By Valentina Galvis

Applying Quick Conflict Intervention Skills in A Virtual Environment: Part 2

This is the second post of a series where I discuss methods to identify, assess and resolve conflict that arises in interactions with colleagues, classmates, friends and other parties when interacting virtually.

In the first post, I identified several challenges associated with virtual communications and the conflicts that arise. I also discussed the interest-based approach as being an effective method to apply to conflict that arises in a virtual working and studying environment. This post will describe this conflict resolution method and provide situational-based tips on how to best implement the strategies to resolve conflict.

Interest-Based approach

This conflict resolution approach focuses on exploring the underlying needs and interests of another party in relation to the position that they are taking when a conflict arises. The method seeks to inquire why the individual has certain needs and why those are important to them. Exploring these interests may generate more creative and satisfying solutions for all parties, as by addressing individual needs in a collaborative environment, individuals may feel heard, understood and included.

Virtual Group Projects: Setting out Interests and Expectations

At first glance, virtual environments for group projects are not ideal. Members may not know each other, they may be located in different time zones and likely all have different interests in relation to the assigned project. While some may want to obtain the highest grade possible, some may want to only focus on areas of the project in which they feel the most comfortable.

Without first exploring interests, group members that do not know each other may come to quick conclusions that someone is being bossy or that someone is being lazy and doesn’t care to equally contribute to the project. With deadlines and unknown expectations looming, it can become increasingly difficult to communicate virtually with group members and smaller issues may be blown up to larger-scale conflicts.

By implementing the interest-based conflict resolution model prior to assigning tasks and setting deadlines groups can avoid some conflict and also have guidelines to deal with conflict, should it arise.

Some questions that can be asked during an initial group meeting can include:

• What is everyone’s preferred method of communication? (messaging platform, meeting times)
• What letter grade are you hoping to achieve for this assignment?
• What section of the assignment most interests you or which section do you feel the most confident and capable to work on?
• Is everyone comfortable if someone takes the lead on delegating tasks?
• If we come to a disagreement about how to proceed with the project, how would you prefer that it is resolved? Should we involve a third party such as the professor or teaching assistant?
• Do you have any conflicting meetings or assignments that won’t allow you to take a heavy workload in this group?

While this is a non-exhaustive list of questions, they seek to identify the underlying interests of all group members in relation to the common end goal: submitting a completed assignment by the due date.

By asking these questions at an initial virtual meeting groups can set themselves up for success and have a guideline to resolve conflict. This method translates perfectly into a virtual environment where face-to-face meetings may be less frequent and tensions may rise in group-project-specific chats where members may not know each other and their work or communication style.

Along with implementing other strategies such as active listening, the interest-based conflict resolution approach can cater to all members of diverse groups by ensuring everyone is heard and understood.

Next time...

The next blog post will focus on discussing communication blockers – what phrases or responses are we using that are actually hindering the way we resolve conflict? Stay tuned!