Reflection Paper
Nathan Castrop
David Elder
BSM 385
01 November 2007
“Managing and Valuing Differences” Reflection I have been a part of many groups, whether they were academic or work-related. I have had many issues that have caused conflict in these groups settings. A conflict that comes up a lot is how to deal with someone who is not pulling his/her load on the current project. This always leads to excuses about how the person has a much more hectic life than the others in the group and can even lead to pointing out other members’ flaws. Another conflict that can arise is when a “quieter” member of the group doesn’t speak up when he doesn’t agree with someone. This leads to this person developing resentment towards the more outspoken members of the group. It will tend to come out in different ways so this person can vent their frustration and in-turn could be responsible for squashing a tremendous idea. I believe before a group can truly work together, it must bridge the gaps between the different personality types by getting to know one another. This does not necessarily mean meeting socially with the group, in fact this could bring more conflicts into the group that were not otherwise there. I think in order to keep the conflicts simple and manageable the group should stay away from meeting socially. I believe through these “bad” experiences I can strengthen a group. By learning from what has gone wrong in the past, the current group can get passed those unnecessary conflicts before they even happen. I believe the group must spend some time getting to know one another. Whether this is done by doing a less complicated and strict project to begin with and learning what each person can bring to the discussion or by just playing a corny “get to know you” game. As long as the atmosphere is light-hearted and non-stressful during this period, I think the group will succeed in finding out what makes each person “tick”. I think each group meeting should have a
David Elder
BSM 385
01 November 2007
“Managing and Valuing Differences” Reflection I have been a part of many groups, whether they were academic or work-related. I have had many issues that have caused conflict in these groups settings. A conflict that comes up a lot is how to deal with someone who is not pulling his/her load on the current project. This always leads to excuses about how the person has a much more hectic life than the others in the group and can even lead to pointing out other members’ flaws. Another conflict that can arise is when a “quieter” member of the group doesn’t speak up when he doesn’t agree with someone. This leads to this person developing resentment towards the more outspoken members of the group. It will tend to come out in different ways so this person can vent their frustration and in-turn could be responsible for squashing a tremendous idea. I believe before a group can truly work together, it must bridge the gaps between the different personality types by getting to know one another. This does not necessarily mean meeting socially with the group, in fact this could bring more conflicts into the group that were not otherwise there. I think in order to keep the conflicts simple and manageable the group should stay away from meeting socially. I believe through these “bad” experiences I can strengthen a group. By learning from what has gone wrong in the past, the current group can get passed those unnecessary conflicts before they even happen. I believe the group must spend some time getting to know one another. Whether this is done by doing a less complicated and strict project to begin with and learning what each person can bring to the discussion or by just playing a corny “get to know you” game. As long as the atmosphere is light-hearted and non-stressful during this period, I think the group will succeed in finding out what makes each person “tick”. I think each group meeting should have a