Often misunderstanding and miscommunication maybe the cause of tension and stress in a workplace. Sometimes these situations are unavoidable and can lead to the loss of several working days which is detrimental to productivity and performance of employees. Stressful situations needn’t arise and can be resolved only through a determined effort to resolve conflicts. Effective communication skills have to be developed to make the work place atmosphere more congenial. Words can weave magic in sometimes very negative situations. Effective conflict management can make the work environment pleasant and a more productive place.



Performance Enhancement Through Team Efforts



Registering your complaints effectively. ‘I’m never allowed to represent my team’. Instead you can say ‘I wish I were given a chance to represent my team’



Overcoming fear of participation of some team members



Objective: Assigning a role to individual team members.



Team Size 4



Time taken 10 min.



Team Building Exercise 1



A company is a producer of recycled plastic products such as buckets mugs or other Items of daily use. B company is a new entrant into the market but has a sale much higher in the first quarter of the current fiscal. A company has started to loose some of its traditional customer base. A task force of 4 team members has been set up to deal with the problem.



Aim: - recovery of traditional customer base while maintaining quality and standard.



Team Member 1 Identifying the problem Team Member 2 Identifying the causes and effects



Team Member 3 Providing the Solution implementation Team Member 4

Evaluating Performance of each team member



When two employees are having a difference of opinion be it personal or involving company, try not to play the good Samaritan. It is always better to keep away from contentious issues.



Be a good listener. It may turn out that you are actually in tune with what ideas your colleague is trying to convey. Its better give him a chance to speak his mind. You may actually come across better ideas to implement your own strategy. Listening actually helps out in team building efforts. Exchange and inflow of new ideas can benefit a team.



"Here is a Communications Questionnaire To Test Cooperation Among Team Players"



Objective: Determining the participation of the team members.



Time taken 15 minutes. To determine full participation and cooperation from all team members, it is also vitally important to be a good listener. A good listener is a person who is effective in communication.



A) Which of the following represents a big problem in communications ?



Making yourself understood.



Writing an interesting letter.



Telling a funny story.



Presenting ideas clearly and firmly. Listening.



Making an impressive speech.



Saying witty things and making a quick comeback.



Communications Exercise2



B) When you approach the boss for an advice to solve a complicated problem, the boss keeps shuffling the paper and looking at the clock, or answering the telephone. You feel (check one).



Sorry for the boss.



Like saying ' Hey get back in here and listen.'



This is part of the corporate culture.



The boss is indifferent and thinks you are unimportant.



C) Write down the names of three good listeners within your team.



Discussion forum:



'Much of the vitality in a team lies in the honoring of differences, not simply in the enjoyment of similarities.'



Discussion forum and ideas exchange boards:



Objective: Exchange of ideas



True or False



Time taken 10 mins.



Do not force greater clarity and realism in planning.



Normally encourages higher standard of performance.



Motivates team member to come out with better ideas to execute the project.



It does not permit the timely intervention by the corporate management.



It makes the team members develop bipartisan attitude towards each other.



Do not involve seniors in resolving conflicts in the workplace. You create an impression that you are unable to resolve the smallest crisis.



Problem Solving:



Objective: Arriving at a common solution leading to enhanced performance of the team.



Time Taken : 15min.



Consensus: Getting members to agree is one of the most important aspects of communication and also a vital Tool for Team Building. End of the week review and feedback of the defined roles or tasks targets achieved , problems in arriving at a solution, Comments and feed back of team members.



What were the things the team should concentrate on?



Is there room for improvement?



How should we set the priorities straight?



Who should take responsibility for the lapses if any?



What did we learn from all this?



Evaluation:Time Taken 15 minutes



Process of accumulation and elimination of ideas through the extensive use of



Brainstorming sessions -



inputs and output of each team member.



Extensive use of simulated interactive exercises.



Sequential approach to problems.



The constitution of the team.



Conclusion.



Ultimately, conflict resolution in the work place can come through increased cooperation amongst co-workers. A well-knit team can give increased productivity and less stress. Positive attitude can also help tackle many conflicts. There is an infusion of new ideas and exchange of opinions amongst the team members.



Regards,



Aravind Kumar