Conflict Management and Teamwork

Flashcards covering conflict management terminology, team dynamics, types of conflict, and dispute resolution processes for Grade 12 level.

Role overload

A situation where a team member has more work than they can cope with.

Role conflict

Occurs when more than one member wants to play the same role in the team.

Role ambiguity

A lack of clarity between roles assigned to team members.

Synergy

The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects, such as when effort increases from $3 \times 3 \times 3 \times 3 \times 3 = 243$ to $4 \times 4 \times 4 \times 4 \times 4 = 1024$.

Formal Teams

Teams created by management to work towards the goals of the organisation, sometimes using autocratic or democratic selection.

Informal Teams

Groups of people who gravitate towards each other due to common interests or shared goals and follow their own code of conduct.

Grapevine

An informal communication network that provides a sense of identity and support within informal teams.

Forming

The stage of team development where members come together, assess how they fit, and determine who will lead.

Storming

The most volatile stage of team development where members test roles, disagree, and form group conflict.

Norming

The stage where the team starts to gel, group identity is formed, and roles/methods are refined and finalised.

Performing

The longest lasting stage where the actual work is done and the group focuses on achieving objectives with an effective structure.

Adjourning

The disbanding of the group when a task is completed or is realized to be unsuccessful.

Mourning

The process of reflection following an unsuccessful team project where members have formed close bonds.

Functional Conflict

Positive conflict that identifies problems, stimulates creativity, and improves productivity through compromise.

Dysfunctional Conflict

Aggressive or non-aggressive disagreement with no compromise that hampers productivity.

Inner Conflict

Conflict driven by personal factors like jealousy, feelings of inferiority, or oversensitivity; addressed through identify, refer, and extend steps.

Emotional Intelligence

A person's ability to manage relationships in a mature manner, such as dealing with difficult or abusive customers.

Devil’s Advocate

A technique to stimulate functional conflict by questioning everything and creating debate to prevent group think.

Smoothing

A short-term conflict management solution where differences are ignored and focus is placed on commonalities.

Forcing

When authority forces solutions on subordinates without their participation, often leading to resentment.

Negotiation

A process where two parties sit down and try to reach a compromise by themselves without third-party intervention.

Conciliation

A third-party intervention where a third person joins to facilitate discussion and ensure both parties have a chance to speak.

Mediation

A third-party intervention where a third person provides advice, but the final decision remains with the original parties.

Arbitration

A process where a third party takes the decision out of the hands of the original parties and makes a binding judgement call.

Con-arb

A one-stop process for unfair labour practices and dismissals where both conciliation and arbitration occur in one day.

CCMA

Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration; an independent organisation acting as a dispute resolution body.

Workplace Forums (WPF)

Bodies established under the LRA that allow workers to participate in consensus decision-making with management to increase efficiency.

Employers Organisations

Experts such as COFESA or NAPE that businesses can outsource labor relations issues to for assistance with contracts and CCMA representation.

Trade Unions

Organisations that engage in collective bargaining and represent employees on grievances, disciplinary issues, and conditions of service.