Resolving interpersonal conflict

Conflicts are unavoidable in all interpersonal relationships. The reasons leading to interpersonal conflicts are numerous ranging from miscommunications to differences in agenda between people. Likewise, there are many ways to resolve interpersonal conflict that people adopt. I have always been conflict adverse and will avoid them if possible.

I recalled an incident during one of my projects in school. One of the requirements for this project was allocating how we want the total marks to be distributed among the members at the end. In my perspective, the entire group project went on smoothly until it was over. When we had a meeting to discuss the grades distribution, one of the members, A, felt that he had contributed the most work and asked for an uneven distribution and that he should be allocated more marks. 

When he made that stand, we were surprised. The rest of us felt that the workload was evenly distributed. However, A stated that for the final essay, he made some major changes to the essay and credit himself for this extra work he put in. While he was doing the essay, the rest of us were busy with our parts for the project video. 

During the meeting, group member B got into a heated debate with A, stating that B did not ask for help when he was working on the changes to the essay. A would argue that we did not take the initiative to approach him for what needs to be done. B would rebuke him saying that we were not informed of the changes to be made. The conflict went on for 30 minutes. The whole time I was taking the back seat. Eventually the conflict was ended when I suggested that A gets the extra marks from me while B gets to keep his even share of the marks.

I felt that there were several reasons that lead to the conflict arising. Firstly was that during the group project, there was insufficient communication going on between group members. Secondly, B felt that A did the extra work without informing us so he is able to get more marks at our expenses, thus he went on a direct confrontation with A. For me, I do feel that it was unfair to us what A has done, but I can’t think of any other ways to solve this conflict other that to give in. How do you think I could have handled the situation better?

Application Letter & Job Advertisement

APPLICATION LETTER:

Blk 111, Wonder Ave 1

#03-456

Singapore 111111

8^th February 2011

Ms Tina Ong

Human Resource Division

PSA Corporation Limited

460 Alexandra Road

37th Storey PSA Building

Singapore 119963

Dear Ms Ong,

I am writing to apply for the position of operations executive that was promoted at the career fair that was held in National University of Singapore (NUS) during 27^th and 28^th January 2011. I find the process of planning and directing container-handling operations interesting and would like to take on the role. I strongly believe that being analytical and decisive would help me to excel in this field and be a great addition to your team.

I am a third year undergraduate at NUS pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Life Science. I will be graduating after this semester in June 2011. I understand that performing shift duties will be part of the job and I have the willingness to do so.

My past experiences in leadership roles, have taught me to manage and lead teams of people. As a marketing head in NUS Science RAG committee, I had the opportunity to lead four members in my department and also be a team player in a committee of 21. I believe these past experiences have equipped me with strong leadership skills. Furthermore, my past working experiences in sales and promotion, have given me ample of opportunity to interact with clients and customers. As such, I have developed strong communication and interpersonal skills, which are vital for the role of operations executive in one of the world’s busiest ports

On top of these, my background in Taekwondo martial arts, have cultivated in me a strong sense of discipline in all things that I do. In addition, my awards and achievements in various competition and events that I take part in is prove that I am results-oriented. I believe that I am a suitable candidate for the position.

I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss more extensively on how I can contribute to your firm in an interview. I will be available at any time convenient to you and can be contacted at 91231239. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Jeremy Lee

Encl: Résumé