Interpersonal Communication - Essay Example

Interpersonal Communication 1) Introduction of interpersonal conflict Interpersonal conflicts mainly occur when two mutually dependent parties are not able to agree upon a common interest. I have personally experienced such interpersonal conflict in my workplace. The problem is one of my group members is not punctual regarding submission of presentation, attending team meetings, etc. As a group, we all face problems if one group member is not aligned with set goals. Interpersonal conflict resulted because this team member of mine was not punctual during group presentation. We could not qualify for performance appraisal scheme since our team member was not punctual during presentation. This form of interpersonal conflict occurs when there is group task allocated to team members. In group projects there needs to be coordination amongst group members so that common goals are accomplished. This conflict is seen when a team member is not ready to change one’s habits. In the initial stage of conversation when group presentation ended, I was humble towards my team member, but later his excuses started to annoy me and this resulted into a conflict. This interpersonal conflict encompasses its own set of advantages and disadvantages. To be more precise, nature of conflict changes from one situation to another. 2) Discuss the questions a) There are some ways through which this conflict can be stated as good. For instance, this conflict shall influence all team members to be focused on group work. On the other hand, it would also be beneficial in individual context since team members shall be more responsible. b) Different individuals do not perceive things in same manner. I might consider things from completely different perspective which is not aligned with viewpoint of other team members. This can also be one of the reasons behind identified interpersonal conflict. c) There was prolonged conflict because I believed that there was no fault of mine. I did not communicate with my team member appropriately to determine the reasons behind such behavior. I kept on arguing in that situation where understanding was essential between both of us. d) I did possess a set of realistic goals in this scenario. We all were putting in our efforts so that we succeed in our career path. The only objective of mine in this argument was to make him realize that apart from expertise, professionalism is a key criterion to achieve set performance standards. e) I was to certain extent trying to win this conflict because my team member was reluctant to accept his fault. The disagreement continued because I could not trust his unrealistic excuses for not attending group presentation on time. 3) Plan to resolve conflict Conflict resolution can be considered as a critical phenomenon. This is simply because it is difficult to predict behavior of an individual with whom one has entered into a conflict. I would approach conflict resolution by sending a personal mail to my team member. This could encompass calling him for coffee. On the basis of this meeting, he might disclose his real problems for not attending team meeting or accomplishing common goals. In this meeting I shall discuss the particular situation in a respectful manner. Then would convey the impact of such conflict on overall group work. This would make him realize why I was upset when he failed to live up to my expectations (West and Turner 97). It will be a two-way communication because his contribution is essential to resolve the conflict. I shall ask him to outline a solution which would resolve the issue. In the entire friendly discussion I would remain specific so that there is no room for misunderstanding. I would send him a mail in official hours in order to ensure that he is not able to avoid my invitation for coffee. 4) Approaching individual with whom there is a conflict I did not approach him directly rather mailed him to meet me downstairs since we were going out for coffee. I specified certain things in the mail such as “I am finding it difficult to complete my presentation and need your help. Can you please come along with me for a coffee and explain me some details given in the report? It would be a great help since it is within your expertise”. I was sure that he would not give an instant reply, but he proved me wrong. He replied instantly, saying “I would join you in 20 minutes”. We both went out for coffee but he did not start any conversation. He was behaving in a professional manner and avoided talking about last day’s conflict. When we sat down in cafeteria he prevented any eye contact and there was long silence. I broke the ice by asking him what went wrong on that particular day. He avoided the topic smartly by saying “Let’s get to work. Tell me what help you needed”. However I was reluctant to leave the topic. This annoyed him and he became furious. He said that “I was coming to office when I met with an accident. A small kid was injured and I had to take her to nearby hospital. I may not be punctual at times but I do care about my team members. You should have given me a chance to explain”. I quietly listened to him without arguing and noticed there were tears in his eyes. He felt humiliated that day and somewhere it was my mistake of not keeping calm. 5) Results The talk was well aligned with my plan. My intention was to make him realize his mistake and understand where I was wrong. However I thought at the end of this meeting there shall be no such hard feelings but he was greatly annoyed with entire situation. If I had to do this conflict resolution planning once again I would directly approach him rather than sending any mail. The resolution was not successful to a great level as I had expected. There was discomfort during conversation since he avoided talking to me and I did not know how to start the conversation. He would take a couple of days to be normal but he will appreciate it later that I took an attempt to resolve the conflict. Work Cited West, Richard and Lynn, Turner. Understanding interpersonal communication: making choices in changing times. Boston: Cengage Learning. 2010. Print. Read More