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accomplish this by establishing clear communication goals, build team cohesion, and finally lead
a few individuals through this conflict.
My first action will be hosting an all staff meeting as soon as possible, and push for in
person attendance if possible. My goals of this meeting are to first share that I care about this
team and strive for improvement. Additionally, I will explain to this team that I am here to listen
to any questions, comments, or concerns at any time since I strive for a happy, cohesive team.
With that being said, I will allow anyone to voice any concerns at that time, and I will either
address the concerns, or make a plan to follow up at a later time with additional information.
Finally, I will make a broad statement that workplace bullying will not be accepted, and I plan to
take any issues seriously going forward thus, hopefully, creating an environment where all
employees feel safe to share opinions and emotions at any time.
Building team cohesion will support my goals mentioned above. To build team cohesion
with this group, my first goal is to foster an environment that feels psychologically safe for all
employees. I will express that I need this team to feel safe and free to share their identity,
emotions, and opinions since that is how we all continue to improve. Simple actions on my end
such as listening, expressing gratitude, and being conscious of nonverbals and body language
will send belonging cues to this group (Bhasin, 2020). Finally, explicitly sharing with this group
that I will create time for team planning, reflection, and celebration will, hopefully, build team
cohesion as they may sense the shared goals and interdependence among the team.
Finally, I believe that conflict resolution/management is required, and I strive to ensure
the individuals involved view this as a communication opportunity. My goal is to resolve the
active conflict between the new employee and difficult team member by asking them to share
their thoughts openly and directly while focusing on specifics (
Confrontation Continuum
).