Managing Conflict in Online Multi-cultural Student Teams

with Dr. Richard Dool, Seton Hall University, USA

Date: March 18, 2010
2:00 pm to 2:50 pm EDT
(see time in other time zones)
 

Description:
The use of teams by organizations of all sizes and orientation has grown significantly. Almost 70 percent of online students have reported working in teams in the last 12 months. Additionally, as globalization increases, the use of virtual cross-cultural teams will rise. Learning to be an effective member of a team, especially a virtual team, has become a necessary career competency. The sources of conflicts in online teams mirror those of face-to-face teams. Most conflict can be traced to differences in expected outcomes (grades), roles, style, values and time, or basic personality conflicts. Because communication is asynchronous, there are more opportunities for miscommunication. This presentation discusses the causes of conflict in student teams, the various behaviors that contribute and the instructor strategies and practices that will reduce the impact of conflicts on the learning experience. In practice, the processes offered in this presentation have reduced evident conflicts by 70%.

About the Presenter:
Dr. Dool has 30 years of management experience, 18 as a CEO. He has a range of experiences including leading a $1B division and companies in 8 different countries.

He is Director of Graduate Studies at Seton Hall. His research interests are focused on change management, leadership communication and virtual teaming.