AMITY INSTITUTE OF PSYCHOLOGY AND ALLIED SCIENCES

M.A. APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY SEMESTER - 1

SUBJECT: PROFESSIONAL AND

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
SUBJECT CODE: BC613

ASSIGNMENT TOPIC:
WORKING GROUPS AND
TEAMS

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION, TEAM BUILDING AND LEADERSHIP

SUBMITTED BY – B SAI GAYATHRI, TARUSI SALUJA, BHARTI SARAF, USHASHI MAZUMDER, SURAVITA SEN

SUBMITTED TO – Ms. IPSITA BISWAS

 CONTENTS –

S. No. SUBTOPICS NAMES

Emotional Intelligence: Managing your Emotions after they
1. USHASHI
Occur, Preventing Emotions, Reappraising your Emotions
2. Conflict and Interpersonal Communication TARUSI
Managing Conflict: Avoidance, Accommodation,
3. GAYATHRI
Competition, Compromise, Collaboration
Challenges to Handling Conflict: Self-Enhancing Thoughts,
4. Destructive Messages, Serial Arguments, Physical Violence, SURAVITA
Unsolvable Disputes
5. Short-term Conflict Resolution BHARTI

ABSTRACT –

This topic examines the intricacies of interpersonal relationships in working groups and teams. It
encompasses emotional intelligence, focusing on managing, preventing, and reappraising emotions
for improved collaboration. The discussion further extends to conflict management, covering
avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise, and collaboration as strategies to navigate
conflicts effectively. Additionally, it addresses challenges in handling conflict, including self-
enhancing thoughts, destructive messages, serial arguments, physical violence, and seemingly
insurmountable disputes. It also touches on short-term conflict resolution, highlighting the
significance of these elements in fostering team cohesion and productivity.

BODY –

1. Emotional Intelligence:
Introduction -

In 1995 the American Dialect Society (1999) selected Emotional Intelligence as the most useful new
term. The explosion of interest in the construct arose from Daniel Goleman’s (1995) bestseller—
Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ. This book popularised aspects of the
academic work on emotional intelligence.
According to Mayer, Caruso and Salovey’s (2000) ability model, emotional intelligence refers to the
abilities used to process information about one’s own emotions and the emotions of others. Within
the model, there are four branches:
(1) To perceive and express feelings;
(2) To use emotions and emotional understanding to facilitate thinking;
(3) To understand complex emotions, relationships among emotions, and relationships between
emotions and behavioral consequences; and

SUBMITTED BY – B SAI GAYATHRI, TARUSI SALUJA, BHARTI SARAF, USHASHI MAZUMDER, SURAVITA SEN

SUBMITTED TO – Ms. IPSITA BISWAS

 (4) To manage emotion.

Emotional management— is the ability to regulate emotions, to choose to be open to experiencing

emotions and to control the way in which these are expressed. People with well-developed
emotional management abilities are able to choose the degree to which they are open to
experiencing emotions and expressing them.

Emotions at Work: Negative Emotions

According to Fisher's research, the most common negative emotions experienced in the
workplace are as follows:

 Frustration/irritation.
 Worry/nervousness.
 Anger/aggravation.
 Dislike.
 Disappointment/unhappiness.

Strategies to manage negative emotions at work -

 Deep breathing & relaxation techniques

 This will help with emotions like anxiety, worry, frustration and anger.
 Take deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly until you calm down. Slowly count to 10.
 You can take a walk to cool down, and listen to some relaxing music.
 The 10-second rule

 This is especially helpful if you are feeling angry, frustrated or even irate.
 If you feel your temper rising, try and count to 10 to recompose yourself.
 Be respectful

 Treat your colleagues the same way you would like to be treated yourself.
 If the person is rude, there’s no need to reciprocate. We can stay gracious and just be firm and
assertive without being aggressive.
 Never bring your negative emotions home

 It is good practice to let go of any anger, frustration and unhappiness at the end of every
workday.

SUBMITTED BY – B SAI GAYATHRI, TARUSI SALUJA, BHARTI SARAF, USHASHI MAZUMDER, SURAVITA SEN

SUBMITTED TO – Ms. IPSITA BISWAS

  Harbouring negative emotions allows them to fester like mould, bringing you to a breaking
point. So, it is best to empty the emotional “trash can” on a daily basis, to prevent overwhelm.

2. Conflict and Interpersonal Communication:

In the context of groups and teams, conflict refers to the presence of disagreement, tension, or
opposition among members. It can arise from differences in opinions, goals, values, or even
interpersonal dynamics. Conflict is a natural and inevitable part of group interactions, and it can
either be constructive or destructive.

Constructive conflict can lead to positive outcomes, such as increased creativity, better decision-
making, and improved problem-solving. It encourages members to consider different perspectives
and ideas, fostering innovation within the group.

On the other hand, destructive conflict can be detrimental to group cohesion and productivity. It
may lead to communication breakdowns, reduced trust among team members, and an overall
negative work environment.

Interpersonal communication is crucial within groups and teams because it forms the foundation for
collaboration and coordination. When conflict arises, effective communication becomes even more
important in resolving issues and maintaining a positive team dynamic.

Conflict in interpersonal communication can manifest in various ways, such as:

1. Miscommunication: Lack of clarity or misunderstandings in verbal and nonverbal

communication can lead to conflict. Different interpretations of messages can create
confusion and tension.
2. Differences in Communication Styles: Team members may have different communication
preferences or styles, leading to friction. For example, some may prefer direct
communication, while others may prefer a more indirect or diplomatic approach.
3. Unresolved Issues: Failure to address and resolve interpersonal issues promptly can escalate
into more significant conflicts. Ignoring or avoiding problems may hinder team
performance and cohesion.

3. Managing Conflict:

The five methodologies are avoidance, accommodation, compromise, competition, and collaboration.
These methodologies can be displayed graphically to show the varying degree of cooperation and
assertiveness each style encompasses.

1. AVOIDANCE:

The avoidance methodology is an uncooperative and unassertive style. People exhibit this style
seek to avoid resolving any conflict altogether by denying a conflict exists. These people are
prone to postponing any decisions in which they should get involved in resolving a conflict.

SUBMITTED BY – B SAI GAYATHRI, TARUSI SALUJA, BHARTI SARAF, USHASHI MAZUMDER, SURAVITA SEN

SUBMITTED TO – Ms. IPSITA BISWAS

 While conflict avoidance may not be a significant problem if the issue at hand is trivial. It
becomes a problem when individuals avoid confronting important issues because of a dislike for
conflict or a perceived inability to handle the other party’s reactions.

2. ACCOMMODATION:

The accommodating methodology is cooperative and unassertive. People exhibit this style give in
to what the other side wants, even if it means giving up one’s personal goals.

Accommodation may be an effective strategy if the issue at hand is more important to others as
compared to the person’s personal goals. If a person habitually uses this style, that person may
begin to see that personal interests and well-being are neglected.

3. COMPROMISE:

The compromising methodology is a middle-ground for cooperation and assertiveness in which

individuals have some desire to express their own concerns and get their way but still respect the
other person’s goals.

Compromising involves each person to sacrifice something of value to themselves. The person
compromising may say something like, “Perhaps I ought to reconsider my initial position” or
“Maybe we can both agree to give in a little.”

4. COMPETITION:

The competing methodology is uncooperative and assertive. The people who exhibit a competing
methodology want to reach their goal or get their solution adopted regardless of what others say
or how they feel.

These people are more interested in getting the outcome they want as opposed to keeping the
other party happy and they push for the deal they are interested in making.

A competition methodology can lead to poor relationships with others if one is always seeking to
maximize their own outcomes or beliefs at the expense of the other person’s goals and beliefs.

5. COLLABORATION:

The collaboration methodology is high on both cooperation and assertiveness. This methodology
is used to achieve the best outcome from a conflict with both sides arguing for their position
supporting it with facts and rationale while listening attentively to the other side. The objective in
this methodology is to find a win-win solution to the problem in which both sides get what they
want. Both sides may challenge points or aspects but not challenge each other. They emphasize
problem solving and integration of each other’s goals into an overall solution.

4. Challenges to Handling Conflict:

Self Enhancement - According to Taylor and Brown (1988), the term self enhancement can be
divided into 3 components i.e. (a) the unrealistic positive views on self (b)illusions of control
(c)unrealistic optimism. Self-enhancement leads to overconfidence. To the extent that self-
enhancing tendencies are internalized and chronic, deeper personality structures are implicated.

SUBMITTED BY – B SAI GAYATHRI, TARUSI SALUJA, BHARTI SARAF, USHASHI MAZUMDER, SURAVITA SEN

SUBMITTED TO – Ms. IPSITA BISWAS

 Measures of self-deception enhancement and narcissism tap into personality constructs that are
assumed to reflect distorted self-views, but they are not direct operationalizations of those
distortions. The source trait is a narcissistic self-evaluation with self-deceptive overtones. This point
is particularly important because the underlying trait has other public manifestations (e.g., hostility,
manipulation) that shape the choice of self-enhancing behaviors as well as observers’ reactions to
the self-enhancement.

Destructive messages - Destructive conflict flows from unhealthy people and relationships. Where
there is destructive conflict, a person will often find a pattern of cruelty, neglect, deception, control,
indifference and even abuse in the relationship. What differentiates destructive conflict from healthy
disagreement is that it involves a pattern of unhealthy communication. Destructive conflict flows
from individuals who consistently fail to admit their weakness, lie, rationalize, deny, apologize
instead of changing their behavior, blame others instead of “owning” their part of the problem and
who are defensive instead of open to feedback.

Serial Arguments - Serial arguments occur when individuals in a relationship extend an argument
beyond a single episode resulting in multiple argumentative episodes over time about the same
issue. A disadvantage is a negative argument that proves that the affirmative plan is undesirable.
The impact is similar to a harm claim, though the term impact is usually used in the context of the
disadvantage. The disadvantage is the final, end problem that results.

Physical Violence - Violence, an act of physical force that causes or is intended to cause harm. The
damage inflicted by violence may be physical, psychological, or both. Violence may be distinguished
from aggression, a more general type of hostile behavior that may be physical, verbal, or passive in
nature. Violence is a relatively common type of human behavior that occurs throughout the world.
People of any age may be violent, although older adolescents and young adults are most likely to
engage in violent behavior. Violence has a number of negative effects on those who witness
or experience it.

Unresolved conflict - Unresolved or poorly managed conflict is a challenge that many teams wrestle
with. Often when conflict is discussed in teams it’s addressed but not resolved, and it may be
months or even years later when the same issues resurface. One of the challenges with the
resolution of workplace conflicts is that to ensure the agreements and resolution stick, it requires
attitude and behaviour changes from those involved in the resolution conversations.

5. Short-term Conflict Resolution:

In a conflict situation, there are five strategies to resolve disagreements quickly and effectively.

1. Raise the issue early: Be direct and talk with the other party, even if you're afraid of making
that approach or worry about it worsening the problem. Be assertive and speak openly,
encouraging others to do the same.

2. Manage your emotions: Choose the right timing when talking to someone about the conflict,
as anger may inflame the situation. Stay calm, collect yourself, and ask questions about what you
want to achieve, the issues you're having, and what you would like to see.

SUBMITTED BY – B SAI GAYATHRI, TARUSI SALUJA, BHARTI SARAF, USHASHI MAZUMDER, SURAVITA SEN

SUBMITTED TO – Ms. IPSITA BISWAS

 3. Show empathy: Instead of stating your own case, invite the other party to describe their
position and listen with empathy. This helps build mutual respect and understanding, leading to
an outcome that satisfies both parties.

4. Practice active listening: Paraphrase the other party's points to show you're listening and
understand them. Look out for non-verbal signals that contradict what they are saying, and use
appropriate body language to show interest and follow them.

5. Acknowledge criticism: While criticism or constructive feedback is about job behaviors, it

should be used to identify areas for improvement, improve next time, and grow. By following
these strategies, you can resolve disagreements quickly and effectively in any conflict situation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY –

https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/interpersonalcommunication/chapter/9/

https://learn.saylor.org/mod/book/view.php?id=52359

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/conflict-management

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-methods-handle-conflicts-james-jim-dent-lssbb-dtmx2

https://www.healthxchange.sg/men/health-work/managing-emotions-work

https://www.mindtools.com/amqbd0e/managing-your-emotions-at-work

https://www.myworkplacehealth.com/dealing-with-unresolved-conflict-in-the-workplace/

https://debateus.org/debating-disadvantages/

Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths Shane J. Lopez,
Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti, C. R. Snyder

[1] [2] [3] Mind Tools interview with Peter A. Glaser, Ph.D. and Susan R. Glaser. Available here.

Paulhus L. Delroy, Robins W. Richard. The character of Self Enhancers: Implications

of Organisations

SUBMITTED BY – B SAI GAYATHRI, TARUSI SALUJA, BHARTI SARAF, USHASHI MAZUMDER, SURAVITA SEN

SUBMITTED TO – Ms. IPSITA BISWAS