Introduction
Conflicts are typical for working environments, especially when it comes to multi-member teams. In such situations, leaders should apply communication and collaboration strategies to solve existing problems and mitigate their negative impact. As for the case study under consideration, it is an example of a troubled IT project. Thus, the principal purpose of this paper is to present recommendations on how to manage the Medical Informatics conflict and strengthen the team.
Team Dynamics
The given team consists of experienced and skilled individuals from different departments. These people have already worked on product development projects and are familiar with the systems and applications. John, who has the 23-year of experience, had been the project manager, but he left due to personal reasons. The reporting structure implies the use of servers where team members indicate the percentage of their tasks completed every week. The team is in a storming stage because its members cooperate according to a plan proposed by the manager (Forde, 2018). Originally, the team structure was successful because the initial progress was good. However, a conflict emerged, and the following phenomena caused it.
Firstly, the troubled environment appeared because the team members felt time pressure. It was so because customers requested many changes, and the members were forced to work extra hours. Secondly, the lack of productive communication between the architect and database administrators is another source of conflict. As a result, the two departments are not working together, and it is unclear how to support the vendor reports. This information stipulates that the team is lacking communication and time-management skills.
Conflict Resolution Leadership
According to the data above, a leader of this team should take specific efforts to resolve the conflict. At the given stage, the team members require support and guidance from their manager, but the leader should not be authoritarian. The coaching leadership style seems suitable here because it will allow the team members to follow the leader’s recommendations and feel supported. Consequently, the information above helps determine that the leader needs perfect soft skills, including communication, while the team members should have developed hard skills, such as the ability to use computer programs. In addition to that, it is necessary to comment on a conflict resolution strategy that can be useful here. According to the Participation Company (2016), compromising is a productive strategy because it is a fair way to achieve a goal. For example, if the conflict appears because the team members are forced to work extra hours, a leader can offer additional benefits for this overtime. This compromise indicates that the two parties to the conflict will obtain some advantages.
Motivation and Confidence
Once a conflict is resolved, it is rational to invest in the motivation of employees to create a cohesive team. This result is possible if all members feel their significance and have a respectful attitude. There are a few essential steps that can help leaders create such an environment. Firstly, it is better to set realistic and measurable goals. When employees see that their efforts are converted into positive outcomes, their motivation increases significantly. Secondly, Craig (2019) stipulates that it is rational to provide team members with regular feedback. In this case, individuals will consider themselves valuable parts of the team. Thirdly, promoting flexibility is another productive step that can strengthen teamwork (Craig, 2019). Here, employees will understand that the leader trusts them, which will allow them to work better.
Conclusion
It is challenging to imagine a working environment without conflict. As for the Medical Informatics case study, the team faced some problems that resulted in worsened performance. In this case, the leader’s specific actions are sufficient to address the situation and resolve the conflict. The useful options include the application of a compromising leadership strategy and three steps to strengthen the motivation within the team.
References
Craig, W. (2019). How to motivate and inspire your team to achieve better results.Forbes. Web.
Forde, G. (2018). The 5 stages of team development. Teamwork. Web.
Participation Company. (2016). 5 conflict resolution strategies we all use. Web.