I. Introduction

A. Background

Effective group communication and conflict management are essential components of successful project management. Challenges can arise due to location, culture, or other group dynamics such as role ambiguity until established. (Gale, 2009 p.357) To address these challenges, it is crucial to develop a comprehensive Group Communication and Conflict Management (GCCM) plan. This plan will provide a framework for fostering effective communication, managing conflicts, and promoting collaboration within the project team.

B. The Team

1. Team Name
   1. The team involved in this project will be referred to as the "Five by Five."
2. Team Member Geographical Locations
   1. The team members are in various geographical locations, including Maryland and Washington State.
3. Purpose and Goals (Mission Statement)

The mission of Team Five by Five is to produce a collaborative Group Communication and Conflict Management Plan, through group deliverables and discussions, which will foster passing the course with an A and successful project management industry preparedness.

To that end, the group is resolved in their performance to:

• Apply class content in practical manner and display maximum effort in devotion to each participant's best interest;
• Use course guidance to direct the group's personal and cumulative interactions in completing the required tasks;
• Use course guidance to define the weekly topic, task assignment, and deliverable submissions on time, as stated;
• Use only approved communication channels to complete the assigned work;
• Devise schedules for accomplishing the weekly tasks that lead to meeting the mission statement; and
• Take appropriate action in the assigned roles and responsibilities of team leader, project manager, and contributor.

1. Strategic Alignment

The project is aligned with the course's strategic and educational objectives, which focus on enhancing student communications and optimizing operational efficiency. The successful completion of this GCCM plan will contribute to communicating the team's overall talents and effectiveness in delivering a completed GCCM plan.

1. Ground Rules and Norms

Levine & Hogg (2010) states that group norms authorize and describe behavior, how members should act, serve as a guide for personal behavior, and coordinate social interactions. When utilizing norms, they provide informal rules sanctioned for a particular behavioral outcome (Grxhani & Bruggman, 2015). While group norms indicate what is and are not appropriate, they also require socialization - transfer of knowledge - to new members that will potentially join the team (Kochar, 2004).Communication norms are a set of formal (or informal) rules a team makes to set how they interact with one another. To foster effective communication, one would look to implementing some or all the following norms:

Active Listening: Maintaining eye contact, avoiding interruptions, and seeking clarification when needed are all good measures in active listening. Active listening promotes mutual understanding and ensures that all team members' perspectives are heard.

Open Communication: Team members should feel comfortable expressing their thoughts, ideas, and any concerns openly. Encouraging open communication fosters trust, promotes idea-sharing, and allows for the identification and resolution of potential issues.

Response Times: Responding to requests and communications from team members demonstrates respect for their time and effort. Acknowledging receipt of messages and providing timely updates on progress or challenges helps maintain effective communication within the team.

Clear Communication: Sometimes, writing and and speaking in "layman's terms" in order to convey ideas and instructions improve communications so that team members have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Concise communication minimizes misunderstandings and ensures that information is effectively transmitted and received.

Team Expectations and Rules

Meeting Attendance: All team members should attend meetings punctually and be prepared to actively participate. Absences should be communicated in advance whenever possible. If a member is late, they should notify the team in advance and catch up on missed information independently so the team's meeting time is respected.

Agenda and Meeting Minutes: Meetings should have a clear agenda shared in advance, outlining the topics to be discussed and the objectives to be achieved. After each meeting, minutes should be documented and shared with the team, summarizing decisions made, action items assigned, and deadlines set.

Task Allocation and Accountability: Responsibilities and tasks should be assigned with the team members' strengths and talents in mind. Each team member should be accountable for their assigned tasks and meet agreed-upon deadlines. Regular progress updates should be provided to ensure transparency and enable timely support if needed.

Feedback and Conflict Resolution: Feedback should be given constructively, focusing on the issue at hand and offering suggestions for improvement. Conflicts should be addressed openly and promptly, with an emphasis on finding mutually beneficial resolutions. Respectful dialogue and active listening should guide conflict resolution efforts.

1. Team Decision-Making Processes

To ensure effective decision-making, team Five by Five will employ a consensus-based approach. This approach encourages active participation, open discussion, and the integration of diverse viewpoints. The team will strive to reach a collective agreement before making decisions, promoting a sense of ownership and commitment among team members.

C. Thesis Statement/Research Question

The thesis statement guiding this GCCM plan is: "Developing a Group Communications and Conflict Management Plan that satisfies Five by Five's required deliverables, that demonstrates the team's ability to foster effective communication, manage conflicts, and promote collaboration, ultimately leading to a successful GCCM plan."

Research Question: "How can effective group communication and conflict management strategies be implemented to overcome the challenges the team faces in developing the GCCM plan that satisfies the project deliverables and promotes effective group communication?"

By addressing this research question, the GCCM plan aims to provide practical recommendations and strategies to enhance communication and conflict resolution within the Five by Five team. The GCCM plan will serve as a roadmap for promoting effective collaboration and achieving our objectives.

Group Communication Plan

1. Background

The success or failure of a project is often contingent upon how well each team member conveys necessary information to each other in efforts to collaborate for the effective completion of the assigned task or project, and how well the team conveys necessary information to the stakeholder and leadership groups. The group communication plan allows for the following interactions:

• Aligning the stakeholders with the project
• Provide a sense of structure for interactions
• Provide a platform to inform internal and external stakeholders as well as leadership and team members with updates and information
• Aid with the prevention of redundancy

Team Action

The team has developed a communications strategy and finalized the communications strategy within the third week of the project. Our communication plan focuses on incorporating the learning and communication styles of each team member, thus smoothing, and improving the process for the team. Throughout the duration of the project, team members were able to refer to the communications plan located in the OneDrive, and determine what information was necessary to be disseminated and the necessary channels to keep each member updated with the development as all parties were affected by these changes throughout the project.

Process:

The team provided a consensus for the project and determined the portions of the team each person would complete. The team agreed on due dates and assessed time for the completion of projects also played a key role within the communications plan. The applicable time helped determine the level of autonomy or interdependence of each team member and the volume of communication each team member required.The team found that the nature of daily operations was altered as the team required constant updates based on the following two factors: how much content and information was to be provided to the stakeholders over the life of the project and how fast the changes occurred.

Audience:

The team focused on determining the extent of the network for communication as the communications strategy was constantly developed, this consisted of the total audience within the exchange.

Content:

The content of the communications strategy is important as the plan begins with the strategic goal, better known as the mission. The goal of the project should remain relevant and insight of those involved: tasks, communications, agendas, etc. As the objectives necessary to reach the goal becomes more common with keeping everyone aligned it is important to note that the content provided within the content must be simple and easy for everyone to follow along. Teams will often develop their internal dialect for increased correspondence that often alienates everyone outside of the group, and as candid feedback loops alleviate these concerns, the team must remain aligned with the stakeholders and adapt accordingly.

Group Conflict Management Plan

Background

Conflicts within project teams can arise at any time during the project. At the root of most conflicts are misunderstandings that, if handled properly, can be resolved through conversations and actions. Stress, differing opinions, unforeseen risks, and personality conflicts can contribute to project team conflicts. Improper handling of conflicts will directly impact the project team and can also directly or indirectly impact other stakeholders. Mishandling conflict puts projects at risk of low production rates, project delays, and poor product development.

Team Action

Analyze the steps taken by Group Five x Five to make collaboration more productive

Types of Conflict

• Scheduling - Varied styles of work/task completion
• Unresolved Issues - Failure of leadership to address conflicts that have presented
• Stakeholder Priorities - Poor communication of expectations/Balancing stakeholder goals
• Resources - Unclear budgeting expectations/costly scope creep
• Cultural - Issues that can arise with international project teams
• People; Personality Traits; Personal Differences; Interpersonal; and Relationship Concerns
• Task Interdependency - Define task connections and their dependencies on other team members
• Project Mission and Goals - Clarity of Project Scope
• Information Deficiencies - How poor communication impacts project tasks and goals
• Environmental - Understanding the surroundings of the project site
• Group Think - Making sure that all voices are heard

Group Conflict Resolution Strategies

• Set Expectations - For group communications through Group Norms; For the project through clear communication of project goals
• Active Listening - Listening to understand using a complete communication cycle of sending and receiving
• Avoid Force - Creating positive buy-in as opposed to forcing team compliance
• Learning from Conflict and Constructive Criticism - Respect for differing opinions and keep an open mind
• Embrace Team Collaboration/Brainstorming - Problem solving as a group can produce innovative ideas
• Compromise - Find middle ground to build solutions around
• Practical Decision Making - Resolutions that benefit stakeholders, project goals, and the team

Group Assignment Management

Communication is vitality! Project Management teams rely heavily on one another to complete the work assigned. However, how does the group communicate and resolve issues? Are there potential solutions and methods to create effective teams that thrive on participants knowing all the details to complete their assigned functions? This paper identifies group norms and conflict resolution steps within a project implementation team. A great place to start is with communication norms.

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Instructions

Using the GCCM Plans that have been posted in Week 10/11 Discussion and your thorough review of these plans, formalize your critique/analysis of each team's GCCM Plan and submit this analysis by the end of Week 11. In your response to this assignment, consider and respond to the following: Identifyanddiscussthe strengths and weaknesses of each team's plan. What material did you identify that would have been useful to your team's plan? Why? Your grade will be based on the quality and critical thinking evident in your discussion and analysis. Your discussion should be approximately one page for each team's plan.