Knowing what to do when a problem arises within your team is key to helping the group maintain its cooperative spirit.

Conflicts within a team are a natural part of any teamwork experience. The goal of problem solving is to create a win-win situation in which a best possible solution is identified and put into action.

1) A Six-Step Guide to Problem Solving:

	a. Identify Your Needs What is it that you want? What is it that you need? Everyone in the team should figure out what their needs are before trying to come up with a solution. b. Define the Problem What do you think is the problem? As a team, come up with a definition of the problem, making sure that everyone involved agrees. c. Brainstorm Lots of Solutions Can you think of ways that this problem might be solved? Brainstorming involves having everyone in the team offer possible solutions. All suggestions are useful and should be received without comment or judgement. The goal of brainstorming is for the team to come up with as many solutions as possible. It is important to find a place to write down all the possible solutions, such as a blackboard or an online discussion board, so that all team members can see the list. d. Look Through the Solutions Would you be happy with any of these solutions? Everyone should have the opportunity to go down the list and identify which solutions would work for themselves personally and which would not. If your team is not able to meet face-to-face, then have each member either e-mail or post on a discussion board which of the solutions would make them happy. e. Choose the Best Solution Is this solution agreed to be the best given the situation? Figure out whether there is a solution that could work the best for all team members—compromise. f. Re-evaluate the Solution Chosen When can a meeting be scheduled to make sure that the problem has been solved? The team should come up with an ongoing plan to evaluate the solution. This evaluation can take place on the same day, or sometime in the future.

2) Principles for Resolving Team Conflict:

1. Separate the people from the problem

When dealing with a team problem it is common for misunderstandings to occur; such misunderstandings can lead to hurt feelings and put a strain on relationships. It is important to attack the problem, not the people. Try your best to separate the people from the problem.

Tips on how to focus on the problem not the person:

• Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and try to understand their point of view.
• Try not to place blame on other people.
• Discuss each person’s position with respect to the problem.
• Don’t let emotions get in the way.

2. Communicate effectively

• Listen actively, concentrating on the speaker.
• Speak about yourself and your position instead of bringing other people into your description of the problem. For example: “I feel like…” instead of “You make me feel like…”
• Be sensitive to the feelings of those around you.

3. Come to a fair solution

• All ideas should be heard without judgement.
• Agree on how the final decision will be made.

3) A Final Word on Problem Solving:

Don’t forget: Keep in mind that, when you are trying to solve any team problem, your ultimate goal is to come up with a solution that works for everyone.
You may not be able to come up with a solution that is perfect for all team members, but you should work towards finding one that is fair to everyone.