Overcoming Group Conflicts in SOCW 6121: A Case Study, Thesis of Business Accounting

Download Overcoming Group Conflicts in SOCW 6121: A Case Study and more Thesis Business Accounting in PDF only on Docsity! SOCW 6121 Assessing Group Process 4: Group Project Goals Walden University SOCW 6121 : Advanced Clinical Practice II Assessing Group Process 4: Group Project Goals In my previous assessment of my group process, I discussed the difficulties my group in adjusting to each member’s working style. One member in particular had a specific ideal for how the group should function while working toward our goal and developed some anxiety when other members were not understanding what she was attempting to communicate. To assist in the group process, I assigned myself the task of being more communicative with this group member and attempting to learn exactly what she needed in order to feel more comfortable with the group and its progress thus far. After reaching out to the group member, I discovered that she had been unintentionally excluded from one form of our group communication- a group text. While she had commented at various times in group meetings that she was unaware of what we were referring to, the rest of the group, myself included, were not aware that she was not on the group text and no one specifically asked her what she was confused about. Had that question been asked earlier in the group process, a lot of anxiety and disagreements could have been avoided. According to Toseland and Rivas (2017), when groups are new, it is common for there to be a lack of cohesion and for group members to feel as though they do not belong. When a group member has been seemingly excluded from group conversation, this feeling of not belonging is exacerbated. As part of my self-assigned task to help this group member feel more confident in the group, I informed the creator of the group text that the number she had for her was incorrect and asked that it be corrected to include the excluded member in the chat. I also discussed with her the other concerns she had and shared with her that I had similar concerns regarding the importance of the project’s grade and its impact on my overall class grade, as pointing out common goals can help members feel part of the group (Toseland & Rivas, 2017). I listened to her and validated her concerns about the lack of communication and the quality of the content and encouraged her to voice those concerns at the next group meeting. Conflicts occur in every group, and ours is no different. By voicing her concerns over the content of the material we were submitting, the group member upset other group members. This type of conflict is referred to as task conflict as it pertains to the differing opinions about the group’s work. It can be healthy as it stimulates productive conversation (Toseland & Rivas, 2017). When feelings are hurt over task conflict, it can evolve into relationship conflict, which is counterproductive in terms of accomplishing goals (Toseland & Rivas, 2017). This was certainly the case in my group and one group member refused to communicate with the other group member and stated that once she had submitted her part, she would cease communication with the group entirely. To successfully overcome conflict in a group setting, members must view the conflict as an opportunity to share views and opinions (Toseland & Rivas, 2017). Fortunately, the members of my group recognized this before permanent damage was done and resolution occurred. After much discussion, the root of the disagreement was discussed, and changes were made to make each member feel comfortable with the content that will eventually be submitted. I found that completing the assignment of reaching out to the group member who was feeling anxious was easy for me. I truly wanted her to feel comfortable in the group. However, when conflict arose because of my encouraging her to voice her concerns to the entire group, I felt responsible. I wish I could say I was the one who encouraged the two members who were most at odds to discuss their concerns, but I wasn’t. They made that decision on their own, which speaks to their commitment to the project and the group. Ultimately though, I do feel that validating the group member’s concerns and encouraging her to voice them did eventually result in better communication and a better outcome for our project.