In the final work, the nature and methods of resolving conflicts will be considered on a concrete example of an organizational conflict that has arisen during the working relationships. According to Cahn and Abigail (2007), conflicts can range from neglect and unhappy relationships to physical aggression and interpersonal violence. Accordingly, different approaches and solutions are required for various types. Organizational conflicts, as a rule, are associated with the violation of efficiency and productivity of the employees work, as well as with the reduction of corporate morale. This paper will defend the thesis that when conflict resolution, including arbitration and mediation, is well established, it can turn into a positive phenomenon with the opposite effect.
Cause of Conflict and the Ambivalence of Its Effects
According to Cooper et al. (2008), stressors such as conflicts are predominantly detrimental to job performance, but at the same time, different stressors tend to have differential relationships with performance (p. 255). Conflicts have various sources of occurrence due to both internal psychological and external organizational reasons. Confrontations are usually regarded as a negative phenomenon, although it has been proven that productive conflicts can invest in the efficiency and coherence of the working team. The final paper will include a description of the reasons why the conflict occurs and a theoretical part devoted to the corresponding mechanism. Besides, the emergence of a specific organizational conflict and the behavior of its participants will be described and analyzed. An attempt will be made to identify particular patterns of conflict situations occurring. The positive and negative effects of conflict situations will be considered both in the theoretical review and in the case study.
Communication Techniques
Cahn and Abigail (2007) state that when determining the appropriate methods, communication considerations such as place, other people, needs, and goals should be taken into account. Communication is an environment for the emergence and flow of conflicts between people. However, communication techniques help to resolve dysfunctional disputes and create a fruitful ground for conducting productive ones. In order to ensure that these techniques are effective in transforming a dysfunctional conflict into a productive confrontation, several factors indicated by the authors should be considered. (Cahn & Abigail, 2007). The paper will illustrate this approach in a specific example with organizational conflict.
Workplace Conflicts and How to Resolve Them
According to Hartman and Crume (2007), mediation focuses on altering the language used during the conflict process and discovering alternative ways for presenting ideas (p. 138). Mediation and arbitration are special conflict resolution procedures that are applicable both in the work environment and in the practice of international arbitration courts. The approach of the authors is to train employees to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to facilitate the mediation process for productive conflict resolution independently. This approach will be considered both for typical conflict scenarios and for a specific case of organizational conflict. It should be noted that it is particularly effective in setting corporate ethics and workplace conflicts prevention. Corporate ethics generally warns employees against engaging in conflict situations, as this may affect their activities. This is especially relevant for health care workers, police officers, and other professions that have a critical function. Nevertheless, conflicts are, in most cases, an inevitable reality inherent in working relationships. The paper will examine the relationship between ethics and workplace conflicts and explore opportunities, such as mediation and arbitration, for ethical and harmless conflict resolution.
Conclusion
It should be noted that conflicts become stressors and consequently have a negative impact on employee productivity and morale in the company when they are dysfunctional and improperly resolved. At the same time, the paper will address both the nature of the conflict and its outcomes, as well as effective resolution methods. Adequate conflict-response techniques and procedures will lay the foundation for productive confrontations, which will stimulate the work process.
References
Cahn, D. D., & Abigail, R. A. (2007). Managing conflict through communication (5th ed.). Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Cooper, C., Gilboa, S., Shiron, A., & Yitzhak, F. (2008). A meta-analysis of work demand stressors and job performance: Examining main and moderating effects. Personnel Psychology, 61(2), 227271.
Hartman, R.L., & Crume, A.L. (2007). Public forum mediation: A training exercise for conflict facilitation skills. Industrial and Commercial Training, 39(3), 137142.
Communication implies a process of transmitting information from one person to another to exchange ideas and express thoughts or feelings. However, communion does not only assume mere speaking; it also suggests using non-verbal means. Since ancient times people were adapted to a non-verbal way of contacting each other through rituals, rites, etc. Therefore, the ritual view of communication is thought to be archaic, though it was effective as the societal way of life used to be in order (Strathern, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to find out whether communication is possible without exchanging information and to identify the perspectives of ritual communication in the works of James W. Carey and Jessie Weston.
First and foremost, there is a necessity to identify what ritual communication is composed of. According to Carey (1989), the ritual view of communication is listed as archaic and is linked to such terms as sharing, association, fellowship, possession of common faith, etc. This perspective views various sides of communication through religious texts, sermons, or prayers. Carrey considers that ritual intercourse brought commonness and togetherness among folks (Carey, 1989). He also claims that a ritual view of communication is directed not toward the extension of messages in space but toward maintenance of society in time (Carey, 1989, p. 18). The statement denotes that the spread of religion and rites drew people together into commonality. For instance, one would not go to church and start singing and praying on their own, but when an entire town goes on a Sunday service, they would actively join. Therefore, such a view excludes the transmission of information but instead highlights the importance of manifesting the communication maintenance of a meaningful cultural world capable of controlling human activity.
On the other hand, this view lacks explicit spiritual origins as the society tries to make another world by substituting existing elements. Thus, there is a projection of the ideals created by the community (Carey, 1989, p. 19). This projection implies the embodiment of community ideals into material form (dance, music, play, etc.) to provide confirmation and not the information. The main goal of such verification is not to change someones opinion but to demonstrate the underlying order of things and to unveil a continuous social process (Carey, 1989). Therefore, people can observe an artificial, but existing symbolic order and the ritual act turns into a part of shared culture preserved in time.
The author resorts to mass media to reveal his thoughts upon ritual communication. Carey (1989) asserts that news reading and writing is a ritual act, and moreover, a dramatic one (p. 20). While reading a piece of news, a person does not merely receive a bit of information but becomes a part of this so-called drama as they somehow participate in the activity (Strathern, 2016). Thus, considering the media under the ritual view of communication, it can be stated that they serve not for the information exchange but social integration.
The other significant work explaining the rites is called From Ritual to Romance by Jessie Weston. The author tried to establish the roots of the Arthurian legends and the ones of the Holy Grail. The whole fable represented a quest consisting of elements tied with the ancient religious rites and symbols. The saga begins when a wounded king of a fallen land observes a bleeding lance and a cup full of jewelry. These objects serve as specific symbols because the entire story is dedicated to the rituals of fertility and how the kings physical health and land productivity are interrelated (Weston, 1922). Both Gnostic and Christian perceptions of the saga of Grail lead to a union of oneness with Goad and the quest for fertility.
While exploring the origins, the author alludes to different literature sources to define the parallels between the Grail legend and the other ones. Therefore, she referred to Rig-Veda poems and hymns, which belonged to the population which used the dramatic rituals for obtaining Gods blessing onto their well-being, land fertility, etc. (Weston, 1922). She also stated that the main object of the primitive Dramas was that of encouraging, we may say, ensuring the fertility of Earth (Weston, 1922, p. 27). Moreover, such hymns were usually performed not by a single person but at least by two dramatic performers. By implementing these cultural dramas, people have created their own way of ritual communication. The author states that among such rituals was the Indian marriage procedures that subsist even today (Weston, 1922). These were the dramatic rites inherent to Vedic Indian people, and that united large groups by a common intention.
In conclusion, it is necessary to state that a ritual view of communication is antique, though it has relevance even these days. The ancient people proved that efficient conversing could be established without exchanging information. Moreover, those populations social maintenance was properly structured by the ritual communication implied common faith and provided togetherness amongst people. As a dramatic form, rituals tend to unite the community instead of producing information.
References
Carey, J. (1989). A cultural approach to communication. In Communication as culture: Essays on media and society (pp. 13-26). Unwin Hyman.
Strathern, A. (2016). Ritual. Routledge.
Weston, J. (2003). From ritual to romance. Dover Publications, INC.
Media has been referred to be the most powerful influence in the lives of people. Media includes the newspapers, TV, the news channels, emails and the gossip groups that are flourishing online. In addition to this the most important role is being played by the social networking websites.
Introduction
McChesney, (2008) says that the growth of an information age has been the reason of one of the strongest and the most intensified changes that are occurring in the social lives of the people. In this case there are many thoughts that have been given in relation to the relationship of the changing times and the changing social lives of all the people in this world but still the one main fact that needs to be seen is that these are the changes which are rather strong in all aspects.
Kendall, (2008) discusses that the period in which the people of the modern age are residing is known as the period of extreme insecurity and this is the insecurity that has been seen to increase as the time is passing by. It has been said by many researchers that an important factor that has been seen to be important in increasing this insecurity is an increase in the intrusion of privacy of the people. This is the one main point that has been discussed by Kenneth Starr as an interrogation by him has been carried out on the life of President Clinton. Kelsey, and St. Amant, (2008) say that in addition to this it has been seen that on a personal level, people are feeling helpless and this is the characteristic that has been found to be the most common among generations, older as well as the younger people. Moreover there are many external factors that have been taken into account and these include the changing global situation including changes in the global economy as these are the departments in the global face that are not in control and these are the ones that have been playing important roles in the lives of the people. Baxter, and Braithwaite, (2008) have added that the changes are not only being seen by the economy on the global level but also by the health maintenance organizations and the most important part being the internet and the web related services.
Dovey, Lister, Giddings, Grant, and Kelly, (2009) have added that there is one important principle in relation to this current situation and it has been said that the other rules are to be considered having much less importance as compared to the one main rule, phronesis. This has been given by the classical Greeks. This is the term that means practical reason. This is the practical reason that has been seen to make changes in the social lives of the people in such a way that it reduces any kind of harms that might occur in a persons social life but at the same time it has been said that phronesis has been seen to increase the positivity that is associated with the social life of a person. Hepp, (2008) says that thus the practical reason has been known to increase the good and decrease any harm in the social life of a person. In this case phronesis has been seen to take into account all the aspects of a social life of a person. In this case the fact that has to be considered is that all the voices and all the opinions are the ones that are to be taken into account and these are all the opinions that are to be analyzed in all respects.
Holt, and Perren, (2009) say that in one case it has been said that decisions that are made by the practical reason are the ones that are held by it rather provisionally. In this case the practical reason keeps itself aware of the fact rather acutely as well as in an accurate manner that the beliefs that a person has or the beliefs that a person has gained in any one moment are the ones that always seem to change as the newer information is gained by a person from the surroundings. Moreover it has been seen as a fact that this is the newer information that has an effect on the other beliefs as well thus the information is reflected on the other set of beliefs of a person that have been gained in the past in the light of any one event.
Hoffmann, (1996) says that reason has been the point of discussion for many researchers and there are many school of thoughts that have been given in relation to the way a reason has been defined. One school of thought says that a reason is a thought that is always governed by some rule. It is said that the reason in some cases is to be subordinated and has to be given up in most cases and the main rule to which the reason has to be subordinated has been known as the reasonableness.
Holt, and Perren, (2009) says that situation, as a general word, has been known as a word that has been explained by many classical theory holders as whatever which is present here and now. The main point here is what are the ways in which the situation is to be dealt with and the ways in which a situation is analyzed. Reasonableness, practical reason and phronesis are the kinds of conversation that has gained an importance in the daily life and it deals with making the lives of people worth living as much as possible. The situations that a person faces in the daily life are the ones that are not perceived in a correct manner and are often misconceived. Hand, (2008) says that therefore reasonableness and the practical reason are the kinds of the conversations that are carried out in the daily lives by keeping in mind the fact that the situation being faced is not properly conceived as well as is incompletely analyzed. Reasonableness also takes into account the variations that occur in any persons life as sickness, pain, health related issues as well as ageing and the problems that are created partially by the people themselves.
Bryant, and Oliver, (2008) say that it has been added here by the rule of reasonableness that among the other challenges that are faced by the people, other than to live their lives in a proper manner, is inclusive of all the efforts that are made by a person in order to go beyond their normal goals that have been set in their lives by having the partial interests to do so.
Hoffmann, (1996) says that many people in this world are the ones who have been living in accordance to the traditional customs which in other words are also known as the parochial customs and these are the main traditions and the customs to which people attach themselves rather strongly thinking that these are the customs that reflect the only right way that has to be followed in life as all the reasoning is to be based on the same traditions. Hand, (2008) says that this is the tradition that has been shaping the reasons that are implemented in the real lives of these belief holders. However one main fact that has to be kept in mind is that these are the traditions that have been designed by the humans themselves and these are the ones that are subject to changes as well in part of all the newer information that is achieved by these tradition makers in the pasting time. Thereby here the newer information, as has been said earlier, plays their roles in changing the beliefs that were held by the people in the past.
Eadie, (2009) says that communication media has been the one that has had a deep effect on the social lives of the people. Because of the communication media it has been seen that the framework of the life of a person has been molded in such a way that the life is usually seen to be engaged with the communication media as it encounters it on the daily basis and thus even more frequently. Two most important aspects that are to be seen in this case are the external reality that a person faces and the inner life that a person has. These are the two main aspects that are the products of a persons experiences that have been gained on the daily basis.
Bryant, and Oliver, (2008) say that internet in these days has been the factor that has changed the social lives of many people and it has been seen that the global internetworking has been changing rather it has been transforming the reasonableness and the experiences of a person in a radical manner. The roles that are being played by this new media are not only to change the forms, but to process and even to produce themselves as the content which is existing in the digital age. In many cases this is the new media that has been named as the deus ex machina, and even the apprentice of the sorcerer of the white magic as these are all related to the sciences of the nature that have been given by Galileo. Eadie, (2009) has added that the new media is the one that has been seen to be replacing the relationships that have been established in the life of a person. This is the new media that has successfully been making the replacements of the qualities of life as the relationships that have so far been able to sustain the people and their lives. These are the qualities of life that are being replaced by the digital forms whose viability is not known.
Hepp, (2008) says that this is the problem that has been dealt on a globally social level and it has to be added here that there has been no potential solution that might be defined in this case. A potential solution is always dependent on an understanding that has been mobilized on an individual level but also on the cooperative actions at a political level.
Hoffmann, (1996) says that communication processes that are being implemented by the people are the ones that are to be assessed in many ways especially in the ways that can affect the social lives of the people. It can be explained by saying that there is a kind of fascination that has been associated with the technical challenges that are being faced by the new media and this has been the fascination that may be able to hinder in pausing for a moment and thinking about the ways in which reconstitution of a well balanced as well as a well integrated life can be possible.
Holt, and Perren, (2009) have added that Facebook has been one of the most well known social networking website and this is the website that has been studied in an extensive manner. It not only defines new boundaries of social networking in social lives of the people but also this has been the website that has given newer horizons to the business worlds. It has been said in an extensive manner that this is the website that has been successfully able to change the definition of a social life of a person as well as the connectedness that has been found in the people of the modern days.
Dovey, Lister, Giddings, Grant, and Kelly, (2009) say that there have been many changes in relation to the main qualities that were found in the social lives of the people in previous days as compared to the social life values that are held by the people in the modern days. There many schools of thoughts that have been added in this case in relation to the changes in the ways in which the reality is being perceived by the people. Baxter, and Braithwaite, (2008) say that it has been mentioned that an addition of any newer form of information can be the reason that can change the beliefs that a person holds. Facebook and also the Reality TV shows are the ones that are a source of newer and rather different forms of the information for the audience and these are the kinds of the information that has been able to make the changes in the basic beliefs that have been held by the people since many years.
Conclusion
Concepts that have been related to the perception of reality are the ones that have been changed by these newer digital worlds that a person encounters on a daily basis. The ways in which reality is to be perceived have changed and this has been counted as an alarming scenario.
References
Baxter, A. Leslie., and Braithwaite, O. Dawn. (2008). Engaging theories in interpersonal communication: multiple perspectives. Sage Publications.
Bryant, Jennings., and Oliver, Beth, Mary. (2008). Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research: Communication series. 3rd Edition. Taylor & Francis.
Dovey, Jon., Lister, Martin., Giddings, Seth., Grant, Iain., and Kelly, Kieran. (2009). New Media: A Critical Introduction. 2nd Edition. Taylor & Francis.
Eadie, F. William. (2009). 21st Century Communication: A Reference Handbook. SAGE.
Hand, Martin. (2008). Making digital cultures: access, interactivity, and authenticity. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
Hepp, Andreas. (2008). Connectivity, networks and flows: conceptualizing contemporary communications: The Hampton Press communication series: The Hampton Press communication series. Communication, globalization and cultural identity. Hampton Press.
Hoffmann, Charlotte. (1996). Language, culture and communication in contemporary Europe, Page 35: Multilingual matters: Language, Culture, and Communication in Contemporary Europe, Charlotte Hoffmann. Multilingual Matters.
Holt, Jennifer., and Perren, Alisa. (2009). Media Industries: History, Theory, and Method. Wiley-Blackwell.
Kelsey, Sigrid., and St. Amant, Kirk. (2008). Handbook of Research on Computer Mediated Communication, Volume 1: Handbook of Research on Computer Mediated Communication, Sigrid Kelsey. Idea Group Inc (IGI).
Kendall, Diana. (2008). Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials. 7th Edition. Cengage Learning.
McChesney, Waterman, Robert. (2008). Communication revolution: critical junctures and the future of media, Page 91: Communication Revolution: Critical Junctures and the Future of Media, Robert Waterman McChesney. New Press.
There are several concepts and topics knowledge of which will be useful in future. Most importantly, I have learned that communication is critical for maintaining a positive relationship at both personal and professional levels. It is common to find individuals conflicting for minor personal reasons. Such disagreements require both parties to resolve the issue by ensuring that all contentious points are deliberated upon (Hook, 2017). This course has been useful in facilitating positive outcomes from discussions aimed at ending misunderstandings. Communication skills are vital in determining the successful resolution of conflicts involving professionals in the workplace.
This course emphasized the importance of positive interaction among individuals. For instance, newly recruited employees depend on senior staff members experience when learning a firms organizational values. Similarly, interns require professional guidance from skilled career people to acquire practical experience while engaging with clients (Hook, 2017). As a result, positive interaction is critical, ensuring an accurate transfer of knowledge between senior and junior employees. This course has been objective in integrating active communication skills required for an exclusive resolution of conflicts.
I consider strategic communication as an instrumental approach for achieving personal goals. There were instances when I made wrong decisions due to a tactical relay of information during an agreement. I have been affected by an incomprehensive outcome from a discussion aimed at resolving a personal conflict. Taking a bigger compromise than an opponent in a disagreement might deter one from progressive decisions aimed at personal growth. The idea has been critical in enhancing my understanding of strategic communication and the timing effect of relaying information. Objective integration of communication in interaction practices, as highlighted in the course, is essential in reducing personal and professional conflicts.
Reference
Hook, D. (2017). Six moments in Lacan: Communication and identification in psychology and psychoanalysis (1st ed.). Routledge.
Teamwork is an integral part of human cooperation at different levels: in the classroom, in work teams, or even in groups of friends. The interaction between members of the same team is dynamic and impermanent; it is a living environment in which interpersonal structures are subject to transformation. In other words, it cannot be said that the same characteristics always describe work in a particular team. The complexity of teamwork is a subject of study in organizational psychology. In this context, the leader, who manages, motivates, and coordinates the team, plays an important role. The leader is the binding link that brings meaning to the teams work and helps the team progress toward its goal.
This reflective essay seeks to examine my own experience in an organizational psychology course in terms of teamwork. This includes a critical analysis of my experiences and impressions, an assessment of the emotions that accompanied me throughout my teamwork, and an exploration of the weaknesses and strengths identified. In addition, the reflective essay includes identifying the lessons and knowledge that have been learned as a result of studying the module. Thus, this paper is a helpful summary of personal reflection, which has relevance for covering academic goals and objectives.
Teamwork
One of the main organizational psychology tools that we used in the present course of the same name was teamwork. Generally speaking, it is worth saying that the term teamwork hardly has a specific academic definition since it is a somewhat subjective concept. The main point that I understood during all the lessons was that teamwork is a coordinated and conscious activity of the participants of one group, which corresponds to cohesion and purposefulness. In this definition, I particularly highlight for myself coherence, which is a condition in which all participants of a group have shared connections, and not necessarily positive ones. For example, during the course, we had teams in which the participants did not have a good relationship with each other and had an apparent interpersonal conflict. The reasons for this confrontation could be severe or situational, such as when people had different opinions on a particular issue. The most crucial information about such teams was that even in the presence of conflict, they remained coherent, which means that the group members had common bonds among themselves.
In addition, the second feature of teamwork, according to my definition, is awareness. In my total time working with others, I have learned that you can only truly achieve something if everyone on the team understands exactly what he or she is doing and why they are there. Awareness is an integral part of personal skills for teamwork in which the participant can reflect on himself or herself and give an account of what he or she is doing and what the result of it is. If, however, the individual within the group cannot be critical of himself or herself, this is a common problem for the team. In this case, additional work is usually required to communicate with this individual, which makes teamwork more difficult.
Academic Attitudes
The academic community has different views on the interpretation of teamwork, but for the most part, all authors agree that such work interaction of individuals is significant. For example, Wilk, Arrigo, and Andrews (2021) pointed out that teamwork is a critical factor in organizational success. An interesting view can be found in the work of J. Driskell, Salas, and T. Driskel (2018): the authors believed that teamwork is a natural, even biological, part of human life. If you think about it, this might make sense, since back in primitive times, when people did not have current socioeconomic goods, survival depended solely on how successfully people worked as a team. Obviously, with progressive civilizational development, the need to work for survival has disappeared, but people still see the need to get together in groups and achieve results together. The reason for this phenomenon is that teamwork is a social construct embedded in the genome that allows for faster and more accessible results.
Synergy Effect
When discussing the reason why teamwork is a predictor of success, it is impossible not to mention the synergistic effect. When a person works alone, the maximum number of results he or she can get can be conventionally designated as 1. Then two-person teamwork allows for synergy, in which the outcome scheme becomes 1+1=3 : Team-working provides a mechanism to bring together different employees expertise and skills that are required to complete increasingly complex work tasks in ever shorter time frames (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2019, p. 418). This is an essential property of interpersonal interaction because, in this case, individuals reinforce each others best qualities and thus improve output (Schulz-Hardt and Mojzisch, 2012). However, interpersonal communication can also bring out the worst qualities, especially if the relationship is of a toxic, destructive nature. No synergistic effect will then be observed, and the results of such teamwork are likely to be extremely bad. Consequently, awareness and coherence are essential synergistic factors for organizational psychology.
Reflections on Team Simulation
One of the significant works of this course was teamwork in the Everest V3 simulation. In a general sense, Everest V3 is an organizational psychology role-playing tool that allows you to explore your teamwork skills, identify weaknesses and strengths, and further explore your leadership competencies in a psychological game of climbing Everest (Roberto and Edmondson, 2017). This is a type of group game, which means that the active participation of each individual is necessary to climb the mountain. In addition, it is clear that real mountaineering is quite a risky activity, and many people do not survive trying to conquer the highest mountain on the planet. Extrapolating these facts to organizational role-playing, no one will indeed die in the process, but the risks of interpersonal communication remain relevant. I have never been to Everest, and hiking up the mountain is an unknown pastime for me. Nevertheless, thanks to Everest V3, I think I have been able to sufficiently understand that communication and team interaction issues are universal to any activity, whether climbing Everest or interacting with my classmates in the study room.
Leadership
The first and perhaps most important point I was able to find out for myself in the organizational game was that, for me, there is an inherent claim to leadership within the team. We do not know enough of our classmates to know precisely which of us is a confident leader. For this reason, when critical decisions had to be made during Everest V3 and obstacles had to be dealt with during the game, I always tried to take the lead. From the theories I learned in this course, I would call myself a situational leader because I did not and still do not have a formal, single style of managing people but instead used an intuitive understanding of the situation. For example, when I could confidently and firmly tell my peers my opinion to solve one problem and convince them of its correctness, at other times, I had to be a little more emotional to overpower the resulting argument.
In terms of leadership, it is also fair to say that I was not managing the people on the team: I was not telling them what to do, how to do it right, or what decisions to make. In fact, in Everest V3, this made no sense since we were, one might say, equals in the beginning. Instead of management, I was trying to inspire and motivate so that team members would make their own decisions and be themselves rather than my tools for climbing Everest. In organizational psychology, the fundamental differences between a leader and a manager are constantly emphasized (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2019). A leader is always the individual who has sufficient skills and competencies, sees the team path and understands the goals, and most importantly, can inspire people to accomplish something.
Sharing Information
Another important lesson I learned myself is the need for uninterrupted communication. When climbing a mountain, information is the most important element that protects us from outside threats, be they avalanches, chasms, or slippery patches. Information is equally valuable to the classroom, where all students are very different individuals with unique experiences and cultural backgrounds. To achieve interpersonal success in such a case, it is important to keep sharing information and experiences rather than concentrating on oneself. In fact, at one point in our game, we wanted to divide into mini-groups within the overall team to develop individual solutions. This approach was supposed to solve several problems at once: it was supposed to eliminate conflict and increase the variety of solutions offered. However, my peers and I quickly realized that using such a method would prove destructive in the end since it would create rigid interpersonal boundaries between us, and we would be unlikely to be able to return to regular communication with each other afterward.
In addition, the very essence of the psychological simulation was built on the need to share the unique information that each of us possessed. The timeliness and completeness of the information shared were crucial to the successful ascent of the mountain. In this context, it is clear that if we refused to share information or did not want to participate in the discussion actively, it would be a loss for our organizational simulation. In life, it works the same way: each of us is a bearer of our unique information, and how timely and competently it is presented, and whether it is presented at all, determines the outcome of teamwork.
Another critical aspect of information sharing was feelings, or, more precisely, their concealment. During a heated discussion of critical decisions, some of us were silent, giving the initiative to others. When I clarified why they were not participating in the discussion and offering their solutions, they said they were upset that their opinions had been ignored earlier. Such episodes for low-impact teamwork are not uncommon because the initiative is always a dynamic state, and it is usually taken by the most responsible enthusiasts. In this case, introverted individuals may hide behind others, hiding their real feelings. In our simulation, a classmate opened up to us about his experiences, but not everyone can do so, which sets the stage for the formation of deep interpersonal resentments and conflicts.
Conflicts and Tension
The physical challenge of ones body releases large amounts of aggressive energy that can be projected onto others. This is a well-known fact, the management of which is part of personal psychology and anger management skills (Choi, Park, and Kim, 2019). In the case of teamwork, overexertion and aggression are not uncommon, as there is always a conflict of interest between participants. In Everest V3, we were each united by the common goal of climbing the mountain. However, it is also true that each of us had individual goals and pursued them. The presence of these conflicts of interest created interpersonal conflict, resulting in a sense of tension and competitiveness in our interactions. Such states are what happens in real teamwork, such as in a work environment. Individuals within a group always have personal goals, and thus their confrontations are inevitable.
We did not develop a way to manage these conflicts because we were limited in time and wanted to complete the simulation as soon as possible. It is true that we ignored them and tried to move quickly to the next steps. Organizational psychology theory suggests that this method is not practical because long compromises result in hiding ones feelings and emotions, which will affect the productivity of the workgroup in the future (Hirsch, 2018). Consequently, we needed to resolve such conflicts on the spot in order not to accumulate resentment and understatement, as this would eventually become an issue.
Strengths & Weaknesses Analysis
An essential outcome of a team simulation is to establish ones strengths and weaknesses. By moving collectively toward a common goal, each of us was learning about ourselves and our skills, so Everest V3 could well be called a reflective psychological strategy. Among the strengths, I discovered myself were leadership, initiative, and a desire to help people. As a leader, I tried to inspire team members and manage the overall progress on the way to the top of the mountain I did not know before that leadership in critical situations is inherent to me. I was also found to be quite proactive, as I often took responsibility for key issues or delegated responsibilities to someone who could handle the situation better than I could. Finally, there is another important discovery that is a little disturbing to me. In the simulation, I realized that I have the desire to help people and give them care. When in Everest V3, a team member was silent for a long time; I wanted to help him because I felt that he needed to speak out. The desire to help others is quite a good skill that brings individual mental well-being (MHF, 2020). However, I am alarmed that this help may become too binding for me, and as a result, I will help people even when I have to sacrifice my interests. This does not seem to be the right psychomental strategy, so I want to work on this in the coming weeks.
On the other hand, some of the manifestations of my personality could be perceived as destructive: for me, these were weaknesses. First, I used a loud tone several times to get the attention of the conflicting participants. This strategy is compassionate, as it could be perceived as excessive emotionality. Second, it is the already described desire to help, which borders on sacrifice. Third, I did not always keep track of time, and as I delved deeper into discussing a particular solution, I could forget to count down the time, resulting in a disruption of the overall plan of doing the simulation. Finally, there were times when I felt overconfident because I was acting like a leader I liked it and focused on this self-centered feeling instead of investing effort and time in developing our group project.
Conclusion
To summarize, teamwork is an essential component of interpersonal communication among individuals to achieve a common goal. Teamwork is used everywhere because it is one of the most influential and comparably easy ways to get results. However, teamwork is associated with risks, including the potential for conflict and confrontation. In this module, we used the Everest V3 simulation, which was a reflective lesson for me. In particular, among the conclusions I drew about myself, weaknesses (sacrifice, overconfidence, emotionality, and substantial involvement) and weaknesses (initiative, leadership, and willingness to help) stood out. In addition, the lesson analysis allowed me to connect the experimental findings and observations with the theoretical concepts of organizational psychology, which was a beneficial practice for my learning.
Roberto, M. A. and Edmondson, A. C. (2017) Leadership and team simulation: Everest V3. Boston: Harvard Business Publishing.
Schulz-Hardt, S. and Mojzisch, A. (2012) How to achieve synergy in group decision making: lessons to be learned from the hidden profile paradigm, European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), pp. 305-343.
Wilk, K.E., Arrigo, C.A. and Andrews, J.R. (2021) Teamwork is essential to success: sports physical therapy is no exception, International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 16(1), pp. 1-8.
Nancy Baym (2010), presents seven various concepts that help to contrast media sources with one another and in-person communication. The concepts include interactivity, temporal structure, social cues, storage, replicability, reach, and mobility (Baym, 2010, p. 6). Overall, each notion explains individual differences between various means of interaction, which can be reflected in the personal communication of a college student in the digital age.
First, the concept of interaction implies the degrees and types of back and forth communication that media can provide. Through interaction, the Internet provides me with opportunities to interact with friends who go to different universities as opposed to the face-to-face communication that we used to have. Second, temporal structure implies the time it takes to receive and send a message. Asynchronous communication allows me to talk to friends, yet not to disrupt my studies and other responsibilities. Third, social cues help to derive the necessarily shared context during the communication. Social cues make social interactions easier for me, as they save the time otherwise needed to explain each symbols meaning.
Furthermore, the concept of storage implies the ability to access the data later. In my experience, the opportunity to store information will enable me to keep track of commitments, which makes college students lives easier. Moreover, the replicability concept allows one to send identical messages, knowledge, and data. For a college student, replicability may help with quickly finding news about particular events on campus and inviting friends, as messages are easy to replicate. In addition, communication varies based on the number of individuals it can reach. To me, conversations with a limited number of participants feel more valuable and personal than discussions on forums. Lastly, the concept of mobility allows for messages and media to be moved between devices and storage units, regardless of the users location. Versatility is essential for a college student because it allows me to access data using a laptop from any place on campus or outside of it.
Nancy Baym designed seven concepts that help to distinguish different types of communication sources. The notions are different based on the level of interaction, possible interruptions, context, ability to store and copy a message or data. Lastly, the way of communicating varies based on how many people can get in contact and the freedom of movement it provides.
Reference
Baym, N. K. (2010). Personal connections in the digital age. Polity.
An organization is a group of people connected by a common goal and existing in a specific environment. Communication in an organization is understood as the whole set of messages circulating among the organizations formal and informal groups. To describe various aspects of this type of communicative interaction, such concepts as a view of an organization as a living organism or a system, an understanding of the goals of the organizations existence, the level of its structure, and, accordingly, the structuring of communication flows, the presence of formal and informal networks in it, are essential. An obligatory element of the organizations successful activity is managing conflicts, which is considered a natural and positive process within the framework of organizational communication.
An Example of Ineffective Communication
As an example of ineffective communication, I will take a situation that happened to me at school. In this case, the actors will be me, the student, and the teacher. The essence of communication inefficiency lies in a misunderstanding on my part caused by ambient noise. Because of the conversations between classmates, I needed help understanding the nature of the project, the details of which were explained by the teacher. By type, this communication between the student and the teacher is formal. Formal communication is the communication of strangers or unfamiliar people, including persons performing official duties, for example, in a hotel with an administrator or a clinic with a doctor (Meng & Berger, 2017).
This case refers to formal communication since the teacher here acts as an official. As mentioned earlier, the main reason for inefficiency was external noise, which caused misunderstandings between the parties. The noise played a distracting role here, and as a result of the distraction, I needed help understanding what exactly the teacher wanted from me.
Conclusion
Ineffective communication, in this case, affected me specifically, as a result of which I received a bad grade. As losses from poor communication, any losses associated with insufficient information and misunderstanding by employees of each other were considered. Including erroneous acts committed due to inadequate dissemination of information or its misunderstanding. Thus, we can conclude that communication plays a crucial role in any team and relationship, and its poor quality can lead to financial and moral losses.
Reference
Meng, J., & Berger, B. K. (2017). The role of public relations leadership in effective social media and Crisis Communication Management. Social Media and Crisis Communication, 8598. Web.
The two research questions that relate to my field of study are impaired communication amongst youth and ADHD. I am currently working with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is a developmental disability affecting a persons brain. Due to the fact that I work with young individuals, I am interested in the issues and barriers they might face, one of which is impaired communication. ADHD is a condition that affects the behavior and skills of a person, causing them to have difficulties when concentrating (Yuen-han and Chan, 55). This condition is typically diagnosed during childhood years, and many ADHD patients need medication or therapy to help them cope with the daily tasks at school and at home that requires concentration. Hence, this topic is also of great interest to me since I work with children who struggle with their mental health.
The research question for the impaired communication amongst youth topics is the factors that adversely impact this interpersonal communication. For the topic of ADHD, an appropriate research question would be therapy for adapting youth with ADHD to school. The sources from the preliminary research are two studies by Doyle et al. and Doyle et al. on impaired communication and a study by Yuen-han and Chan on ADHD (1026; 812; 55). This paper investigates the impacts of youth miscommunication on young individuals. Additionally, it helps one understand the consequences of improper communication and provides some insight into the development of proper communication skills. The second study by Doyle et al. investigates the relationship between impaired communication amongst youth and the latters executive function (1026). This paper provides insights into the relationship between communication and other vital functions that allow young individuals to integrate into society and perform some daily tasks. The paper on ADHD is the research by Yuen-han and Chan who cite the most recent findings in the field and provide a set of recommendations for youth diagnosed with this condition (55).
I chose these questions based on the research done in the past because these are the most pressing issues that a practitioner can address when working with children. For example, impaired communication among youth leads to miscommunication and misunderstandings, which can affect the social life of a young individual. The investigation of causes that lead to this problem can help mitigate the adverse effects of the issue. For ADHD, the ability to help children to cope with their school tasks is among the essential aids that a practitioner can provide.
The plan for finding answers to these questions includes creating a list of relevant literature, both theoretical studies and empirical research from recent years. Next, based on these articles, one can identify the factors or treatment plan that is most suitable for this condition. The intended audience for this project is psychology practitioners who work with youth or children. For this project, the APA citation style is the most suitable because it is psychology research, and this citation style was developed by the American Psychological Association.
In summary, this essay is a research proposal on two topics of interest for the author. One of the topics is impaired communication among youth, which according to preliminary research, can be linked to executive functioning and can affect the skills of these individuals. The second topic is ADHD and the adaptation of children with this condition to schooling, considering the specifics of ADHD symptoms.
Works Cited
Doyle, Lauren R. et al. Executive Functioning Correlates With Communication Ability In Youth With Histories Of Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, vol. 24, no. 10, 2018, pp. 1026-1037.
Doyle, L. et al. Relation Between Adaptive Function And Iq Among Youth With Histories Of Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure. Birth Defects, vol. 111, no. 12, 2019, pp. 812-821.
Yuen-han, Kitty, and Simon Tak-Mau Chan. Involvement of Parents of Children with ADHD in Schools: Implications for Social Work Practice. Journal of Social Work, vol. 2021, pp. 55-59.
An examination of the texts provided in exercise 7 shows that the first half of the statement in each sentence comes off as either confrontational, degrading, or presents various negative connotations about the performance or intellectual ability of the one that is being spoken to (Dixon and OHara, 18). The second half of the text on the other hand is generally more positive, supportive and projects a stance that, while not generally approving of what has been shown, is supportive towards providing positive reinforcement and differing means of improvement.
The first statement coincides with the guidelines of being specific rather than generalized as evidenced by the latter half of the statement which gives specific examples of lateness. The speaker gives a precise date indicating when the student had been late during the week as compared to the first half of the statement which exclaimed a fact yet gave no evidence to back it up.
The second statement relates to the guidelines of being problem-oriented not people-oriented as seen by how the problem is addressed at the beginning and end of the statement. The speaker at the beginning of the statement states that there is a problem yet offers no method of resolution, this is indicative of degrading an individual rather than offering positive feedback. The second half of the statement is more appealing since it focuses on the problem at hand and attempts to correct it through whatever means available
The third statement relates to the guidelines of being descriptive, not evaluative as seen in the use of varying points of view in the latter half of the statement. At the beginning of the statement, the speaker indicates that how the situation was handled was terrible yet gave no indication as to why they thought it was terrible. The latter half of the statement is far more appealing to listeners since it describes how the speaker thought the situation was handled improperly.
The fourth statement relates to the guideline of owning rather than disowning as seen by the speaker taking responsibility for his/her views. This is shown by the speaker assuming responsibility for thinking that the idea being presented would be terrible instead of relegating the problem to the thoughts of the team.
The fifth statement relates to the guidelines of validating not invalidating as seen through the generally positive approach towards the views of the person being spoken to. At the beginning of the phrase, it is seen that the speaker generally dismisses the view of the other person in the conversation as being irrelevant yet the latter half of the statement shows how they value the other persons views. The latter view is more indicative of a positive and acceptable style of communication as compared to the first part of the statement since it is more supportive than negative.
The sixth statement relates to the guidelines of being supportive rather than purely critical as seen in how the speaker addresses issues to solve the problem. At the beginning of the statement, it can be seen that the speaker is critical of the problems being created yet offers no means of support to the person being spoken to. The latter half of the statement shows how to be supportive when addressing a problem and is the correct way of accomplishing this particular type of conversation.
The last statement relates to the guidelines of dealing with decisions and actions rather than assumed intentions or certain interpretations as seen in the way in which the speaker shows what the exact problem is. The speaker in this instance immediately assumes the worse at the beginning of the statement which is an incorrect way of addressing an issue. A better way can be seen in the latter half of the states where the speaker addresses how the mistake was made rather than immediately assuming the worst of the person being spoken to.
Reference
Dixon, Tara & OHara, Martin. Communication skills: making practice based learning at work. (N.I.): 18 19. Web.
In our unstable time, it is essential to be resilient and know how to replenish vital resources. When we experience anxiety, worry, and stress, cortisol builds up in the body, work productivity drops, and creativity and communication skills deteriorate significantly. In a state of stress, people cannot close themselves in because this can lead to disease development and a decrease in life expectancy, which only worsens with age. In light of the latter, the current paper reflects on Susan Pinkers speech, Secret of Long Life.
Summary
In her speech, Susan Pinker presents the research results related to why people can extend their life expectancy. The combination of the interviews with the citizens of the distant Italian village and the previous research allowed Susan to highlight the importance of communication as one of the significant life-expectancy-increasing factors (Pinker, 2017, 08:42). The speaker emphasizes that it is essential for older adults to be surrounded by their relatives and friends. Even short communication during daily routine can increase the persons life. The hormones that are exuded during the transmission can decrease the level of stress, which may result in the occurrence of various diseases.
Reflection on Content
The position presented by Susan is rational from two perspectives: psychological and physiological. It is more psychologically difficult to live through the diseases and mental challenges associated with the aging process. It would be more comfortable to eliminate stress actors by sharing problems with close people. The textbook highlights communication as one of the thirteen tips helping to achieve comfortable aging (Beyer & Lazzara, 2020). Communication in itself is an intellectual burden. Therefore, communication in the literal sense is an exercise for the mind and a way to slow down the development of age-related ailments such as Alzheimers disease. As for other diseases (for example, the cardiovascular system), the likelihood of their occurrence and development directly depends on a persons emotional state.
On a narrower scope, by highlighting the importance of communication, the speaker connects with the following critical concepts presented in the textbook: healthy life expectancy (HLE), optimal aging, and integrity vs. despair. The former is directly related to the number of social interactions a person is exposed to during their life. According to Beyer and Lazzara (2020), the HLE is a part of general life expectancy that can be described as years of full health. Analogically to its general counterpart, HLE duration is influenced by the same factors, including lifestyle preferences and stress exposure. In this context, a stable circle of close relationships and a wider circle of everyday communication contribute to a more active lifestyle, simultaneously reducing the amount of endured stress (Beyer & Lazzara, 2020). In other words, communication is a powerful resource for health and longevity (Factors that affect life expectancy, n.d.). It is the reason why the so-called blue zone from the video has a much greater number of centenarians (Pinker, 2017, 00:52). Due to the architecture of the settlements, people live in constant close proximity with their relatives and neighbors, which results in high levels of social interaction.
Another major concept reflected in the video is the idea of optimal aging. Optimal aging refers to individuals with better than average health and social well-being (Beyer & Lazzara, 2020). The aging process is intertwined with the need to adjust to circumstances; the more the person is able to continue living actively and independently, the more optimal their aging will be (Beyer & Lazzara, 2020). Such selective optimization with compensation tends to be easier if a person has a wide social circle. Pinker provides examples of centenarians who are frequently attended by their relatives (Pinker, 2017, 02:46). This way, not only do they find protection from loneliness, but they are also able to retain daily activities they enjoy, which strengthens their health and contributes to social well-being.
Finally, communication plays a vital role during the life stage of integrity vs. despair. According to Beyer and Lazzara (2020), old age is a time of recollecting past experiences, summarizing, analyzing, and consequently drawing conclusions. The balance between acknowledging past accomplishments and regretting failures and missed opportunities is decisive in whether a person achieves integrity or despair. In this context, having solid social bonds can serve as vivid evidence of life accomplishments. For an older person, seeing their romantic partner, the result of their love represented by children and grandchildren, friends with whom they came such a long way everything resembles joyful parts of past life (Pinker, 2017, 03:22). Therefore, people who retain these social bonds tend to fall for integrity instead of despair.
Conclusion
Communication for the elderly is essential for maintaining inner psychological and physiological well-being, which is reflected in the successful adaptation to old age and the satisfaction of the present state. It can increase HLE, align the aging process to its more optimal state, and lead to greater life satisfaction and acceptance. The speech by Susan Pinker emphasizes the essence of communication for increasing life expectancy, which other researchers can also support. There are many additional factors affecting life expectancy, the improvement of which, combined with everyday supportive communication, can add years to many peoples lives.
References
Beyer, A. & Lazzara, J. (2020). Psychology through the lifespan. Maricopa.