Common causes of team conflict

The most important decision when a team is assembled is what the goal of the team will be. It is imperative that the teams’ goals are well defined (Tools for Teams pg 29). Depending on the type of team sometimes the goal is given to them and sometimes the team chooses it themselves. In the case of a Self-Directing or Self-Governing the team chooses their own goal (Tools for Teams pg 17). This can be a time consuming process. If the team chooses a problem that is too broad in scope it can make it difficult for the team to handle, resulting in frustration and possible conflict (http://www.vta.spcomm.uiuc.edu/).

Later on in the process there is the possibility for the team to under or over analyze the problem. In the case of under analyzing the problem the team may jump to conclusions (http://www.vta.spcomm.uiuc.edu/). This maybe caused by a team that is being directed to resolve the proble...