Week 8 of Communication and Collaboration

I would like to thank everyone for following my blog and responding thoughtfully over the past 8 weeks. It is always great to read yours responses and blogs, and I appreciate any feedback you have given! I know our courses are going to take us down different paths next week, but it would be great to stay in touch! I know some are going towards the Administration path and I wish you the best of luck on the rest of your journey! I am heading down the Teaching and Diversity Master's path, so if anyone is willing to reconnect and work together you can reach me through our walden email or my google email sweetandsmilie88@gmail.com. I will exchange phone numbers through there. Thanks and good luck!!!! 

5 Stages of Team Development

In my opinion, the groups that are hardest to leave are the groups where norms are established and trust is strong. Of the four years of my teaching career, not one year have we all had the same people on our team. Each year it depended on how strong and close our team was. Last year, although there were many conflicts on our First grade team, we worked together and made it through. At the end of the year, we all went out to dinner together and had drinks, talking about the year and sharing stories. When playing softball, I think my senior year was the hardest group to leave. We had been together for four years, and we had such a great morale. After our last game we all went to one of the player’s houses for a pool party and had a blast together one more time.

I have already thought about what it will be like after my current course, when some of the colleagues I’ve talked with and gotten to know, will be in different classes because of their program of study. Because we don’t live near each other or see each other, I think it will be a different kind of closure. I’m not sure it will be as “personal” or true “closure”. I believe that through social media and other lines of communication we will continue to stay in touch. Adjourning is important because it helps bring our time together to an end so that we can start fresh and new, continuing on our journeys together or with other people. I am reminded of my small group of “best friends” from elementary, middle, and high school. We eventually parted ways, and although all of the adjourning stages were not how I expected, I think there was a reason for it; so that we could move on to bigger and better things.

Conflict Resolution and Strategies

• Think about any disagreements, or conflicts, you have recently experienced or are currently experiencing at work with a supervisor or colleague, or someone in your personal life. Share at least two strategies you have learned about that might help you manage or resolve the conflict more productively, and why these strategies might be effective. For example, could you suggest a compromise? Could you look for a broader range of solutions to your disagreement? Could you use some of the principles of nonviolent communication or the 3 R's to better help you resolve this conflict?

One of the first conflicts that comes to mind is the disagreement I had a few nights ago with my husband over spending money. I immediately went into defense mode because I felt like I was being attacked. One thing I could have done better would be to stop and think of a way to solve the problem, rather than verbally attacking back. This did not solve the problem was not productive at all. Later on, I mentioned that we should go back to a budget and stick to it, and he agreed. "By skillfully working through conflicting ideas about how to solve a problem or reach a goals, we identify the best courses of action" (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012).

Another conflict came about this week with my 5 other colleagues on my Kindergarten team, but I'm going to describe this as more of an on-going issue because it has been this way for the entire school year. To sum things up, I, being new to the team, avoid conflict and disagreements as much as possible. There have been many times when I separate myself from the team, because I do not want to be involved and see it as "drama". In doing so, I have realized that although separation can be a good thing in certain situations, it can also negatively impact relationships if communication is not made. I have not communicated my feelings of being "overlooked" or "left out" or "thought of last". I feel as though many decisions are made, things are planned or said, and the one teammate and myself are not informed until last minute if at all. I feel like this is because we have "separated" ourselves a bit instead of communicating how we feel. There seems to be a power-struggle between the team leader and the previous team leader, and our other two teammates are mixed up in that as well. We do our best to communicate things and compromise, listening to other's ideas and opinions, however we feel like we're in a lose-lose situation. I feel as though I do my best to use cooperative strategies as much as I can, but both the team leader and previous team leader always overrule or give their opinions against what I/we say. It's getting to the point where I'm not sure what else to do.

Does anyone have any other suggestions as to how I could have responded or how I can help manage conflict on our team and communicate better? I would love for you to share your input.

References:

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's