needs to communicate project information and an effective communications management plan enables the project manager to identify the informational needs of the stakeholders, method of distribution, storage, retrieval, and the disposition of the project information.
– (2) Defining the communication plan information such as; stakeholder information requirements, organizational charts, stakeholder’s roles, and responsibilities, a number of the potential communication channel, resource logistics, and when to communicate internally and externally to the media or public contractors helps in identifying stakeholder’s requirements.
– (2) The output of the communication management plan gives the important elements that should be present in the communication management plan. They are; stakeholder information requirements, method of communication, tools, and technology for communicating, resources responsible for sending and receiving the information with time and budget, escalation process should be established in case of any conflicts, and any technology or regulatory constraints.
3
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11
Brad / 11
Stakeholder Theory
Stakeholder Theory is an umbrella term that describes attempts to identify, explain and prescribe an organization’s relationship and responsibility to other actors. The stakeholder definition is fluid and has changed over time.
Stakeholder Theory can be used in different ways:
1. Descriptive use where a theorist will use it to explain behaviors
2. Instrumental use where a theorist will use it to understand how to reach a certain conclusion or how to complete a specific goal
3. Normative use where a theorist will use the theory in a prescriptive manner to argue or debate for additional ethical laws or principles
3
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11
Evan /1
Stakeholder Identification
Added stakeholder identification process to the stakeholder management plan. A documented process on how stakeholders will be identified and managed during the project life cycle to create a stakeholder registry. Expert judgment, stakeholder mapping via an influence vs. impact grid, and collaborative meetings will output a stakeholder registry.
4
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16
Jess / 9
Motivation and Motivation Theory
Motivation defines how and why humans act the way that they do. Because of how complex of an issue it is, there is no one unifying theory to explain what drives motivation. Motivation theories are subdivided into different categories based on what these theories believe are the principal factors that drive motivation. To successfully motivate team members, it is important to have an understanding of both content (or need) theories of motivation and process (or cognitive) theories of motivation to apply them to individuals.
4
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16
Jess / 14
PMBOK 3.4 Project Manager Competencies
To be a successful project manager, it is important to find a balance between the three key skill sets of technical project management, leadership, and strategic and business management. There is also the need to understand the difference between and need for both leadership and management. Leadership involves using collaboration and innovation to move the group forward to the desired outcome. Management is a more structural concept that involves § utilizing known actions and behaviors to guide employees to the desired outcome.
4
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16
Jania/7
Leadership Theories and Studies
Leadership is a process in which one person influences others towards a group goal. Followers must accept leaders. Contingency is affected by workgroup context. Transformational details how leaders inspire and motivate. Servant leaders place followers ahead of their own needs. Entrepreneurial leaders create scenarios and improve performance.
4
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16
Jania/8
Situational and Contingency Approaches to Leadership
The Contingency model has two categories: a task oriented and relationship oriented. Cognitive Resource Theory two traits: Intelligence and experience. Situational. The Normative Decision making model assesses decision-making style by the situation determining the leadership. Path goal Theory determines leader behaviors that increase motivation by clearing a path to a goal. Situational Leadership theory situations determine, and leaders guide.
4
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
Jania/10
Leadership styles and Bases of Power
Authoritarian leaders make decisions and do not actively participate in the group. Democratic leaders welcome input and facilitate discussion and creativity. Laissez-Faire leaders give the group all freedoms and allow decision-making within the team.
4
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
Brad/4
The Four Intrinsic Rewards that Drive Employee Engagement
Motivation is the ability to do from within. Motivation and performance have a direct relationship. Ability refers to the key competence required to perform a job. The need-based theory of motivation is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, ERG theory, Two-factor theory, and Acquired needs theory. Maslow’s theory shows the different needs of the employee at a different level. It helps the leader or the project manager to identify the state of the employee’s mind. If the employee is trying to satisfy the esteem needs feels great when he receives praise from his manager (Motivating employees, n.d.). The ERG (Existence, Relatedness, and Growth) extends Maslow’s theory. ERG theory does not rank needs in any particular order and explicitly recognizes that more than one need may operate at a given time (Motivating employees, n.d.). Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor theory concluded the aspects of the human environment which satisfy the employees are different from the aspects that dissatisfy the employee.
5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
Jess/11
Group Cohesion
Factors that can affect cohesiveness
1. How much group members like one another
2. How in-line personal goals are with the group goals
3. Satisfaction levels of the overall group’s performance
4. Outside factors that make group members want to stay with the group
Every individual has different levels of importance assigned to these factors. What may make one person want to leave may be close to a non-issue for a different member. Differing values and individual preferences affect someone’s opinions on the group dynamic.
5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
Jess/12
Groupthink
Three categories of issues that can arise within a group before they reach groupthink:
Structural faults (such as strong advocacy of certain ideas from the leader of the group or lack of diversity within the group when it comes to ideas and backgrounds)
High cohesiveness
External pressure to reach a decision (time pressures can force the group to quickly pick a solution because they feel pressure to act)
Techniques such as playing devil’s advocate can help to foster healthy exploration of ideas and reduce the possibility of groupthink.
Important ways to combat groupthink as a leader:
· Foster discussion and make an active effort in allowing and even encouraging dissenting opinions
· Seek opinions outside of the immediate group
5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
Jania/6
Conflict Management and Negotiation
All conflict is not bad. Conflict avoidance is no longer the norm. A new set of management skills called Quantum skills include seeing, thinking, feeling, knowing, acting, trusting, and being.
Sources include:
· Scarce resources
· Ambiguity
· Personality clashes
· Power and status differences
· Goal differences
· Communication breakdown
Styles:
· Avoidance
· Competing
· Accommodating
· Compromising
· Collaborating
5 A’s Techniques
· Assessment
· Acknowledgement
· Attitude
· Action
· Analysis
5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
Jania/8
Conflict styles of Men and Women
Men score significantly higher on competing at all organizational levels. No evidence that conflict styles of men and women converge at a higher organizational level. Steady increase in assertiveness at higher organization levels. Competing and collaborating are the two most assertive styles. Top executives have higher levels of competing and entry levels have higher levels of compromising. Women end up with lower pay and fewer promotions due to low levels of competing styles. Supervisors/managers are high in coordination and integrations. Avoiding is equal in genders and at all levels.
5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
Brad/4
AEOIU Conflict Resolution
A – acknowledge – state to the individual that you are assuming their positive intent.
E – Express – Express your own perspective/concern
I – Identify – Clearly define your goals/objectives/recommendations
O – Outcome – Features/benefits of your way & acknowledge their flexibility
U – Understanding – reach an agreement & be on the same page
5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
Brad/5
Small Group Dynamics
Group socialization – is the process of teaching and adjusting to group norms and behaviors. This is vital for teams/groups to build cohesion and feel comfortable with one another.
– Technical knowledge is gathered during group socializing and specifies the specifics of the purpose of the group and norms surrounding group goals/deliverables
– Social knowledge is gathered during group socializing and specifies social norms and behaviors of the group and how the different group members behave amongst each other
Procedural conflict – a conflict that emerges due to disagreements in how the group will function from an operational perspective. How will they maintain communications, who is their leader, etc?
Substantive conflict – a conflict that emerges due to disagreements in values, attitudes, or ideas amongst the different team members.
Interpersonal conflict – a conflict that emerges due to personalities or altercations between two different people in a group. Typically, will be about how one individual will approach an idea or behaves.
5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
Nakul/1
Acquire Resources
The requirement of the resources for the project can be external or internal. Through the procurement process, external resources can be acquired whereas internal resources can be acquired from the functional managers. Because of matrix project requirements, collective bargaining agreements, and internal or external reporting relationships the project management team does not have direct control over the resources. The project manager needs to negotiate and influence others while acquiring the resources. If in case, resources are not acquired on time then it may affect project schedule, budget, quality, and risks. The project manager should prepare the document explaining the impact of the unavailability of the resources.
5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
Nakul/1
Acquire Resources
Develop Team is the process of improving competencies, team member interaction, and the overall team environment to enhance project performance. The output of this process is that it helps in improving teamwork, enhances interpersonal skills, and competencies.
To build, motivate, inspire, and lead the project team, the project manager should establish an open and effective communication mechanism, create team-building opportunities, constructively manage conflicts, and encourage collaborative decision-making.
5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
Nakul/2
Managing Conflict
To address the conflict, the leader has to keep patience, listen to others, required goodwill and determination. The leader should be a motivator in the conflict by explaining the benefit to the concerned party of taking the conflict constructively rather than in a destructive manner. a leader can attempt to prevent or manage conflict judiciously by acting as a delegator, turning over responsibility for various tasks to others.
Conflict resolution strategies: Avoidance, Defensiveness versus supportiveness communication, Empathetic listening
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Cohesion
–
Group climate
: the relatively enduring tone and quality of group interaction that is experienced similarly by group members
–
Task cohesion
: the commitment of group members to the purpose and activities of the group
–
Social cohesion
: the attraction and liking among group members
o Ideally, groups have an appropriate balance between the two types relative to the group purpose.
-Groups with good cohesion will: set goals easily; exhibit a high commitment to achieving the purpose of the group; are more productive; experience fewer attendance issues; have group members who are willing to stick with the group during times of difficulty; have satisfied group members who identify with, promote, and defend the group; have members who are willing to listen to each other and offer support and constructive criticism; and experience less anger and tension
– Qualities that contribute to positive group climate/morale: Participation, messages, feedback, equity, clear and accepted roles, and motivation.
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Meeting Management
The thorough planning of pre-meeting activities and skillful leadership during the meeting itself is required to achieve effectiveness in meetings. Before the meeting is planned, it is important to decide whether the meeting is required or not or whether the meeting objective can be accomplished via a phone, video conference, or written communication. A meeting agenda should be prepared which should include the objective and desired outcome of the meeting.
To achieve effectiveness in the meeting it is important to start the meeting on time. The team participants must introduce themselves to each other and the facilitator should reinstate the meeting objectives and establish the ground rules of the meeting. The effectiveness of the meeting is achieved if the agenda is followed, the meeting is as per the schedule, tasks are identified and assigned.
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Task Typology and Virtual Teams
A total of six basic categories of task characteristics have been compiled: degree of interdependence, goal complexity, data gathering/distribution demands, information processing demands, evaluation demands, and situational demands.
Studies show that different complexity of project or task determines and plays a role in the software and technologies that are used for online-groups. Email would be an example of technology that would be used to resolve simple tasks or decisions, while teleconferencing, audio conferencing, and more complex technologies are utilized as things get more complicated.
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Majority Rules
Decisiveness only when there are no more than two alternatives. Anonymity, Neutrality, Monotonicity. Dependent on alternatives that are irrelevant. Proportional representation.
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Decision Making
– Group problem solving process:
o Step 1 – Define the Problem
§ Problem statement: The group should have a single sentence that summarizes the problem
o Step 2- Analyze the Problem
§ Problem question- a question to guide the group as it generates possible solutions
o Step 3- Generate possible solutions
o Step 4- Evaluate Solutions
o Step 5- Implement and assess the solution
o
Consensus rule
– all members of the group must agree on the same decision
§ Pros- high quality decision due to time invested, higher level of commitment, satisfaction due to shared agreement
§ Cons- Time consuming, difficult to manage ideas= and personal conflict as ideas are debated, decision may be OK but not ideal
o
Majority rule
– one-half plus one must agree before a decision is made
§ Pros – quick, efficient, each vote counts equally
§ Cons
– close decisions may reduce buy-in, doesn’t take advantage of group synergy to develop alternatives, minority may feel alienated
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Negotiation
Integrative agreements – parties involved in the negotiation give up on issues that aren’t very important to them (but may be important to the other party), and hold strong to the issues that are important to them
· a good approach can lead to increased satisfaction for all parties involved
Optimum mix of factors for integrative agreements
· High concern for own outcomes
· High concern for others’ outcomes
· Willingness to engage in deep and deliberate processing of information
Factors that can affect the balance of cooperative vs competitive incentives during negotiation
· Bargaining strength
· Time pressure
· Accountability to constituents
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Inconsistency
· Fallacies of inconsistency are cases where something inconsistent, self-contradictory or self-defeating is presented.
· Self-defeating statement means a statement that is not logical but is close enough that it is false.
Example: children saying they are not able to be seen when playing hide and seek and closing their eyes instead of hiding out of sight.
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When to use conflict styles
Competing
· Emergency
· When you are right
· Trivial Issue
When you should not use competing style:
· When cooperation is important, teamwork is needed
Collaborating
· Significant issue
· Cooperation is needed
· Reasonable hope
When you should not use collaborating style:
· Time is short, the issues are unimportant
Compromising
· Time is limited
· Resources are limited
When you should not use compromising style:
· Best solution possible is needed and can’t live with the consequences
Avoiding
· Relationship is insignificant
· Trivial Issue
When you should not use avoidance style:
· Negative feelings may linger
Accommodating
· You really don’t care
· Powerless
· When you realize you are wrong
When you should not use accommodating style:
· Resentment, acceptance
Negotiation Styles:
· Cooperative, Competitive and independent.
Sources of negotiations:
Awards, Positional Power, Sanctions, Force, Information, Expertise, An elegant solution, charisma, commitment, relationship, BATNA
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The Toulmin Argument
The Toulmin argument can be used to break down the components in an argument. This breakdown can provide the basis or steps needed to have a good constructive argument.
Claim: assertion you hope to prove
Evidence: Support
Warrant: Connection between claim and Evidence
Backing: Support
Rebuttal: objection
Qualifier: limits put on the claim
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Mediation
Mediation is one of the resolution techniques which assists the two parties who are involved in the conflict to find a viable solution.
The difference between litigation and mediation is that in litigation both parties have to follow the court order and in mediation, the mediator does not impose his/her decision on both the parties. Mediation is more of an informal approach and is simple to process, whereas litigation is a complex process in which both parties have to abide by the law. Mediation and litigation both help to resolve the conflict. The mediation technique is used to resolve the conflict associated with litigation.
The mediator is a catalyst between the conflicting parties and tries to define the problem and facilitate the communication process by removing impediments. If both the parties do not want to settle with a mutual agreement, then the mediator must work hard to create a perception of a greater need and if both the parties are willing to settle the dispute then the mediator has more leverage.
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Arbitration
Unlike mediation, the arbitrator is a private third party who seeks to hear both the conflicting parties and makes a final determination that binds the parties. In business or any contractual agreement, disputes are bound to happen. Disputes can be resolved through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation. Mediation and arbitration are cost-effective alternatives to litigation. When the conflicting party decides to submit the dispute to the arbitrator for a final decision is often known as an award which is in writing and final.
Non-binding arbitration also seeks to listen to both the party and give an award that is not final and binding to the party. In this case, the arbitrator’s award is merely an advisory opinion. Most of the settlement cases go to binding arbitration. Parties may also choose to go for the court trial. Mandatory arbitration is also known as court-ordered arbitration which is a judicial mandate intended to resolve pending court cases. At an early stage of the lawsuit, the court-ordered arbitration follows the rules and process laid down by the law. Unlike mediation, arbitration offers parties a decisive legal outcome to their dispute without the expense and inconvenience of court proceedings and attorney fees.
The international business community is using arbitration to resolve commercial disputes arising in the global marketplace. In international trade, arbitration is famous to resolve disputes because it is easier to enforce an arbitration award in a foreign country than it is to enforce a judgment of the court.
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Motivation
For peak performance: Performance = motivation x ability x environment
– Motivation – the intention of achieving a goal, leading to goal-directed behavior
– Ability – having the skills and knowledge required to perform the job
-Environment- resources, information, and support one needs to perform well
Acquired Needs theory:
Need for achievement
A strong need to be successful
o However, high need for achievement can dissuade people when promoted in management – micromanagers can’t delegate authority, managerial work ( coaching, recruiting, motivating) waste of time
Need for affiliation
Want to be liked and accepted by others
o Managerial disadvantage- too much care in others perception could make some functions tough
Need for power
Want to influence others and control their environment
o Can be destructive of one’s relationships if power is for personal gain
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Cultural impacts on negotiation
4 ways culture impacts negotiation
· Conditions an individual’s perception of reality
· Blocks out info that does not fall in line with their culturally-influenced assumptions
· Projects meaning on the other negotiating party’s actions
· Drives an ethnocentric observer to an incorrect conclusion of motive
Both cultural and social intelligence are key to the success of international business negotiation.
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Ethical and Cross-Cultural Negotiations
Dependent upon the culture, some thresholds for conflict may vary. Studies have shown that certain cultures (like the Japanese) tend to use negotiators and offers as an information exchange process. They expect to receive information from you in return for their offer. Alternatively, Americans tend to reveal more information than their Japanese counterparts. Due to these patterns, Japanese may take longer and more offers to get to a final consensus.
Dependent upon cultures, negotiation can be viewed differently. Western cultures view negotiation as a business activity, whereas regions such as Brazil may consider negotiations more social and continue negotiations during social events where the business is not usually discussed.
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Distributive tactics
-Win/lose situation
-Information is the most important tool
-Negotiator to find resistance point
-Change what opposite side thinks about what they gain
-Bargain concrete commitment
-Smaller concessions
-Follow-up
-Give up less as time goes on so other side thinks you have nothing left to give
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Business Negotiation Part Six: Integrative Negotiation
Integrative bargaining assumes that if the differences between both parties can be understood, then the dispute can be overcome with a win-win strategy. In integrative bargaining, both parties need to share the goal of win-win. When both the parties define what is in common between them than the differences between two sides can be minimized. The needs of both parties should be understood by each party to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution.
Integrative negotiation goes through four different stages:
1. Define the common problem- Understand what is different between both the conflicting parties.
2. Find Interests & Needs- Tries to understand more. “What do I want” “what do you want”. Understand the needs.
3. Think up solutions- Both the party brainstorms to come up with solutions, create as many as possible. No bad ideas
4. Pick the best solution- Choose the best solution that is maximized for each side. It does not mean one party has to compromise. Choose the best solution from the available solutions.
The key is to work for mutual benefit. Don’t work personally or give any personal comment. Try to understand what you want, why do you want, ask for an explanation to better understand the pain areas of the conflicting parties.
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Decision Making
Avoiding Decision-Making Traps
–
Overconfidence bias
– when individuals overestimate their ability to predict future events
–
Hindsight bias
– the opposite of overconfidence bias, occurs when looking backward in time and mistakes seem obvious after they have already occurred
o Problem when judging someone else’s decisions
–
Anchoring
– the tendency for individuals to rely too heavily on a single piece of information
–
Framing bias
– the tendency of decision makers to be influenced by the way that a situation or problem is presented
– Escalation of commitment
– individuals continue on a failing course of action after information reveals it may be a poor path to follow
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Manage Communications and Monitor Communications
Managing Communications – process concerned with overseeing efficient channels of sharing information based on the needs of the project
· Necessary to maintain healthy relationships between the project team and stakeholders
Monitor Communications –
process concerned with ensuring that the current methods of communication meet the needs of the stakeholders and project at hand
· Analyzes the execution of the planned communications to ensure that they have the desired effect on the project
· Can trigger subsequent changes to the current methods of communication in order to optimize efficiency and effectiveness on the project
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Interpersonal Skills for Project Success (podcast)
Review of 14 interview’s dynamics and highlights of key interpersonal skills related to project management success.
Key Takeaways:
1. The ability to communicate and speak confidently
2. The use of Active Listening and Emotional Intelligence training
3. Transactional Analysis: be aware of how you treat others and make sure your interactions are categorized as adult to adult.
4. Be aware of violent communication and make sure you avoid it at all costs.
5. The ability to influence others and ensure your team members are on your side and loyal to the group objective.
6. Positive Outlook
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Culture and Communication
-Culture-shared set of attributes in a group
-Managers should know their teams culture breakdown
-Managers should understand theirs teams culture
-Cultural variables include accents, silence, gestures, eye contact
-People are complease and unpredictable
-Proposed solutions include understanding the team is one unit, project managers spending time understanding cultures, intercultural workshops, diversity understanding, improving cooperation, studying different cultures, acquiring training in conflict management, importance of women on teams, cultural leadership and competency, cultural coaches, multicultural events.
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Project Leadership and the Art of Managing Relationships
The success of the project depends on how well the project manager is managing the project and leading its team. The project manager should understand the soft side of the team as well. Most of the time of the project manager is spent communicating with stakeholders. This necessitates the importance of building and managing relationships both within the team as well as with those affected by the team’s output.
Leaders must understand the individual member’s values, gifts, and motivations to get the best performance from them. The project manager should make an employee happy and valued by improving the relationship and effectively managing the conflict
An instrument called Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) is the best instrument in project and work environments because it is based on observable behaviors (Anderson, 2010). In a pressure situation, the SDI allows the team members to quickly validate their behavior and also provides an insight into the way they experience and deal with the conflict.
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Enabling and maintaining trust in multicultural projects
Trust can be attributed to a relationship between individuals. Trust is an important factor for the success of the project. If the project team is having trust in each other then the team can collaborate effectively. If the communication channel is broken and performance is deviating, then it is difficult to collaborate. Cultural Intelligence (CI) is about understanding how culture impacts communication and relationships (Woerner, 2011). CI is required for trust to be developed in multi-cultural teams. The intent may be interpreted differently across cultures. The same project steps exist in multi-cultural teams: initiation, kick-off, execution, monitoring/controlling, and closing.
During the initiation, stage observation is a technique that helps to determine the trust aspect of the multi-cultural project. Obtaining a historical view will also help the project manager to determine the trust.
During the kick-off stage, the kick-off meeting sets the tone for the combined projects. Different people share their learnings and experiences and such activities establish and extend the trust.
During the execution stage, the daily stand-up meetings are an event where the team members discuss the progress and issues related to the work which establishes trust.
In the monitoring/controlling stage, it is obvious to have conflict and risks (Woerner, 2011). The project manager should mitigate the risk and resolve the conflict and help to establish trust. Face-to-face conflict resolution is more effective.
During the closure stage, the project manager pulls all the team members together to discuss what went well and what didn’t.
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Trust
Actions that can tear down trust:
o Perceptions, misunderstandings, and mistakes
o Withholding information
o Looking to point blame – lowers morale, undermines trust, damages team productivity
o Excuse making- can damage credibility
o Allowing unhealthy alliances and hidden agendas
o Rewarding individuals at the team’s expense
o Fear-based environment
o Micromanagement
Actions that build trust:
o
Personal attributes
§ Be genuine
§ Never compromise integrity or personal values
§ Lead by example
§ Know your personal weaknesses and mitigate them
o
Project manager actions
§ Be consistent and predictable
§ Encourage openness and transparency
§ Don’t be afraid of difficult decisions
§ Manage expectations and share team mission
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How to Choose the Right Tools for Any Client Communication
Types of technology
Phone calls
o Pros: more personal and direct, mitigates the possibility of miscommunication
o Cons: disruptive; best to check-in before giving someone a call
Voicemails
o Pros: gives the person the option of listening and responding when they are available; immediate communication, faster to do than email
o Cons: one-way communication, may need multiple before the two parties can successfully connect
Teleconferences
o Pros: efficient and effective for decision making; keeps all parties updated
o Cons: can lose direction as additional participants are added
Video conferences
o Pros: face-to-face while still being remote; can see body language and other nonverbal cues
o Cons: not everyone may have high-quality equipment; must be conscious of lighting and background; eye contact is lost
Video-enabled web conferences
o Pros: all advantages of in-person while still being virtual
o Cons: may take time to feel comfortable with the technology; requires planning to have all technology and people involved ready
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How to Manage Virtual Teams
Positive approaches to managing a dispersed team include but are not limited to:
Promotion of self-leadership across the entire team in remote team scenarios has been shown to have a strong positive impact on the functions of a team.
Periodic face-to-face meetings of dispersed teams have been shown to be effective for initiating and assisting in key team-building processes and expectations.
Building a culture around the remote team process can be helpful. If a leader chooses to build a culture with a dispersed team where the culture focuses on seeing people in person, it will obviously underperform. However, a manager or team lead that fosters a culture that encourages remote characteristics may see that their team culture has a more positive impact versus the previous scenario mentioned.
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Group Decision Support Systems
GDSS – Group Decision Support System – these systems combine communication, computer and decision technologies.
These platforms utilize cloud-based or “live” software systems that allow teams to interact in real-time instances in order to assist in complimenting the challenges that are associated with dispersed teams.
GDSS originated in the 70’s using telephone technology and has grown significantly as the internet and technology have continued to develop.
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Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication
Synchronous communication is online communication enabled in real time via different technologies such as instant messaging, MS Teams, Chatterbox, etc. Asynchronous communication is communication between a sender and a receiver who are not logged on at the same time (e.g., e-mail, online discussion forums).
Asynchronous communication is widely practiced in a project environment where the email chain creates confusion and sometimes acts as a tool to convey a message without any further discussion.
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Task and Technology fit:
Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication
Study: Email for asynchronous communication & Group Support System(GSS) for synchronous communication
Results:
o GSS supported groups generate more total and basic ideas
§ Little time for reflection, digestion, and thoughtfulness with parallel communication
o Groups using email generated a higher proportion of inferential ideas and deeper problem-solving analysis
o Number and proportion of inferential ideas were significantly higher in less structured task than more
Key Points:
o The quality of communications is viewed as the single most important factor in group decision making or failure
o Communication’s influence on performance depends on type of task
o Focus on study was idea generation activity in the first two phases of the normative decision sequence
§ Appropriate comm tech will depend on the activity and phase the task is performed
§ less structured and ambiguous tasks require rich media
o GSS in synchronous comm allows for social/verbal cues and non-textual feedback
o E-mails can lead to interactivity, uncertain feedback, may hinder coordination
§ Lack of time pressure can enable more absorption of more feedback, and algin the information symmetry for deeper thinking and inferential knowledge
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Videoconferencing
Videoconferencing allows for synchronous, or simultaneous, sharing of data through voice, video, digital white board, and data files. Individuals can share their screens and files. Allows access to work from home. Increases family time while reducing commuting. Can allow for training without travel to separate locations. Remote teaching.
Technology allows for meeting rooms, moveable equipment, and desktop units.
Successful video conferencing includes comfort, transparency, and proper position on camera.
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