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A small group conflict I experienced recently had to do with the division of responsibility in a communal space. We accidentally ended up with an inequitable situation where the people who had to leave for work sooner ended up picking up more of the slack of chores, because all of us have a tendency to leave things a bit unfinished at the end of the night. Collaborative group communication saved us from slipping into passive aggressive fighting. We had an open discussion about the undue burden that those working early shifts were feeling. Those of us who go to work later resolved to proactively check in about how we could lift their burden the night before, so that they could trust in us to complete whatever they left undone before leaving the house. We also established that people working later start shifts would do more cleaning at the end of the night, while those with early starts would head to bed earlier. I had initially felt puzzled by why my roommates hadn’t just asked in the first place if they could leave some things for the rest of us to do instead of automatically picking up all the slack, but after listening well, I understood that they were motivated by the stress of a messy space.

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An example of a small group conflict I have experienced in the past has been in a personal setting, with my siblings at home.

The conflict we faced had to do with daily chores at home. We are a huge family of 9 people at home and with that comes big responsibilities. One of the issues we had in the past was the responsibility of washing dishes. When there was an accumulation of dishes in the sink, someone would be tasked with clearing the dishes in the sink and that would cause frustrations to whoever was assigned to do it.

Overtime, the issue became very obvious so we all came to an agreement as a whole collective to start washing our individual dishes after every use to avoid the sink getting full of dishes and to stop the frustrations from that task.

Based on the author's suggestions to address or resolve the conflict, Collaborating would be the best way to appropriately approach this situation.

After Collaborating together, we came to a group decision to start keeping up with our individual dish washing habits, practicing mindfulness and ultimately resolving the issue of the frustrating emotions from the pile of dishes.

In the end, using our communication competence led to a win/win situation because a mutually beneficial solution was discovered and/or created.

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Hi Hope

I remember the times before Lyft and Uber which seems like a million years ago.

The scenario you described sounds like it caused a lot of anxiety. The fact no one ever acknowledged the mishap makes it worst. It appears that you handled the situation really good in spite of it all. To think you were out of a job would cause anguish in not knowing how bills would be paid. You handled it well and this is a perfect example of the need for good clear communication.

great job!!!

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Think About A Small Group Conflict You Experienced In The Past. Briefly Describe The Conflict And Apply One Of The Author's Suggestion As An Appropriate Way To Have Had Resolve The Conflict

I literally recently had group conflict daily at work. There is a group of 9 workers and one supervisor. Daily at briefing the supervisor gives out assignments as he chooses to the 9 of us. Some of the positions are coveted and some of the positions are undesired. Daily resentment and conflict would come from individuals in undesired positions towards those in desired positions. This would literally cause bitterness and strife amonst the workers, particularly me as I usually was chosen for the coveted spot (assistant supervisor).

The author's suggestion to "establish clear roles and expectation" works in this situation as it would help stope the strife. Applying this method would create an open dialogue where individuals will make know their desired position and they can clearly be told why or why not they are being selected for a position instead of daily waiting and hoping for a position. Following this method would allow individuals to be heard and to know what is expected to receive a desired position or why their are not being selected for a position.

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I’ve had a few situations where working on a team wasn’t the easiest, both in work settings and in volunteer roles. One that sticks out to me is when I was helping with my child’s youth football team. There was a disagreement between me and the team mom about how things were being handled. I had ideas I thought could really help, but I felt like they weren’t being heard or considered. Over time, that made me feel pushed aside, and the whole situation got uncomfortable. It started to feel personal, even though now I don’t think it really was.

Back then, I didn’t know how to handle it the right way. I kind of kept my feelings to myself, which just built up frustration. I avoided saying anything directly because I didn’t want to cause drama or make things worse. But by staying quiet, I think it made me seem distant, and maybe even uncooperative from the outside. She probably had no idea how I felt, and I didn’t give her a chance to explain where she was coming from either.

Since learning more about communication in this class, I’ve realized how much of that situation could’ve been avoided if we had just communicated better. A lot of what felt like conflict was probably just stress or misunderstanding. Things like tone, timing, and body language play such a big part in how messages come across. I now understand how helpful tools like perception checking and active listening really are. Just asking someone, “Hey, is this what you meant?” or “Can you help me understand your point of view?” can prevent so many problems before they even start.

Now, I try not to jump to conclusions. I’m more aware of how I communicate and how I respond to others. I’ve learned that most of the time, people aren’t trying to be rude or dismissive they just have their own way of doing things or are under pressure like the rest of us.

That experience taught me that good communication makes all the difference in how a team works together. It’s something I’m still working on, but I feel like I have better tools now to handle these situations calmly and respectfully when they come up.

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Hey Valerie,

Thanks for sharing your experience. I can tell that must have been a really frustrating situation, especially since the goal was to do something good for the school and community. It’s hard when people are in leadership roles but don’t want to work together or accept feedback. I liked how you tied it to the idea that people join groups to be part of the decision making process that really made sense with what you went through.

I’m glad the group still tried to communicate, even if it didn’t go the way you hoped. That shows effort. Hopefully the next president is more focused on building teamwork and not just their own role. And congrats on your student graduating 8th grade that’s such a big milestone!

Thanks again for sharing.

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A real-life group conflict I experienced recently was during my relocation—what I’d honestly call the biggest group project of my adult life. I had an agreement with my son’s father about when he would pick him up so I could move states, work, and reset. But he completely forfeited on that commitment. From there, the stress multiplied—not just from what I had to figure out on my own, but from all the people in my life giving their opinions without offering any real support.

Everyone had something to say about how I should move, when I should come back, or what I should’ve done differently—but none of those people offered money, guidance, or even a useful resource to help me get through it. I was the one sleeping in U-Hauls, Airbnbs, and on relatives' air mattresses in different states, all because I chose to chase something better for myself and my child.

Looking back through the lens of this class, the author’s suggestion to establish clear roles and expectations would’ve helped. Everyone tried to jump in with advice, but no one stepped up with action. Had I set firmer boundaries early—like “if you’re not contributing, please don’t direct”—I might have saved myself emotional energy.

Also, the concept of "supportive communication climates" really stuck with me. What I needed was encouragement and resources, not opinions rooted in control or guilt. That conflict taught me that communication isn't just about talking—it's about showing up, listening, and knowing when to stay in your lane.

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During my second year of college, a significant challenge arose within a small group tasked with a research presentation for a business course. A core conflict stemmed from one member's consistent absence from meetings and failure to meet deadlines, which created considerable tension and frustration as the project deadline loomed and we found ourselves covering their responsibilities. The lack of communication exacerbated the issue, as the member offered no explanation for their behavior, leading to misunderstandings and assumptions about their commitment.

Reflecting on the situation, the author's emphasis on open and direct communication emerges as a crucial missed opportunity. Our course readings highlighted the importance of establishing clear expectations and engaging in honest, respectful dialogue within small groups. Instead of privately expressing our frustrations or silently shouldering the additional workload, we should have initiated a group meeting early on to address the issue directly. This proactive approach would have provided an opportunity for the member to explain any personal challenges and allowed us to collectively redistribute the workload more equitably and with greater understanding.

In retrospect, adopting "I" statements would have significantly improved our approach, fostering a more productive dialogue. For instance, expressing "I feel overwhelmed because the workload isn’t evenly shared" is much more constructive than accusatory language like "You’re not doing your part." This shift in communication style opens pathways to collaborative problem-solving rather than eliciting defensiveness. This experience ultimately underscored the critical role of communication dynamics in small group settings, demonstrating that while conflict is inevitable, it can be navigated effectively through transparency, empathy, and structured dialogue, preserving both relationships and project outcomes.

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I worked at a taxi company years ago. This was before Uber and Lyft. People use to have to call the cab company to request a ride. I would be answering the phones all night long and dispatching drivers to pick up passengers. So when the weekend was over the manager said they were going to contact me on Tuesday to get me on a better schedule with more duties with office management during the daytime. So Monday came, then Tuesday and then the rest of the week went by with no call from the manager. I called a coworker to see if the schedule had changed. They said my name was erased off the board for the weekend shift so I assumed I was off all week. So I was bummed and had to accept that I had no work for the week. I messaged the manager as to what was going on. I got no response. I started freaking out thinking I was not going to have a job anymore. It turns out that the manager had asked someone else to contact me to schedule me to do daytime orientation and they never did. I never got a reason as to why the would "Forget" to call me but I feel like no one wanted to take the responsibility as to why I was being written off the schedule. The next week I was finally on the dayshift.

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A time where small group communication did not work was probably during COVID when I was a store manager at a retail store. Due to COVID, everything was shut down but when they established the social distancing and limited people being in the store at once, we had to come up with a plan as a team with who can work when and so forth. About a 2 weeks before reopening, I made a new group chat with the current employees to discuss availability and to go over the new norms that have been placed for the safety of all of us such as mandatory masks, temp checks, social distancing, and hand sanitizer procedures. With a team of almost 15, only about 8 had responded with a complete lay out of their availability and their understanding of the new procedures. I tried reaching out to the rest of the team individually through calls and texts to get their availability that way they can work. Eventually some of them got back to me because they seen my messages and assumed I’d put them on the schedule. However with the other few members, I should have made sure they were comfortable with even returning back to work even with the new protocols. COVID affected a lot of families not only with loss of work but also with death. I should have been more understanding that not everyone would be comfortable with just going back to work at a busy mall.

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I once had a group project for an English class where we had to display the main themes of the novel we were reading through different forms of media. I was in a group of three, and while I was friends with one of the people in the group, me and the third person absolutely despised each other. Every conversation turned into an argument, we couldn't agree on what forms of media we wanted to use for the assignment and neither of us was willing to back down from what we thought the correct answer was. Our petty rivalry ended up putting a lot of stress on our second member, and we only decided to put our differences aside after she had a breakdown and told us that it was becoming impossible for her to keep working like this as we were doing nothing but causing her anxiety. In the end, we did end up completing the project, as we ultimately played into our individual strengths in order to display our points, but it really shouldn't have gotten to the point where our second member was crying in exasperation for us to stop fighting. What we should have done was put our personal differences aside in order to focus on achieving our common goal, and if that wasn't initially possible, the we should have set guidelines, as mentioned in the textbook, specifically on how we'll communicate so that we can make sure that we are focusing on the task at hand and not how much we hated each other. Additionally, we should have established a voting system early on, as while we may not have been able to agree, this was our second members project as well, so she should have had more of a say if she liked an idea; it would have also created less of a tug-of-war if we couldn't agree as votes would be finale. If we had done that, it would have probably put less stress on our second member and we would have been able to finish the assignment at a faster rate. While I definitely regret my actions for that assignment, it did at least teach me a lesson in communicating with those you don't get along with, as that is sometimes inevitable and you just have to learn to deal with it

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One group conflict I've experienced in the past was for a statistics group project where we had to analyze a study and create our own charts and graphs with some coding. We had different tasks that we assigned to one another and one person in the group was responsible for inputting the data onto our spreadsheet so that we were able to put the data into our program to create diagrams to see any patterns in order to write about the study. He had told our group he would do it by the next night, but a few days had passed and there was nothing on the spreadsheet and he didn't reply to our messages. He finally answered and got it done, but it was really late and the rest of us were rushed to finish our parts of the project. One of the author's suggestions to address the conflict is to meet often with our group in order to emphasize that group work is important. Meeting and working together ensures work is actually getting done since we can check in on each other at that moment. Another way to address this conflict from worsening was to establish clear expectations about what needs to be done by a certain date, so that everyone else can do their part in a timely manner.

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During a college communications course, I was part of a four-person group assigned to create a presentation on social media’s impact on mental health. At first, everyone seemed enthusiastic. We quickly chose our topic, divided up the sections, and set a tentative schedule. However, one group member, Jordan, repeatedly missed check-in meetings and turned in incomplete or off-topic content.

The rest of us—myself, Alex, and Maria—were frustrated. We quietly picked up the slack, revised Jordan’s sections, and told ourselves we just wanted to “keep the peace.” None of us wanted to confront Jordan directly, assuming maybe he was going through something personal. As the deadline approached, tensions grew. Alex finally voiced his frustration in a group message, which caused Jordan to become defensive and withdraw further. The final presentation lacked cohesion, and the group dynamic felt tense and strained during our delivery.

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One conflict I experienced was a lack of accountability and communication breakdown within a creative team that was assembled by a client for a beauty campaign shoot. As a professional photographer, I was working with a client I have worked with in the past as a professional makeup artist. But for this particular project she hired me as the photographer. She hired a small team of including a new makeup artist, so I can solely focus on photograph. the makeup artist was to execute an eight look campaign for the clients relaunch. We had scheduled multiple planning meetings in the months leading up to the shoot. She wanted us to all meet, and make sure everyone was aligned and prepped prior to the shoot. Unfortunately the makeup artist missed several meetings, failed to communicate prior to the meetings and didn't care to touch base to try to meet on additional days we had available incase anyone wasn't able to make it due to schedule constraints. Ultimately because of the makeup artists lack of communicated this was what caused major delays the day of the shoot. The day of the shoot she deviated from the clients finalized mood board, slowed down the work flow, gave unsolicited creative direction, and overstepped throughout the day. This caused us to run behind by over 6 hours. Her behavior confused the models and other's on set to what her role actually was, she disrupted me constantly by trying to give her input on how she would pose the models, and again causing more delays by not completing looks in a timely manner due to her trying to give unsolicited input. Many of us working that day being parents carefully planned around a 12 hour day, with we surpassed due to the makeup artists constant disruptions, and lack of professionalism. Being that I was hired by the client and didn't hire the makeup artist directly I personally didn't want to confront her. But I was extremely frustrated. I am also a professional makeup artist and when hired to do a job with the clients specific vision, I show up to meetings, communicate if I'm able to make it and follow up so I'm prepared the day of, to assure the client I am able to execute flawlessly and professionally. According to the textbook, the most appropriate suggestion to resolve or avoid this particular kind of conflict would have ben to establish group expectations early on. Additionally meeting more frequently before the shoot, could have really helped us build a stronger sense of group cohesion and would have revealed very early warning signs of the makeup artists lack of engagement and communication. I believe had the concerns been addressed sooner, we could have replaced her or prepared for contingencies. This specific experience taught me, seeing the tone very early is extremely crucial, especially in creative environments as most artists are passionate and multifaceted so roles may overlap. Being proactive in group communication can make a hue difference in saving time, and protection the quality of the final product.

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I have had a conflict in school while doing a project. Unfortunately, we had one person in our group of 5 people. who decided to not do their part. We needed about 20 slides, for a power point and we assigned four to each person. Unfortunately, we only had 16 slides on the powerpoint one day before it was due, so we decided to ask this person why they did not do their part because now the group was going to be getting an undeserved grade after all the work done. He just laughed it off and said he didn't care whatsoever. Luckily, our group was committed to finish the sliees without that person, but that was a problem that I hope I don't have to deal with anymore. We just addressed it by behaving in a mature matter and being responsible.

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As Ive mentioned I am a mom to two teenagers. I have been a room parent to each of my kids classes and towards the end of my time at their school I joined the PTG Board. As a room parent there is no collaboration but on the Board we were always making executive decision for the greater good of the school community. Fundraising was the primary goal and finding opportunities for the students to complete community service hours as well. As a collective board we had two presidents for different times, who would not collaborate and would shoot down ideas. In the section, Groups Meet Interpersonal Needs, "People also join groups because they want to have some control over a decision-making process or to influence the outcome of a group." I believed my roles was mainly to have some control over the decision making process, collectively. However the two other people wanted complete control and made for a very frustrated and disorderly group where the team very rarely got along. The goal was for the greater community success but the individuals were there for personal success. The last President did not like that the group overall decided that she was not an effective or uniting leader and chose to step down. We tried to communicate with her clearly and directly but she did not like any kind of feedback. i am no longer atthe school my student just graduated 8th grade on June 7th so I do hope the next President can build community and togetherness for the great good.

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For my engineering class in school, I was assigned to work with 3 other people to create a prototype that solves a teacher's issue. Two of my groupmates were were on top of it and contributing a fair share to the project. The other group member rarely paid attention and often did not speak to the rest of us. I tried to converse with him once but he always had his head down and gave short responses. This made me perceive him as someone who was lazy and didn't make the effort to participate. His silence continued while the rest of the group tried our best to make progress in the project. It wasn't until one day that he came with swollen eyes. This was the day we found out that his lack of participation was due to his personal issues at home. Our group finally talked to him and he explained how he wasn't able to focus on the project because he was distracted. Some suggestions on how this conflict could have been resolved or addressed is to not assume anything and have more frequent conversations. In the beginning, I assumed he was lazy and didn't want to participate because he didn't respond me. I could have came up with more interpretations instead of sticking to one explanation. Additionally, it would've been better if I checked up on him multiple times throughout the project. This could have helped us build a stronger connection and further encourage his participation.

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At school, I have had small group conflicts before. Generally, it is when someone in the group is not contributing as much as other people in the group. One time in particular, the person who was not contributing was my friend, so she felt comfortable telling me that “her brain just didn’t feel like working” that day—except that this occurred everytime we had to work on the project. I was growing frustrated because the other group members and I had to complete more than our fair share. However, I had trouble confronting her about it because I didn’t want it to affect our friendship. One thing that may have helped is setting clear expectations and designating different parts of the project to each group member from the start. That way, each person would know their personal responsibility and know they were contributing equally. Meeting more often, and perhaps outside of class, may have also helped because maybe she would have had an easier time focusing in other situations.

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Yes, I think we all have delt with a group conflict. Mine was at work, we have a co-worker that no matter how much you try to compromise, it doesn't work with him. So, to me it seems like he is just lazy that's all. So, one day I was over a small group of workers and mike that the lazy guy, was part of my group, and we had a task of getting a certain number of bottles out in a couple of hours. I gave everyone their task to complete. I look up after about 20 minutes and mikes on his phone. And me personally I never really worked with mike, I'm actually going by what I heard. So, I perceived he was lazy. Back to mike on the phone, I can already see a couple of guys getting mad, they want me to say something to mike. When they see I was reluctantly, they step to him before I could react. I was waiting to see the reaction on the guy's face. It wasn't what I expected. Now remember mike supposed to be lazy. Well, we found that day mike was dealing with some family issues. Even though mike was still considered kind of lazy, the other two co-workers and I perceived and are jump to a conclusion this time. So, me being the supervisor I learned from this. Oh yeah, we talked and made mike fill a little better, and we got the work done on time. We all have to be careful of how we approach situation, think before you act, and don't take it personally.

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In a recent project where I was overseeing a facility build, I encountered a conflict involving multiple stakeholder groups. The root of the issue stemmed from an incomplete scope of work that had not been fully vetted by the Facilities Operations Project Manager. This oversight led to a series of delays, misaligned expectations, and unexpected change orders once construction was underway. The lack of clear communication caused a ripple effect, impacting the general contractor, security integrators, and ultimately the end users.

Instead of escalating tensions or assigning blame, I chose to convene a meeting with all key stakeholders. During this session, we collaboratively established a new set of service level agreement that clarified responsibilities, timelines, and communication protocols. This helped us realign the project, set realistic expectations, and ensure transparency moving forward.
The most appropriate way to address this type of conflict is through collaborative problem-solving and open communication. Rather than dwelling on the initial missteps, focusing on realigning goals and creating shared accountability is far more productive. It promotes teamwork and prevents similar issues in the future.

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I have experienced a small group conflict at my work before. My coworkers and I were tasked with building displays, and we had this one coworker who was doing little to nothing. Instead of helping that perceived lazy coworker, my team and I just continued to complete the task by ourselves. According to Pamela J. Gerber & Heidi Murphy from "3.1: The Perception Process", this situation could have been approached in a different way to achieve the best outcome. My team and I assumed that the coworker was just being lazy due to how we organize information. Most likely, we saw that since he was a coworker, he must be similar to the rest of the team and know and understand how to build the displays. In reality, the coworker might not have known how to build the displays, and my team and I simply did not give that coworker a chance. In the future, to prevent situations like this from happening, making sure that everyone in the team knows and understands how to approach the overall goal is a crucial step for team success.

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A small group conflict I had in the past where my groupmates weren't completing their share of the work on time. My group members and I tried to contact them and offer assistance, but we ended up completing most of their share. Meeting often with my group may have been more instrumental in creating a stronger relationship with that member since we didn't understand what they were going through. My group was slightly selfish as we expected that member to put in as much effort as us within knowing their situation. By simply making a group chat or texting them to check how they would've been more effective than pressuring them to finish before the due date.