ned a newly built and launched Hotel property as the Conference Sales Manager, and the team was formed, made up of two individuals from the Company and the rest where all new. Using the Tuckman Model, the group transitioned quite typically through the stages. In the Forming stage, the team were getting to know each other, strengths and weaknesses, and everyone was very polite and accommodating of each other. As the weeks went on and we moved into the Storming stage, tensions began to rise. The employees familiar with the group began to question new management and the roles of the individuals in the group, and a couple of the new members felt isolated by their lack of experience, however as Manager I supported and trained them, and after a period of adjustment, utilising the group employees as mentors for the new staff, the group transitioned onto the Norming stage, where procedures fell into place, and the team worked well together. By the second quarter we had exceeded sales targets and we continued into the Performing stage. As an ongoing venture, there was no specific Adjourning stage, but what did happen, as team members came and went, was a revisit to various stages of the model at different times, depending on changes to the group dynamic.

Describe two examples of conflict resolution methods/models and apply these methods/models to an example of conflict that did/may occur.

Conflict that occurred during the Storming stage in the above example, were resolved using the Thomas & Killman Conflict Mode Instrument of Assertiveness vs Cooperativeness. I firstly spoke with the current staff that knew the expectations of the role and were resistant to both change and to new team members. I was assertive in my dealings, ensuring they understood that I was there to manage the department, both themselves and the new employees, and that I appreciated they knew the job already, but also made them aware I would be introducing new procedures to streamline the department, and was welcoming to their input and comments. At the beginning I agreed with them a compromise, as they were skilled in setting all the procedures in place quickly, and I could then concentrate on training the new employees. However, what developed over a short period of time, by continually addressing potential conflict, was to bring the team together by setting up a mentoring system between the new and current staff. This made them a lot more cooperative to change and helped bring everyone up to the same standards. It allowed me to progress the department, and the team ended up in the Collaborating stage, ensuring a win-win situation, and ultimately we exceeded our targets.

Alternatively, I could have applied the Fisher & Ury model, by separating people from the problem, so as not to make the conflict and tension feel personnel, making all team members feel respected and valued, and allowing each side to express their thoughts and emotions. Then, by focusing on interests, not positions, I could have clearly ex