Communication in Teams

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 Topics

Communication in Teams
(i) Conflicts
(ii) Negotiation
(iii) Team Building

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 Team

• Team: a number of people or animals who do

something together as a group.”
(The Cambridge English Dictionary)

• The most important segment of this definition?

• “… do something together as a group.”
• Effective team work is absolutely essential for a
company’s success. Why?
– because one individual does not have all the skills needed
to compete in today’s business world.
– it cannot wait for one or two people to do all the work
involved. (Shwom and Snyder 2014: 51) 3
 Team – contd.

• The company must rely on a well-coordinated team,

with each person doing his or her part to achieve the
common goal.
• “An effective team involves two or more people who
recognize and share a commitment to a specific,
common goal and who collaborate in their efforts to
achieve that goal.” (Shwom and Snyder 2014: 51)
• Two important segments:
– … recognize and share a commitment to a specific, common
goal …
– … collaborate in their efforts to achieve that goal 4
 Team – contd.

• Today, teams (also committees/panels) are a typical

form of organization in companies/ institutions
• Teams – one of the most effective and efficient
methods for achieving organizational tasks and goals.
• Individuals also benefit by working on teams:
– They improve their interpersonal skills,
– expand their personal network,
and
– use their best individual strengths while learning new skills
from others.
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 Team – contd.

• “A team is a collection of people who must work

interdependently [and independently] to achieve a
common goal or output.” (Baden Eunson cited in Liibert)
• Teams must work interdependently
– The members need to cooperate and collaborate (interact)
with one another
– Interdependent cooperation hugely depends on team
communication
• What is communication?
– exchange of information
– and transmission of meaning. (Liibert) 6
 Team Communication

• All team members need to interact and exchange

information in order to achieve their goals.
– regardless of the type of team and its tasks.
• The specific forms and types of communication that
take place will depend on
• your field of work,
and
• the structure of your team.
• The team manager’s responsibility is to choose the
appropriate channels for team communication, ones
that help them achieve their team’s goals. (Liibert) 7
 Team Communication channels

Two important Channels of Team Communication:

(i) Verbal team communication: team meetings, one-on-
one interactions, watercooler conversations, calls
– Also, Non verbal communication, things that are left unsaid
(ii) Written communication: paper documentation,
electronic documentation, emails, team chat, tasks

• Any combination of these channels will work for a team.

• Success depends on whichever form works for the
team. (Liibert)8
 Ways of improving Team Performance

(i) Assemble an effective team

(ii) Agree on team goals and standards
(iii) Pay attention to team development and dynamics
(iv) Develop good leadership practices
(v) Plan for effective meetings
(vi) Be a good team member (Shwom and Snyder 2014)

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 Conflicts

• Conflict is one of the most significant and costly

problems in a workplace.
• Conflict – an active disagreement between people with
opposing opinions/views or principles. (The Cambridge
English Dictionary)
• If conflicts and workplace incivility are not addressed,
the negative emotions result in
– wasted time,
– loss of productivity,
– poor work performance,
– and decreased work effort (Shwom and Snyder 2014: 41) 10
 Conflicts – contd.

• These consequences are also costly to an

organization.
• Conflicts may also make/force people to leave their
jobs.
• A study confirms that more than 50 percent of all
resignations resulted from unresolved interpersonal
conflict.
• For every employee who leaves, a business needs to
hire and train a new employee, which costs at least
1.5 times that employee’s salary (Shwom and Snyder 2014:41)
• Conflicts are at times productive… 11
 Conflicts – contd.

• Some organizations encourage disagreement and

clashes of opinion in order to reach better decisions
• Conflicts in teams need to be addressed/resolved.
• The six-step plan to address the root of the conflict:
1 Listen to ensure you understand the problem
2. Understand the other’s position
3. Show a concern for the relationship
4. Look for areas of mutual agreement
5. Invent new problem-solving options
6. Reach a fair agreement; choose the best option
(Guffey and Loewy 12
2016)
 Two Broad Categories of Conflicts
(Shwom and Snyder 2014: 41 – 42)

1) Cognitive conflict
– which results from differences in understanding content or
tasks,
– All high-performing work teams experience disagreements
while collaborating,
– working through these disagreements can have positive results
on the quality of team decisions and the final work product.
2) Affective conflict
– which results from differences in personalities and
relationships
– If affective conflicts remain unstated and unaddressed, they
can lead to tension, stress, and dysfunctional work processes.
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 Conflict resolution or conflict management

• Two terms used to discuss handling conflict in the

literature
(i) “Conflict resolution”
– Implies that the conflict will go away.
(ii) “conflict management”
– recognizes that some conflicts cannot be
resolved.
• “Conflict management is a more helpful term.”
(Shwom and Snyder 2014)
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 Conflict Management

• A two-step process for managing conflict:

(i) identify the cause of the conflict – Analysis
(ii) decide how to respond. – Resolution
• The line between cognitive and affective conflicts is
not definitive.
• It is sometimes difficult to know whether a conflict is
cognitive or affective— e.g.,
– whether you truly object to that person’s idea (cognitive)
– or you simply do not like that person (affective).
(Shwom and Snyder 2014) 15
 Conflict Management – contd.

• Cognitive and affective conflicts generally occur for a

few well-defined reasons.
• Cognitive conflicts
– Competing goals
– Differences of opinion
– Faulty assumptions
• Affective conflicts
– Relational issues
– Ego issues
(Shwom and Snyder 2014)
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 Cognitive conflicts: Competing goals

• Competing goals
• A business organization may work toward a number of
goals which are in competition with each other.

• Organization’s (employer’s) goals:

– to make a profit
– to plan for future growth,
– to keep employees and customers satisfied,
and
– to meet governmental requirements for employee and
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consumer safety (Shwom and Snyder 2014)
 Cognitive conflicts: Competing goals
– contd.

• Employees’ goals
– to increase their income,
– to enhance their reputation,
– to gain new customers,
– to get a promotion,
and/or
– to spend more quality time with family and friends.
• Routine Conflicts
• because people work with different goals in mind.
(Shwom and Snyder 2014)
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 Cognitive conflicts: Competing goals
– contd.

• Addressing Competing Goals

– recognize that they (each individual/faction) tries to achieve
different goals,
– analyze each goal and its implications
– discuss the issue with the supervisors to determine which
goal has priority
– agree to achieve the most important goal
or
– collaborate to find a solution that addresses both goals.
(Shwom and Snyder 2014)

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 Cognitive conflicts: Differences of opinion

• Differences of opinion
• people agree on a goal, but they may have differences of
opinion about how to achieve it.

• Addressing Differences of opinion

– Use a rational decision-making process, which evaluates
the pros and cons of each strategy
– make some compromise for both parties
– prevent it from escalating into an affective conflict
(Shwom and Snyder 2014)
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 Cognitive conflicts: Faulty assumptions

• Faulty assumptions
– People often draw conclusions or make decisions based on
faulty assumptions.
– They may not have all the information, and jump to
conclusions.
• Addressing Faulty Assumptions
• share more information with each other,
• carefully analyze each option/conclusion and the relevant
basis/rationale, pros and cons of each option
• come to an agreement by selecting the best option
• if unresolved, take a vote. (Shwom and Snyder 2014) 21
 Affective conflicts: Relational Issues

• Relational Issues
– people just don’t get along well, and they don’t work to
overcome their differences.
– most of us prefer to work with people whose styles are
similar to our own, e.g. detail-/decision-/action-oriented
– styles that differ from our own often create tension
– treat a person with a different style badly – conflict
– a productive perspective is to realize that different styles
may complement each other and help a team work towards
a goal
(Shwom and Snyder 2014)
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Affective conflicts: Relational Issues – contd.

• Addressing Relational Issues (Shwom and Snyder 2014)

• do not ignore it – it will never disappear or go away.
• explore ways to resolve it.
• pick your battles.
• argue only about things that make a real difference.
• ask if you can meet to discuss the cause of the conflict.
• be sure to listen attentively/actively.
• focus on the content rather than personalities.
• use neutral rather than accusatory language.
• ask for help from managers, if you need it - mediation from
supervisors may sometimes be necessary. 23
 Affective conflicts: Ego issues

• Ego issues
– These conflicts threaten someone’s sense of professional
identity or self-image.
– In professional contexts, people typically see themselves as
honest, reasonable, intelligent, and work to achieve the
goals of the organization.
– When people are accused of something negative by a
person, they may find it difficult to work productively with that
person.
(Shwom and Snyder 2014)

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 Affective conflicts: Ego issues – contd.

• Addressing Ego Issues

• shift the focus back to business – to reach
goals/meet deadlines.
• be flexible – have always the goal in your mind.
• Be tactful, try to boost his/her ego/morale.
• try to negotiate/compromise (adopting a give-and-
take policy???).
• offer compliments, and make him/her listen to you
or accept what you propose.
(Shwom and Snyder 2014)
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 Negotiation

• Negotiation
– the process of discussing with someone or a group of people
in order to reach an agreement with him/her/them.
• “a strategic discussion that resolves an issue in a way
that both parties find acceptable” In a negotiation,
each party tries to make the other to agree with
his/her/their point of view.
• By negotiating, parties involved need to avoid arguing
but agree to reach some form of compromise.
(Kenton 2020)
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 Negotiation – contd.

• Negotiations involve some give and take,

– which means one party will always come out on top of the
negotiation.
– The other, though, must concede—even if that
concession is nominal. Parties involved in
negotiations can vary. They may be negotiations
between
– buyers and sellers,
– an employer and prospective employee,
– the governments of two or more countries. (Kenton 2020)
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 Negotiation – contd.

• Negotiating is used to
– reach an agreement
– settle disputes
– reduce debts
– obtain loans
– lower the sale price of something, e.g., house, land
– improve the conditions of a contract,
– get a better deal on something, car, equipment.
(Kenton 2020)
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 Negotiation – contd.

• When negotiating, be sure to:

– justify your position,
– consider the issue/problem from the other
person’s/party’s point of view
– not to be emotional, but rational
– know when to walk away.
(Kenton 2020)

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 Negotiation – contd.

• In any disagreement, individuals understandably aim

to achieve via negotiation
– the best possible outcome for himself/herself, or the
group/organization s/he represents
• However, three keys are essential for a successful
outcome and a healthy/peaceful negotiation
– the principles of fairness,
– seeking mutual benefit
and
– maintaining a relationship (“What is Negotiation?”)
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 Negotiation – contd.

• Key Factors in Negotiations

– The Parties Involved
– Relationships
– Communication
– Alternatives
– Realistic Options
– Legitimate Claims
– Level of Commitment (Kenton 2020)

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 Negotiation – contd.

• The process of negotiation includes the following

stages:
1. Preparation
2. Discussion
3. Clarification of goals
4. Negotiate towards a Win-Win outcome
5. Agreement
6. Implementation of a course of action
(“What is Negotiation?”)

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 Team Building

– It is the process of turning a group of individual contributing

employees into a cohesive team —
– a group of people organized to work together to meet the
needs of their customers …
• Team building can include the daily interaction that
employees engage in when working together to carry
out the requirements of their jobs.
• This form of team building is natural and the members
need to formulate a set of team norms –
• to help group members know how to appropriately interact on
the team and with the rest of the organization. (“What is Team
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Building?”)
 Team Building – contd.

Top Six Reasons for Team Building

1. Networking, socializing and getting to know each
other better.
2. Teamwork and boosting team performance.
3. Competition and bragging rights.
4. Celebration, team spirit, fun, and motivation.
5. Collaboration and the fostering of innovation and
creativity.
6. Communication and working better together.
(“6 Reasons Why Team Building Works”)
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 Team Building – contd.

• The psychologist B. A. Tuckman identified four

phases of Team Development:
– Forming
– storming
– norming
and
– performing
(Tuckman cited in Guffey and Loewy 2016)

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 Team Building – contd.

• Forming
– Select members
– Become acquainted
– Build trust
– Form collaborative culture
(Tuckman cited in Guffey and Loewy 2016)

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 Team Building – contd.

• Storming
– Identify problems
– Collect and share information
– Establish decision criteria
– Prioritize goals
(Tuckman cited in Guffey and Loewy 2016)

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 Team Building – contd.

• Norming
– Discuss alternatives
– Evaluate outcomes
– Apply criteria
– Prioritize alternatives
(Tuckman cited in Guffey and Loewy 2016)

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 Team Building – contd.

• Performing
– Select alternative
– Analyze effects
– Implement plan
– Manage project
(Tuckman cited in Guffey and Loewy 2016)

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 References

“6 Reasons Why Team Building Works.” TeamBonding.

https://www.teambonding.com/6-reasons-for-team-building/
Acceessed 25.07.2020.
Guffey, M. E and D. Loewy. (2016). Essentials of Business
Communication. 10th ed. South-Western Cengage Learning:
Australia, Brazil, Japan …
Heathfield, Susan M. (2020). “What Is Team Building?”
the balance careers. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/
what-is-team-building-1918270#:~:text=Team%
20building%20is% 20purpose%20and%20goals.
20the%20process, accomplishing%20their%.
Accessed 25.07.2020 40
 References

Kenton Will. (2020). “Negotiation.” Investopedia.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/negotiation.asp.
Accessed 25.07.2020.
Liibert, Katheriin. How to Improve Team Communication: The
Ultimate Guide. Fleep. https://
fleep.io/blog/how-to-improve-team-communication/
#:~:text=Teams%20must%20work%20interdependently.&text=S
o%2C. Accessed 25.07.2020
Shwom, B. G, and Snyder, L. G. (2014). Business Communication:
Polishing Your Professional Presence. 3rd ed. Pearson: New
York.
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 References

“What is Negotiation?” skillsyouneed. https://www.

skillsyouneed.com/ips/negotiation.html. Accessed 25.07.2020.

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Thank you

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