Working Collaboratively and Developing your Interpersonal Skills

Welcome to Topic 10: Working Collaboratively and Developing your Interpersonal Skills. This topic will help you identify the importance of teamwork and working collaboratively as you embark on your studies and enter your chosen career path. Strategies for conflict management and developing interpersonal skills will also be a core focus for personal development. In this topic, you will learn about:

• Collaboration – Working with others
• Conflict management
• Developing your interpersonal skills.

These relate to the Subject Learning Outcomes:

1. Explain the importance of working collaboratively and effective teamwork.
2. Identify how to develop resilience and emotional intelligence.

Welcome to your pre-seminar learning tasks for this week. Please ensure you complete these prior to attending your scheduled seminar with your lecturer.

Click on each of the following headings to read more about what is required for each of your pre-seminar learning tasks.

Collaboration - Groups and teams

Being able to perform as part of a group in industry is integral to the organisation’s successful business outcomes. Within the workplace we will always have a focus on individual success and personal outcomes. However, most working environments rely on individual staff being able to work as part of a larger team on a daily basis.

There is a distinction between a group and a team. However, in common language, there is a tendency for the terms ‘group’ and ‘team’ to be used interchangeably (Mullins 2016).

Cole (2019, p. 342) provides some common interpretations of groups and teams, which are noted below and outlined in the following diagram:

Group: two or more individuals interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives.

Work group: a group that interacts primarily to share information and make decisions to help one another perform within each member’s area of responsibility.

Team: attempts to establish a positive collaboration among its members. The team encourages each other to excel, which also creates synergy.

^{Adapted from Leadership and management: Theory and practice, 7th edn. By K Cole 2019, Cengage Learning.}

Formal and informal teams

Types of teams and groups in the workplace include formal groups and informal groups.

Formal groups

Formal groups are work groups established by the organisation. Formal groups and teams are created in organisations to achieve specific tasks and organisational objectives through the coordination of work activities. People are brought together on the basis of defined roles within the structure of the organisation. Goals are identified by management, and certain rules, relationships and norms of behaviour are established (Mullins 2016).

Formal groups may include:

• Committees
• Group meetings
• Project teams
• Virtual teams
• Management teams

Informal groups

Informal groups are more social, and often form more naturally in the workplace. Informal groups:

• have goals that are not necessarily related to formal organisational goals
• can meet their members’ social and security needs
• can exercise undesirable power over individual members
• may exhibit both positive and negative characteristics.

Mullins (2016) argues that within the formal structure of the organisation, there will always be an informal structure. The formal system of role relationships, rules and procedures will be augmented by interpretation and development at the informal level. Informal groups are based more on personal relationships and agreement of group members than on defined role relationships. They serve to satisfy psychological and social needs at work not related necessarily to the tasks to be undertaken. They are, however, an important element in people’s working lives, and as stated earlier, may play a role in performance, motivation and satisfaction. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a wonderful theoretical depiction of the importance of social wellbeing.

Membership of informal groups may be liable to frequent changes and certain people are likely to belong to more than one informal group at the same time. Leadership of the informal group is also subject to change according to the particular situation facing the group.

Why people join informal groups:

• Interpersonal attraction (attracted to each other-social)
• Group activities (social)
• Group values and goals (as a source of motivation)
• Needs satisfaction (affiliation)
• Instrumental benefits (for example, university students join associations to enhance networking and resume status).

Stages of team growth

As individuals we go through a cycle of growth based on experience and insight. This growth-cycle is also evident when we look at the development of teams. As a team develops, its individuals become more comfortable with each other and, with success, the team’s ability to take on more complex tasks grows.

We must remember that a team’s development actually has nothing to do with the time the members spend with each other but more to do with how they effectively interact and work together. The process the team undertakes impacts the team’s ability to be successful in the task being completed.

Cole (2016) speaks of the importance of paying attention to the processes within the team rather than only focusing on the task. Cole (2019, p. 353) calls this the ‘delicate balance’, as illustrated in the following figure.

^{Adapted from Leadership and management: Theory and practice, 7th edn. By K Cole 2019, Cengage Learning.}

To help us manage these processes, the ability of the group to have an understanding of Tuckman’s team development stages, also known as the sequential-stage theory (Bonebright 2010), is of high importance. The five stages of team development are:

1. Forming
   • feeling anxious and hesitant
   • feeling out other team members
   • getting acquainted
   • learning roles and responsibilities
   • understanding team goals
   • looking to team leader for direction
2. Storming
   • feeling competitive and tense
   • disagreeing with other team members
   • struggling to establish place in a group
   • forming cliques
   • requiring team leader to facilitate conversations
3. Norming
   • beginning to work more effectively
   • respecting each other's opinions and differences
   • agreeing on team rules
   • trusting and helping each other
   • making progress on the project
   • not relying on team leader as much
4. Performing
   • performing at a high level
   • making decisions and solving problems quickly and effectively
   • working independently
5. Adjourning
   • moving in different directions as the project comes to an end
   • celebrating team successes
   • potentially feeling sad or insecure

The following figure outlines Tuckman’s (1965) stages of team development based on team effectiveness and its impact on performance.

^{Adapted from Forming, storming, norming & performing team development model, by B Tuckman 1965.}

This video demonstrates Tuckman's stages of team development with a Lord of the Rings twist.

As teams continue to grow and gain more experience, they can encounter obstacles. Cole (2019, p. 360) outlines the potential obstacles at each stage of team development. Click on each of the following heading to learn more about each stage.

Managing conflict

What is conflict?

Conflict can be defined as when two or more people, teams or groups have different wants or goals and one party interferes with the other’s attempts to satisfy these (Dwyer 2016).

Differences in the way people interpret facts, differences in values and the differences in the ways people take action to satisfy their wants and needs can all cause conflict. In short, conflict is caused by the clash of opinions, values or needs.

A capacity to manage conflict is one of the most important skills you can possess in your personal and professional life. By understanding the real cause of conflict, you will be better equipped to choose from the range of constructive responses suited to conflict resolution.

Levels of conflict

Conflict moves through several levels before it reaches the crisis level. These levels are noted below as explained by The Conflict Resolution Network (2019):

^{Adapted from Levels of Conflict by The conflict resolution network, 2019. https://conflictstudies.org/books/crskills/chapter/understanding-conflict/}

Constructive responses to conflict

There are four main things to consider in responding to conflict. These considerations can be applied to any conflict situation.

1. Use active listening for conflict resolution. Active listening enables you to attend closely to the other party, to encourage them and reflect their message, showing your empathy for their interests. Active listening lets you hear the whole message.
2. Give feedback assertively. Send clear messages and listen carefully. Check your non-verbal messages and their appropriateness to the situation.
3. Use “I” messages to help develop assertion and show openness with others. This is a way of sharing emotions and letting others know both how you perceive their behaviour and how it affects you.
4. Remember the ‘Golden rule’ – the feedback should focus on the issue, rather than the person. Dwyer (2016) provides some additional useful suggestions for responding to conflict.

Click on each of the following statements to learn more.

^{Adapted from Communication for business and the professions: Strategies and skills, 6th edn., by J Dwyer 2016, Pearson Higher Education.}

What is perspective?

Each person has a unique perspective or viewpoint. A person’s perspective selects and organises what the person attends to and experiences and is typically different from the perspective of others. Each person can have different perspectives at different times. The same message can mean two entirely different things from two different perspectives. Misunderstandings (Level 3 conflict) often occur because we assume that everyone sees things from the same perspective as we do.

In managing conflict effectively, there are advantages to seeing the situation from the other person’s perspective. Perception checking is the process of asking for clarification or correction to make sure your understanding is correct. Paraphrasing demonstrates your understanding of the other person’s wants and needs.

Perspective taking improves communication and reduces misunderstandings and distortions by influencing how messages are phrased and received. The more able you are to take the other person’s perspective, the broader the picture you get of the issue. Perspective taking is essential for a realistic assessment of common and opposed interests, and assessment of their validity and relative merits.

The correct behaviour for effective management

Good communication skills encourage constructive responses to conflict in the workplace. The challenge is to develop confidence in deciding which communication skills are suited to the situation. There are huge benefits in developing skills in dealing with conflict so that it is positive and constructive, rather than negative and destructive.

When responding to conflict, you need to choose appropriate behaviour according to the needs of the situation and the people involved. Behaviours to consider include body language, spoken language and tone of voice. These responses can introduce assertive, submissive or aggressive behaviour.

Methods of dealing with conflict

Kilmann and Thomas, as cited in Triandis, Dunnette, & Hough (1994), used two dimensions to create the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, which describes a person’s behaviour in conflict situations. The two basic dimensions are:

1. Assertiveness - the extent to which the individual attempts to satisfy his or her own concerns
2. Cooperativeness - the extent to which the individual attempts to satisfy the other person’s concerns.

These two dimensions of behaviour can be used to define five methods of dealing with conflict, as shown in the following figure.

^{Adapted from “Conflict and Conflict Management” by Kenneth Thomas in The Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, edited by Marvin Dunnette}

Although each person is capable of using all five negotiation styles, most will have a preferred style based on cultural background, personality, values and their level of communication skills (Dwyer 2016). Dwyer (2016, p. 105) summarises the five modes/styles in the following table.

^{Adapted from Communication for business and the professions: Strategies and skills, 6th edn., by J Dwyer 2016, Pearson Higher Education}

Key features of a win-win approach

A win/ win outcome means that both parties are happy with the decided outcome. For example, a negotiation between yourself and your manager results in benefits for both of you. A win/win approach to a problem or issue is seen as the best outcome of a scenario as it produces a positive result for both parties.

^{Adapted from Levels of Conflict by The conflict resolution network, n.d. https://conflictstudies.org/books/crskills/chapter/understanding-conflict/}

Developing your interpersonal skills

What are interpersonal skills?

The need to interact and collaborate with peers is essential in almost every facet of employment. Developing social skills to communicate effectively with peers is seen as a key competency in the current job climate. Hayes (2003, p. 3) defines interpersonal skills as “interactive skills, people skills, face-to-face skills, social skills and social competence”. This is further supported with a questionnaire conducted by Manevska et al. (2018), which found that department managers actively seek out the following interpersonal skills in their employees:

• Enthusiasm
• Organised
• Team working skills
• Communication skills
• Self-motivation
• Adaptability and flexibility.

Managing up – Using your interpersonal skills

One of the most important working relationships you will have is the one with your direct manager. This relationship takes time to manage and nurture. However, it is important to recognise that you are in partnership with your manager when it comes to the nurture and development of a good working relationship.

A good employee-manager relationship can impact your overall productivity and wellbeing within the workplace. Positive relationships lead to more effective workplace outcomes for all.

It is important to take the time to get to know your manager. You may be able to infer some aspects of their personality by paying attention to their behavioural cues. Some questions you should be looking to answer about your manager are:

• What are their strengths and weaknesses?
• What type of personality style do they have?
• What types of pressure may they be under?
• What is the discussion style preference – formal or informal?
• What is their information presentation style - written, verbal or graphic?

If your manager has a level of experience, they will attempt to gain some personal insight to see if they can build stronger relationships through common ground. You can pre-empt this by attempting to find out their current position within the organisation and get to know them personally. Some questions which might help you understand them more personally without over-stepping are:

• How did my manager come into their current job?
• What type of relationship does my manager have with their boss?
• What are my manager’s career aspirations?
• What are my manager’s interests outside of work?
• What was my manager’s previous position?
• Has my manager completed my job before?
• What are some of my manager’s personal values?

Having a difficult conversation with your manager

At times we may come across situations where we disagree with our manager’s direction or judgement. These situations can be uncomfortable and place us in an anxious and nervous position. Dwelling on the negative situation or using the avoidance tactic unfortunately will not positively impact the situation or drive positive change. Cole (2019, p. 225) provides some guidance on how to effectively disagree with your manager as outlined in the following table.

^{Adapted from Leadership and management: Theory and practice, 7th edn. By K Cole 2019, Cengage Learning}

Power and influence

When dealing with your managers it is important to recognise how they deal with and interpret the power they hold. Each manager, depending on experience, cultural background and values, will use power within their role in various ways. Raven (1992) discusses his models of power based on five variants. These variants have been provided by Dwyer (2016, p. 109) in the following table:

^{Adapted from Communication for business and the professions: Strategies and skills, 6th edn., by J Dwyer 2016, Pearson Higher Education}

Above all, you must remember that managers are ordinary people who have strengths and weaknesses just as we do. Although they hold a title, they are individuals with an added responsibility to an entire team, department and organisation. This responsibility is a large load to carry and mistakes will be made along the way. The support you can provide by taking responsibility to build a solid relationship with your manager will go a long way to ensuring a sustainable and effective working relationship.

Welcome to your seminar for this topic. Your lecturer will start a video stream during your scheduled class time, you can access your scheduled class by clicking on ‘Live Sessions’ found within your navigation bar and locating the relevant day/class or by clicking on the following link and then click 'Join' to enter the class.

Click here to access your seminar.

The learning tasks are listed below, these will be completed during the seminar with your lecturer. Should you be unable to attend, you will be able to watch the recording which can be found via the following link or by navigating to the class through ‘Live Sessions’ via your navigation bar.

Click here to access the recording. (Please note: this will be available shortly after the live session has ended.)

In-seminar learning tasks

The in-seminar learning tasks identified below will be completed during the scheduled seminar. Your lecturer will guide you through these tasks. Click on each of the following headings to read more about the requirements for each of your in-seminar learning tasks.

Welcome to your post-seminar learning tasks for this week. Please ensure you complete these after attending your scheduled seminar with your lecturer. Your lecturer will advise you if any of these are to be completed during your consultation session. Click on each of the following headings to read more about the requirements for each of your post-seminar learning tasks.

Each week you will have a consultation session which will be facilitated by your lecturer. You can join in and work with your peers on activities relating to this subject. These session times and activities will be communicated to you by your lecturer each week. Your lecturer will start a video stream during your scheduled class time, you can access your scheduled class by clicking on ‘Live Sessions’ found within your navigation bar and locating the relevant day/class or by clicking on the following link and then click 'Join' to enter the class.

Click here to access your seminar.

Should you be unable to attend, you will be able to watch the recording which can be found via the following link or by navigating to the class through ‘Live Sessions’ via your navigation bar.

Click here to access the recording. (Please note: this will be available shortly after the live session has ended.)

Click on the links below for the free online library which allows access via download and the web to access Higher Education Textbooks produced by various academics.

• Chapter 19: Minnesota Libraries 2010, Business communication for success, Minnesota Libraries Publishing.
• Chapter 14: Minnesota Libraries 2016, Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies, Minnesota Libraries Publishing.

 

References

• Bonebright, DA 2010, '40 years of storming: a historical review of Tuckman's model of small group development', Human Resource Development International, 13(1):111-120.
• Cole, K 2016, Leadership and management: Theory and practice, 6th edn., Cengage Learning.
• Cole, K 2019, Leadership and management: Theory and practice, 7th edn., Cengage Learning.
• The conflict resolution network n.d., Levels of Conflict, https://conflictstudies.org/books/crskills/chapter/understanding-conflict/
• Dwyer, J 2016, Communication for business and the professions: Strategies and skills, 6th edn., Pearson Higher Education
• Hayes, J 2003, Interpersonal skills at work, 2nd edn., Routeldge.
• Manevska, S, Danquah, KAB, Cleland, FA, Smerdova, J and Manev, N 2018, Bridging the gap between university curriculum and industrial needs: A case study of teaching interpersonal skills. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 7(1):61.
• Mullins, LJ 2016, Management and organisational behaviour, 11th edn., Pearson Education.
• Tuckman, B 1965, Forming, storming, norming & performing team development model.