The concept of "flow" by Mihaly Czikszentmihaly is very much like gratification I thought. It perfectly explained why we can be so engrossed into something to the point of us losing the sense of time. He defined this "flow" as something that occurs when sufficient skill is matched with sufficient challenge. This concept of flow really clicked with my understanding of gratification and I felt enlightened from the very abstract perception I had about it before. A leader being the one to provide those that he/she works with the opportunity and autonomy to find flow within the tasks given was absolutely the right way to put it. I think all what I have been talking about channeling energy towards a goal or sharing passion can be summed up to this concept of "flow".
We also talked about managing conflict today. Megumi announced that she felt no conflicts whatsoever. At least she didn`t regard conflicts as conflicts in a negative way, merely obstacles to overcome. I was amazed at her positivity; not everyone, hardly anyone I should say can deal with problems the way she does and have such an joyous outlook of issues. I do believe too, that conflicts can be a key to solving things and opening up new doors. It can be a initiative to talk about the problems that lay in the team , what their initial goals/commitments as a team were, and as a result enforce a stronger, better team.
In truth though i`m afraid of conflicts in a team. For one, conflicts are memorable. Conflicts big or small can linger in ones mind and lead to misjudgement of one another in the future, slowly corrupting the harmony of a team. The memory of conflict could be so bitter that in attempt to avoid it, refrain from relationships with certain people or not speak one`s mind about important issues. Another, is that conflicts can make horrible turns in certain cases. The argument can heat up so badly that it could go astray and be a battle about and entirely different issue. This one incident can lead to damage beyond repair of the relationship and trust between members of the team.
Conflict though is inevitable. As much as I dislike them I have to deal with them. Without conflict nothing develops. I guess it all depends on how you perceive things. Whether you take it as an factor for down fall or as an chance for opportunity, it is up to you to decide and change the course of things. Based on the evaluation test we did in class for conflict management I would like to rethink my way of dealing with conflict.
Right now, what I find particularly effective is to just take time off from working as a team. Whether the conflict is between the team members or something entirely different, conflict creates tension and reduces productivity(at least at that moment). Taking a break from the pending issue, refreshes and energises everyone allowing them to start anew with a rational mind.
I'm not particularly good at conflict either, and I was surprised to see that I ranked in the smoothing strategy on the test. Like you said conflict creates tension and I would rather run away from it than sit down and talk about it. But at the same time "nothing can be changed until it is faced." I think these words alone explain how important conflict and getting over it is. And in some of my personal experiences, I learnt that situations can change into a positive one if we overcome the conflicts lying in front of us. So maybe it is the case to face them in the way Megumi does, instead of trying to find a way to avoid it.
ReplyDeleteHi Natsuko,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your honest reflections about how you typically deal with conflicts. I am somewhat the same, and a bit conflict adverse. But over time I have learned that they can indeed be opportunities and as both you and Haruka mention, having the right kind of attitude such as Megumi has is probably the key.