At my company, TD industries we are all Partners and all have the same common goal, which

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At my company, TD industries we are all Partners and all have the same common goal, which is to finish the job safely, on budget, with superior customer satisfaction. However with our jobs covering multiple trades we must work in teams to effectively complete our projects. In most cases we have the plumbing crew, piping crew, sheet metal crew, and the onsite office crew. Each crew or team has a designated leader. For the trades they are known as the foreman and in the office the superintendent serves and leads the job in its entirety.

I’ve been on my current project since October of 2013. During that time I have encountered internal conflict within the piping crew involving two individuals. This situation involved the team leader or foreman and another member within his crew. I believe the root causes of the conflict involved lack of leadership training and cultural differences. The foreman was significantly younger than his other partner and lacked experience in the leadership role. The older partner was more seasoned and set in his ways. When younger and older generations blend there are bound to be some issues. The foreman did not know how to properly communicate, and the older team member did not take well to the fact that someone younger and less experienced in some areas was his superior.

Tensions built over a three month period until they both finally blew up on each other. After emotions calmed our superintendent intervened to facilitate proper communication to resolve the problem. Both individuals had different ideas on what the issue was. The foreman felt disrespected and felt that his Partner was constantly working against him. The other Partner felt as though his foreman did not communicate to him in a very professional or respectable manner. He also felt as though he never listened to his ideas or even valued the fact that he had 25 year plus in their trade.

In the end the misunderstandings were resolved and has had a great outcome for the whole team. The atmosphere within the team is much calmer allowing the flow of work to go smoother. Since then the foreman has worked on his leadership skills by taking our servant leadership course. They both work cohesively now utilizing each other knowledge and skill set as an effective tool to get the job done more effectively.

To what extent do you agree with your peer's opinion on the results of conflict in a group? If you agree, provide additional support for your shared opinion. To the extent that you disagree, ask your peer a question that you believe will cause your peer to reconsider. A well-developed response is generally stated.