How Management Teams Can Have a Good Fight

Introduction:

The article, How Management Teams Can Have a Good Fight, focuses on research done with management teams and the amount of disagreement involved in making sound, strategic decisions in the workplace. Initially, the title of the work struck me as odd. Aren’t the words “good” and “fight” paradoxical? Until reading this, I would have never thought that a “good fight” existed. The authors point out that it is, indeed, possible to have a “good fight” by observing teams that were able to vigorously debate strategic issues without damaging working relationships and comparing them with other teams that were characterized by high levels of hostility and discord. What, in particular, was the distinction between the two types of management teams they studied? Based on their research concerning the association of conflict, politics, and the speed with which team decisions are made, the authors outline six tactics characteristic of top performing teams. Today, I am nearing my graduation from Texas Tech’s MBA/HOM program and hope to become a healthcare manager beginning this December; therefore, the concepts presented in this course and, specifically, this article will lead me into my career and prove particularly valuable. The ability to work with a diverse team, especially in the world of healthcare, and make sensible business decisions with those teams is vital. I feel this article will help me to do just that.

Valuable Points:

Once I was able to reflect on the concepts outlined in How Management Teams Can Have a Good Fight, I truly feel that the authors were exact in their methods to improve management team decision-making. The authors first state that effective management teams work with more information, specifically objective data on both internal operations and the external environment. In addition, they develop multiple alternatives to enhance debate and encourage creativity. They also establish common goals to strive towards, making everyone feel part of the team. They make an effort to introduce humor into the workplace to create a collaborative and positive working atmosphere. Furthermore, they maintain a balanced power structure; and lastly, they resolve issues without pressing for a consensus.

Task Conflict Is Vital To Success:

The aforementioned approaches work, for they keep conflict focused on the issues. The main takeaway that I got from the article is one that I will never forget: task conflict is necessary, but it is crucial that the disagreement not cultivate relational conflict. In case you are unsure, task conflict is simply constructive discussion regarding the issues at hand, while relational conflict becomes personal and, oftentimes, has nothing to do with the task being discussed. In addition to keeping the conflict task-focused, the six tactics also tend to foster collaborative,