1. A conflict arose in a recycling office team when a supervisor and team member disagreed on the staging of materials. The supervisor attempted to have the team member fired, damaging team morale. 2. The conflict could have been better addressed through open communication and addressing issues directly instead of escalating to upper management. A lack of trust between the supervisor and team member, and an unwillingness to confront conflicts, exacerbated the situation. 3. At another job, the author resolved a conflict between an aggressive secretary and interns by gathering information, addressing the issue respectfully with both parties, and ensuring a comfortable work environment for all. Proper conflict resolution requires open communication, understanding different perspectives, and avoiding hurtful comments

1. 1.
Reflecting on a personal experience where there was a
damaging conflict on a team in which I was a member, as my
journey as an office manager in the recycling office began;
there as a particular supervisor who had been there for years.
The supervisor and I along with 4 others are supposed to work
together on day-to-day work plans to meet daily production
goals. The conflict began when a member of the team and the
supervisor began to disagree on how materials were to be staged
in the staging location in the plant. Even though, there is a
proper staging layout visible to all members to see and follow.
The conflict began to escalate, the supervisor reached out to the
plant manager for the firing of the team member for not
following protocol. This conflict not only began to affect the
morale of the entire team, yet spilled over to everyone in the
workplace. The reading from Lencioni, goes over the Five
Dysfunctions of a Team, the absence of trust, fear of conflict,
lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention
of results.
This conflict could have been suppressed or even
directly addressed in a manner that would not have resulted in
the attempt of firing a team member or the involvement of upper
management. Lencioni states the absence of trust among
members, his unwillingness to be vulnerable within the group.
The supervisor and the team member did not show trust in each
other to follow the guidelines already put in place. Neither one
of the members showed a lack of avoiding conflict which led to
avoidance of accountability. The supervisor seemed to want to
establish accountability with the team member, yet the approach
was incorrect and the conflict took a different route. When
upper management got involved to help with inattention to
results. Upper Management was able to redirect the conflict and
bring the ultimate goal back to the forefront of the situation by

2. concentrating on the original goal of proper loading and
material staging in compliance with rules and regulations.
The conflict could have been better managed by the team and
team leader simply by approaching the member one-on-one
instead of in front of the entire team. Avoiding is 49% of my
TLI Assessment. Finding other ways to address conflict whether
offering a compromise to the situation. Trying to cool down the
situation to reduce tension. In my opinion, some situations can
be avoided and most can be resolved without extreme incidents.
References:
Davidson, M.: “Managing Conflict in Organizations”.
Jack Welch. 2005. Winning
Lencioni, P.: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Part 4: Traction
Conflict Resolution Strategies for Small Business
2.
Darryl Jones Jr
RE: Week 5 Discussion
COLLAPSE
Lencioni is aware of the fact that teams are mostly
dysfunctional, working as a team involves getting used to a set
of rules and behaviors that can sometimes be challenging to the
team members. According to Lencioni (2006), organizations fail
because of the absence of trust, lack of commitment, inattention
to results, and lack of accountability and fear of conflict.

3. Therefore, team leaders should come up with strategies to
confront such issues arising within a team.
At a particular company that I worked as an administrative
assistant, we used to take four interns every year. The interns
were free to use the company’s library at all times, provided the
librarian was present. One particular time, they reported to me
that the company’s secretary was so bossy toward them making
it uncomfortable for them to work. This continued for so long
that two of the interns wrote a letter to the administrator
requesting him to relieve them of their duties. At this point,
immediately, I knew that something has to change. As the
administrative assistant, I did my investigations and realized the
secretary assumed the role of supervising the interns without
obtaining an authorization letter from me. I called the secretary
to my office and explained to her how her behavior was
affecting the interns’ productivity. She admitted to her mistake
and promised a change of behavior. I also talked to the interns
and assured them of the company’s commitment to ensuring
them a comfortable environment.
According to HR Answers (2019), leaders should gather as
much information as possible in times of conflict. This is in line
with what I did since I first investigated the entire complaint
then came up with a solution. HR Answers (2019) asserts that
leaders should also avoid hurtful comments so that the
conflicting parties can understand each other. According to my
TKI assessment, I have a tendency first to prevent conflicts and
this is what I did. I noticed some form of aggression between
the secretary and the interns but did not take action fast. I
usually avoid situations since I always wish conflicts to solve
themselves.
References
HR Answers. (2019, June 27). Conflict Resolution Strategies for

4. Small Business. Retrieved from
https://www.hranswers.org/conflict-resolution-strategies-for-
small-business/
Lencioni, P. (2006).
The five dysfunctions of a team
. John Wiley & Sons.